Photo Credit. Spring is the peak season for matcha. Almost all tea produced in Japan is green tea. Japanese green tea is picked from the end of April to May. This is generally the best time to pick the tea, and it is the first tea of the year, called “shincha” (新茶). There are three […]

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In addition to our okonomiyaki post, we’re also going to be featuring a couple of ramen joints! We visited 4 places on our recent trip to Japan, all of which were generally considered to be some of the better ramen places to go to. They weren’t just no-name places in alleyways, they were all places […]

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If you follow our Instagram, you’ll know that Washoku Lovers was recently travelling in Japan! We did some hard work in eating as much as we could to bring a few explanations of food, and of course recommendations! Keep reading for 4 Okonomiyaki restaurants, each in a different place that you should check out if […]

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Your favourite ramen in the CBD is now opening their second store in Neutral Bay! Yasaka Ramen, known for their house made noodles and tonkotsu soup, are opening their second store this weekend (less than two years since first opening in November of 2014). Washoku Lovers helped to organise a media reception to spread the […]

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Washoku Lovers Kitchen has been so successful with sell out classes that this time we decided to double it. Yep, for the first time, we held two cooking classes on one day! I can tell you from a staff perspective, it was quite a whirlwind, but seeing twice as many happy faces and hearing everyone […]

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Kirin Australia has just opened up shop in the form of a pop up at The Oaks Hotel! The 1936 bar space has been decorated and renewed, with red and white lanterns, bamboo, and paper wall partians for the pop up, which runs until August. Washoku Lovers was invited along to the opening night for a […]

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Photo by K.Uchida In today’s post, the second part of the series Ki-Yan’s Kyoto – Washoku restaurants, cafés & shops, I am happy to introduce two branches of the popular chain of tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlets) restaurants Katsukura in Kyoto – the Katsukura Kyoto Station branch and Katsukura Higashinotoin branch. In both branches you have […]

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On children’s day, Japanese people eat chimaki to pray for good health. Chimaki is a rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves.   This year my Children’s Day menu was: Sashimi (hirame, kampachi, maguro, which is flatfish, great amberjack, and tuna!) Marinated tomatoes with citrus Cooked beans Beef and bamboo shoots and asparagus fried in oyster sauce Tofu with […]

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Recently, Washoku Lovers was invited to visit the factory where Maruko Gyoza and also ramen noodles are made! Watching the foods be produced was extremely interesting, so let me break it down for you:   Gyoza The dumpling wrappers are a simple flour-water mixture (but the flour itself is a secret!) that’s churned in a […]

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On the 5th, 6th, and 7th of June, Izakaya Yebisu celebrated their 3rd anniversary! Washoku Lovers attended the tuna cutting show on the Friday. There was two sessions for the tuna cutting, one at 6:30 PM and one at 9:00 PM and the entire night there was a giant line extending all the way up […]

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