Super expensive food

[amirm]

In my travels, I have run into some very price things to eat. Probably no more than in Japan:

Musk Melon for $50 each! I used to have a quarter for breakfast at my hotel which cost $18. But I have to tell you, you have not tasted melon until you have one of these ripe ones in season! Incredibly sweet, flavorful and juicy. Did I say juicy? I thought I did

Here is the $60 version. BTW, these are protected with netting on the ground and in shipment so that nothing bruises them:

$150 for "Matsutake" mushroom basket (25 each!). These are pine mushrooms which are to Japanese, what Truffles are to French. They have a special aroma and very dense texture. This place has nothing but expensive and high-quality vegetable. It is in Kyoto, Japan and has a great restaurant upstairs where they serve up simple but well done vegetarian meals. The wait can be hours though to get into it. On the good new side, they speak decent English .

And $500 for a single mushroom next to it!!!

$68 basket of strawberries. 20 in the basket for >$3 each! I must admit, these were not all that special:

$50 for 6 peaches:

So what experience do you all have with super expensive food items?

 

[JackD201]

Tried the above except for the mushrooms. Add to that top grade wagyu and top grade Tuna Belly. I think I can live on Toro. Makes me wish I was a dolphin sometimes.

Fresh white and black truffle shavings in pasta too. A bit too much for Umami for me.

Then there are the oyster bars in Paris. As much as 5 euros per piece for certain varieties and that was 5 years ago. Makes me wish I was a sea otter.

I'm not too keen on sharks fin or abalone. I prefer the much cheaper dried abalone or scallop. I'm glad I'm not a shark.

Caviar with blinis and sour cream. Heavenly. There was this russian restaurant in HK called Balalaika that served everything from salmon roe to Beluga. It had a walk in freezer with vodka on the shelves and you could go in there. They'd give you a Cossack coat and hat and you could do shots. Big fun!

 

[amirm]

I knew Jack would be on my side .

Did you say Toro? Boy, do I miss the real thing in Japan. For those not familiar this is the belly portion of Tuna. That is where all the fat collects. The version in Japan can be so fatty that you mistake it for pork ribs! Here is an example:

See all the streaks of fat in there? Here is the kicker. Fish fat melts at the temperature of your body so as soon as you put it in your mouth it melts! Few things are more luxurious.

OK, Wagyu or Kobe Beef comes close! I have actually had it at the restaurant that started the whole thing and unusually so, it was very reasonable there. I think our dinner was $35 per stake or some such thing! Then again, I have had a single dinner that cost $200+.

I love scallop raw but I don't find the too pricey.

 

[JackD201]

Ah Japan! Even ordinary Maguro is different! The mayor of General Santos City is an old friend. According to her, the Japanese buyers await every single tuna at their fish port and buy all of the good stuff to be sent back home and that's why our local sashimi grade tuna is so inferior. The different buyers try to outbid each other on these barrel sized fish. Also our Tuna is the yellow fin variety which never gets as fatty as the Blue Fin variety caught in the cold waters of the North Atlantic.

I swear Amir, Toro gives me some sort of dopamine (or is it serotonin?) rush. I feel like I'm literally high for a few minutes! Oh wow. I gotta plan a trip soon!!!!!!!

 

[Jay_S]

I saw some truffles last month at Costco. I think the price was $1699 a pound. But for $150 you could buy a small plastic container with a nice sliver.

 

[Wardsweb]

Oh hell yea! Otoro is a drug, costs as much and worth every cent. Now I do love a good seared Ahi (yellow fin) but for sushi or sashimi, Maguro (blue fin) serves well regardless if Akami, Toro or Otoro.

 

[JackD201]

Blue Fin Rules! Eve Anna Manley should name something after it.

 

[mullard88]

You guys are giving me very strong reasons to plan a trip to Japan.

 

[JackD201]

Hi Sam, I was thinking of bringing the family to Hokkaido for next year's winter festival. This year's festival is too tight on the schedule. Jim is thinking about it too. Sound good to you? Have a whole year to plan it.

 

[Bruce B]

There was a piece of TV last night on our local news of people paying $4k PER POUND for truffles that were dug up on the Olympic peninsula. Guess they need to train some truffle hogs!
They were talking about having to be incognito and being armed when they harvest them.

