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Hmm well that's just your opinion and taste I guess. That's quite interesting. The only explanation I can give again is that most sushi restaurants in Japan are very cheap (when compared to US restaurants) and therefore perhaps the quality is less. If you pay the same price for sushi in Japan as you do in the US I don't think you would have the same opinion (or perhaps you did and still have the same opinion anyways?). Either way, that's the first time I have heard of Sushi being bad in Japan :P. Most of my american/foreign acquantances in Japan (even from NY) always praise the sushi so dunno. Like I said before my guess is since most or perhaps all Japanese establishments in the US are expensive (you cited japanese steakhouses which are quite expensive) the quality of their food is better (you pay for what you get) while in contrast, sushi is common and cheap in Japan so quality is worse? Either way I would disagree with this, I personally find the quality of 90 cent sushi conveyor belt shops to be just as good as expensive japanese steakhouse shops in US lol.
As for Yakiniku, you are korean (or at least familiar with korean bbq) so perhaps for your tastes it's not as good. Yakiniku was "sort of" modelled off of Korean bbq. Did you try Wagyu and Kobe beef? I heard even Koreans give high praise to that Beef. Bulgogi and Kalbi is really delicious though but it's different than Yakiniku.
Where did you stay in Tokyo?
And BTW I would personally say Seoul is a better city for Food than Tokyo, why? Because I am in love with Korean bbq/yakiniku. Though that's just my opinion and my taste. I do believe in general when it comes to amount of restaurants and quality I would say Tokyo is better, but only slightly because I view Korean and Japanese "food cultures" as very similar.
P.S. Did you try sushi in Kansai area? (Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe)? That's where it was invented.
I do believe in general when it comes to amount of restaurants and quality I would say Tokyo is better, but only slightly because I view Korean and Japanese "food cultures" as very similar.
P.S. Did you try sushi in Kansai area? (Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe)? That's where it was invented.
yes, it is similar in a lot of ways. it just seemed seoul was just overflowing with restaurants, maybe too much.
i was near shinjuku but i traveled all over tokyo. like i said i like the vending machines which are better in japan. both places very vibrant, busy and interesting. japan is cleaner and more orderly.
i tracked down a korean restaurant in japan but it was more expensive and the portions were small. i was still hungry after the meal though.
that said, tokyo is definitely a world class city.
yes, it is similar in a lot of ways. it just seemed seoul was just overflowing with restaurants, maybe too much.
i was near shinjuku but i traveled all over tokyo. like i said i like the vending machines which are better in japan. both places very vibrant, busy and interesting. japan is cleaner and more orderly.
i tracked down a korean restaurant in japan but it was more expensive and the portions were small. i was still hungry after the meal though.
that said, tokyo is definitely a world class city.
Well technically Yakiniku restaurants can be considered korean restaurants.
Last edited by Cornerguy1; 02-15-2010 at 05:38 PM..
lol. i was just in tokyo a couple years ago and i was surprised by one thing: there regular sushi was not impressive at all. you would have to go to an extremely high price establishment to get very good sushi. i've had better sushi at better prices in america which again, surprised me.
i've also had better and fresher sushi in korea, waay better and easily affordable. the affordable sushi in japan is forgettable. i've also gone to their noodle shops and it's just 'okay'. their street food is much to be desired imo. there food simply is just not that memorable as it's too simple and bland. i was right in the heart of tokyo but i didn't see the number of restaurants in comparison to korea which is literally everywhere including lots of coffee shops/bakeries. japan has very high quality standards but i don't think it has very good variety. it's rather ascetic.
but japan has plenty of good grocery stores and making food at home seems to be the best bet for great food at affordable prices. i love japanese products/groceries as i do korean. very high quality ingredients, way better than regular american grocers but equal to higher european standards. i remember reading a blog where a traveler noted the best meals he had in japan were in people's homes.
other than that, i find japan to be a bit overrated and hyped as far as regular food goes. it definitely has good food if you cook at home though and is more affordable. they have lavish grocery stores which i was impressed by too.
Could it be that you were so used to the sushi taste here in the States that the taste over in Japan wasn't palatable enough for you? I had visited Italy briefly on a stopover a few years ago and had pizza there. I thought it was terrible, but maybe because i was so used to how Americans made pizza, so that could be the case.
If you're talking variety of international cuisines, I would think you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere more diverse than the US, especially LA and NYC. Plus, we have a multitude of regional cuisines.
The irony, of course, is that we're also responsible for the invention of the chain restaurant, which are so hurtful to the survival of local joints serving authentic food.
The best CITY in the world for foodies is New York City, hands down.
The reasons...
1) New York City is a haven for foreigners from almost every country in the world. And I'm not just talking about poor immigrants, but foreign nationals with money. As a result, almost every cuisine is available, even weird ones like Uyghur, Uzbek, and Yemeni. That alone would make it a foodie heaven.
2) Because of the city's density, restaurants are often located within close proximity to one another. So you can have Uzbek, Sichuan, Ethiopian, etc. without leaving your neighborhood.
3) Food other than pretentious New American or French cuisine (immigrant food) tends to be less expensive than other places in the first world. You can eat very well in NYC on $30 or even $25 / day.
I don't understand this thread...
Which country is the best for foodies ? if we have to believe what michelin says, then the answer is pretty simple, we just have to look what say the book, and that's it !
I have never heard of moose, but in Japan we eat horse (yes yes like the italians please don't bash this). As for beef we have Kobe/wagyu beef which is quite good, good enough that Italy/French has ordered some Japanese cows. Berries?? Hmm rice is more popular :P. The only vegetable/fruit that is hard to obtain in Japan is watermelons.
Yes you can get it in Japan.
You forgot to mention that RAW horse is also available in Japan. I was quite surprised by that.
Berries? Still available in Japan, if I chose to desire it.. just like the maple syrup from Canada and everything else.
Watermelons? I got plenty of that during the summer time from LIFE and the local supermarkets, etc.
Also, has anyone tried Japanese peach? It's literally to DIE for, in IMHO.
As for Korean food, I would have to say the authentic Korean food outside of Korea is more so in LA than Japan, due to one primary factor: the Koreans who operate the restaurants in Japan are 2nd-4th generation Korean-Japanese, while the LA-based ones are typically 1st-2nd generation Korean-American. I state that after dining at Korean restaurants in BOTH cities.
I grew up in NY and would have to say New York City.
LA is a very close second and maybe even 1A.
I have lived in California the last twenty years and have been to SF, LA, and San Diego.
I think LA is more diverse and more variety but SF has better upscale restaurants.
San Diego is not a food town at all and sadly it is my hometown.
Hence I cook at home but I am a chef so I eat well!
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