Exploring the Bay Area

Sushi Arashi  Sushi Arashi is one of downtown Mountain View's best restaurants. It serves a variety of Japanese dishes, including sushi and sashimi. I like to start my meal with some of their warm and savory miso soup. It's very inexpensive but very satisfying.   Ordering the sushi or sashimi is a safe bet here. You can trust this restaurant will have fresh and yummy fish every time. They also have quite a few vegetarian rolls. Whether you prefer nigiri, makimono, or sashimi, you will be delighted by the number of options offered. The sushi and sashimi are served with their slightly spicy wasabi, quality pickled ginger, and umami soy sauce.  I have also sampled their udon and found it more than satisfactory. The thick, doughy noodles went perfectly with the thin and salty soup they were swimming in. The meat and vegetables balanced each other out perfectly in the udon dish that I sampled. Not to be ignored are their teriyaki dishes. The teriyaki glaze/sauce they use...

MJ Sushi MJ Sushi is an attractively designed restaurant that has a modern and sleek appearance-- and a modern and sleek take on Japanese culinary tradition!  You can order your favorite Japanese appetizers like edamame (soybeans), gyoza (Japanese dumplings), chicken karaage (fried chicken), tokoyaki (deep-fried octopus). They also carry miso soup, seaweed salad, and a house green salad.  I strongly recommend starting with some of their miso soup. It is warm and perfectly seasoned with salty dashi, tofu, and seaweed. I find it to be both hearty and light at once; hefty enough to take the edge off my hunger, but light enough not to spoil my appetite.  Its savory flavor is wonderful for getting my palate ready for the main course. For the main course, they offer beef, chicken, and salmon teriyaki meals, which have Japanese barbecue sauce and are served over a bed of rice. These are viable alternatives for those who do not care for fish or raw fish. They are filling and tas...

Nijiya Market Nijiya Market is a chain of grocery stores that specialize in Japanese groceries. They have lots of things that are from Japan and are hard to come by in this country.  Their frozen section is full of ready-made Japanese foods, like yakisoba and gyoza. Everything is authentically Japanese because the store only features Japanese brands of Japanese food. They have an ample selection of Japanese breads and pastries. This includes milk bread and anpan (bean-paste stuffed bread), among other things. All the baked goods are arranged in an appetizing fashion, and there is an impressive number of them. They also carry Japanese mochi.  They have all types of Japanese sauces and condiments, mostly from Japanese imported brands. For example, they have Japanese soy sauce, ponzu sauce, and teriyaki sauce. These flavors are hard to come by in these parts, so it is very nice to find them here in California.  They sell specific cuts of meat for Japanese cooking, like suki...

 Marugame Udon With several locations in the Bay Area, inclding one in Berkeley, Palo Alto, and San Francisco, Marugame Udon is a wonderful chain that serves hearty Japanese food, including several different flavors of udon, rice bowls, and tempura.  Marugame Udon is a restaurant where you order and pay at the counter. Once you order, you can watch them prepare your meal right there (the ingredients are ready), and then you can pick out your side dishes: tempura, gyoza, or other fried options. I recommend the gyoza, which are perfectly crispy and packed with flavor. The udon is a savory and satisfying meal. The warm broth and chewy noodles are a fan-favorite. You can taste the freshness and even see where the fresh noodles are prepared.  The chicken katsu bowls are also a safe bet.  But for me, my favorite remains the gyudon beef bowl (pictured above). The meat is tender and flavorful. The sauce is sweet but salty and savory. It goes well with the simple but well-pre...

Moshi Moshi Lunch: Monday–Friday, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. Dinner:  Monday – Saturday, 5:00 pm – 8:45 pm. 2092 3rd Street @18th Street San Francisco, CA 94107 415-861-8285 This Japanese restaurant has an extensive menu full of delicious items. I highly recommend trying it; I frequently come back for more!  When it comes to their sushi and sashimi, the fish is always extremely fresh. When this fish is paired with freshly prepared, crunchy nori and perfectly seasoned Japanese rice, the combination is incredible. The flavors and textures balance each other perfectly! Every detail is thought of, right down to the delicious soy sauce, ginger, and wasabi that comes free with the meal. I love the tekkamaki and the fire lizard the most, but be sure to come back to try the many different types of rolls on the menu--they are all worth trying! You also might enjoy the combo zuke don (pictured below), which features their fresh fish and good rice.  They also use their perfectly seasoned J...