Kesennuma is 1 hr Shinkansen and 1 hr car ride from Tokyo and is one of the world’s three largest fishing ground alongside the North Atlantic Ocean (Northeastern and Northwestern), the Sanriku sea waters is best known for catching a variety of fishes. Kasennuma port, the main port along Sanriku waters is famous for Japan’s biggest processor for bonito, swordfish and even sharks. The fisherman at Sanriku sea waters have a deep respect for the ocean and they catch fishes using sustainable fishing methods, hence maintaining a healthy ocean for the earth.
Kesennuma is best known for being Japan’s biggest processor for bonito, swordfish and even sharks. 85% of the locals make a livelihood out of the fishery industry. After being hit by tsunami in 2011, the city of Kesennuma and its people have a deeper respect for the ocean its marine life.
Northwest of Tokyo, Kesennuma is naturally blessed with intricate waters; cold currents from the North and cold currents from the South ensure that there is a bountiful variety of marine life that are attracted to the different sea temperature.
There is no better place to get to know a place in Japan, its past and its present, through its food. Shishiori, a district in Kesennuma is unique for many high quality tastes, produced via one of the special high-tech methods.
Some of the highlight ingredients include:
(Introducing to Singaporeans for the 1st Time!)
- Ikura fish roe produced in soy sauce
- Flake of Japanese salmon caught in Autumn season
- Cherry wood smoked sanma fish
(New Menu Available From 1 April 2017 At IPPIN CAFE BAR!)
- Cafe, sake bar, store
- Fresh tastes from lesser known areas of Japan
- New menu from various parts of Japan every few months
Spicy Tuna Hand-Rolled Sushi
Made from spicy tinned tuna, K type ikura, sesame & sea tangle boiled in soy sauce and salmon flake.
When you think about canned foods, you might think it’s kind of unhealthy foods, but you are wrong! Canned food in Japan is consider second fresh products, because they process with high technology to ensure the freshness. When i tried it doesn’t really taste like canned food, it’s really like just seasoned fresh tuna.
Classic Salted Squid Guts with Cream Cheese
For the cheese lover this might be your favourite, the cheese is so soft and the squid guts add the texture on it.
Below is the chef holding the squid guts.
Salmon Flake Rice Ball with Tororo Konbu (Tangle Shavings) Flake
Made from tororo-konbu (tangle shavings) flake, Salmon flake and sesame & sea tangle boiled in soy sauce.
Tororo-konbu and Salmon flake..
Smoked Sanma Roasted with Garlic
Made from sanma kun, smoked using cherry wood. You can even eat the whole piece of the fish because the bones are already softened. It tastes quite tasty and healthy snack.
Seared Bonito Sushi
Made from frozen seared bonito, it’s raw bonito fish which has a bit of fishy smell, but after eating it you can neutralize with sake. That’s the way Japanese eating it.
Ikura Don
Made using K-type Ikura, can i say it’s the best ikura i’ve ever tasted, it was so fresh and tasty.
Tinned Food
- Buri-Daikon (Simmered Yellotail and Daikon Radish)
- Mackerel Simmered in Miso in Can
- Seasoned Pacific Saury
As previously mentioned, Canned foods in Japan consider second fresh products. And with high technology to ensure the freshness of the products, i was really surpised that the fish on can are still taste fresh and doesn’t even think it come from the can.
Japanese usually had this canned fish with beer, So healthy replacement than those chips or fried stuff.
Shark Meatball with Seaweed and Vegetable Soup with Yuzu Ponzu Vinegar
Made from wakame seaweed and shark which caught using sustainable method.
Frankly speaking it was my first time trying shark meat. I didn’t even know that shark meat can be eaten. And at first i hesitate to try it because i always thinking that how cruel to eat the extinct animals. But in Sanriku sea water this type of sharks (Blue Sharks) is abudance and to balance the ecosystem, they should made use the sharks.
With coastlines punctuated by plentiful fishes, the locals are still careful to maintain a healthy balance in the ocean habitat. Equipped with radars that are able to allow fishermen to determine the type of fishes in the area, they are able to make better decisions to leave the area if a particular specie is on the decrease. When sharks and other marine life are still accidentally caught, Mottainai (appreciating all parts) of the life is practised and as such, the sea animal is not just processed into seafood, but its other parts are made into handbags, supplements, and cosmetics.
Besides the seafood products, we also tried Sake from Kesennuma, all sake product mentioned below are from Kakuboshi Sake Brewery:
- Daiginjo Kisho
- Mizutoriki Tokubetsu Junmaishu
- Yamadanishiki Gowarigobu
- Yuzu Sake – my favourite because it’s very sweet and i really love the yuzu flavour
And below is the menu from Table at 7 which also using seafood products from Kesennuma Shishiori. Slightly different than Ippin Cafe Bar, Table at 7 came with fusion menu.
Salad Nicoise with Canned Albacore Tuna and Yellow Fin Tuna
Spicy Pomelo Salad with Sea Tangle, Crispy Anchovy, Crushed Cashew Nuts and Salmon Flakes
Seasoned Salmon Roe K Type (XL) Size, served Chilled in a Shooter Glass with Shoyu, Kaffir Lime, Grated Ginger and Fresh Wasabi
Chili Crab on Mantou Bun
One of my favourite, the crab meat is so fresh and sweet, really match with the mantou bun.
Roasted Salted Salmon Flakes Pie with Leek and White Wine Sauce
Aglio Olio with Wakame, Ikura and Roasted Salmon Flakes
Thank you Ippin Cafe Bar and Table at 7 for having me.. And sharing about how important is the sustainable seafood, i guess i will be more respect to what i eat and where it come from.
From 3 April 2017, enjoy a new menu of sustainable seafood from world’s famous fishing port – Kesennuma Shishiori. Have the power to know where your seafood comes from and at the same time help the Kesennuma Shishiori economy after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
#SustainableHero #SustainableSeafood
IPPIN CAFE BAR
Address: 18 Mohamed Sultan Rd, Singapore 238967
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YuniQueYuni