 

[garylkoh]

I love bluefin tuna otoro for the texture and mouthfeel, but for pure, mouthwatering deliciousness my prize goes to Jamon Iberico. The best is the Maldonado - if you can get a leg that is. He only makes 50 legs a year, and there is a long worldwide waiting list. Because the US bans import of anything made of pork, the "jamon iberico" available here is mostly from American pigs, and while the pigs are Iberian Blacks, and they are fed acorns and tree roots, the taste just gives you a hint of the real thing.

Amir, the Costco in Kirkland still (as of last weekend) the US version. Good, but like chutoro compared to otoro.

 

[amirm]

Costco has Toro? How do they sell it? Is it just that cut? Frozen or otherwise?

 

[garylkoh]

Costco has Toro? How do they sell it? Is it just that cut? Frozen or otherwise?

They have "jamon iberico", not toro. I haven't seen toro in Costco, but there used to be a wholesale sashimi place in Bellevue that had it. It's a pity that's closed down. Now, I buy my blue fin toro from the H-Mart in Lynnwood frozen. Very easy to thaw if you know how.

 

[mullard88]

Hi Jack,

I was in Hokkaido July or August last year. They have all the good food there at a much cheaper price. Just in the suburbs of Sapporo, there is a great Japanese fusion restaurant that does a fantastic degustacion menu called Elm Garden. On a high hillside in Hakodate with a fantastic view of the bay, there is also another restaurant just like Elm Garden. You drive to the foot of the hill, then the restaurant will send their vehicle to bring you up to their place as the roads are very narrow. I am really tempted. Which winter month and how long a trip are you and Jim thinking of? Let me also ponder over this, winter weather makes my psoriasis act up.

 

[JackD201]

We're looking at a short 5 day four night trip, second week of February. The ice castles should all be up by then. The kids haven't seen snow yet so I can't wait to take them sledding. Your restaurant recommendations have just helped crystallize the plan!

Cold dries me up too. I've got something for you that works even better than norwegian stuff I had to use when I was in Scandinavia. It's pure plant based squalene extract from Germany. The same stuff they supposedly put in the most expensive women's lipsticks to keep their lips kissable It's totally hypoallergenic and requires just a couple of drops. I'll send you a bottle

 

[amirm]

Food can be incredible in Hokkaido. Best Uni (Sea Urchin) and Hotate (Scallops) come from there. I have been there for photography in winter but on the eastern side near Siberia. I stayed at a local inn and was amazed how great the food quality was that was included in the room rate. This was a hotel with hot springs. Breakfast and multi-course dinner and overnight stay in their largest room was $80/night! OK, this was the off season . But still, it was quite reasonable especially for Japan. In the dead of the winter with a pile of snow outside, they would bring a salad that would be fresher than most places in Summer!

I never made it to Sapporo's Yuki Matsuri (snow festival) but some colleagues did and said it was very nice. For people who don't know about it, the create amazing ice sculptures in the middle of the streets. Here are some pictures of it:

 

[flez007]

There is a Mexican "delicatessen" called Escamoles ' it is made from and special ant eggs in the west side of the country... very hard to get and truly a special dish - cost around $100 us a small plate average.
http://www.starmedios.com/gastronomia/gastronomia-de-tlaxcala-escamoles.html

 

[JackD201]

What does it taste like Flez? If I can eat fish eggs, I think I can easily try ant eggs.

Our most expensive delicacy is bird's nest. It's the nest of a certain variety of swift that's put into soup. I'm not sure how much it goes for now but the saying is that it's worth it's weight in gold. I'm not too keen on it because, well, it doesn't really taste like anything.

 

[mullard88]

Hi Jack,

That's five days, four nights in February 2012 right? I think I can make it barring any emergencies. How much time do I have to confirm if I can make it?

I would sure like to try that plant based squaline extract from Germany. I can pick it up from you. Just let me know when. Thanks.

 

[mullard88]

Hi amirm,

I speculate you stayed in a ryokan. I had a couple of ryokan experiences in Hakodate and Noboribetsu. The food was not only great tasting, the number of dishes was too much and the portions were not small at all. I felt extremely stuffed though I only ate less than half of what was served.

If I may ask, have you been to Hoshinoya Kyoto?

Sam