Great Flying Sushi Smackdown

Sushiden & Ryo Asian Fusion

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

I've never been to Japan, but I have had sushi, so when I was in Japan, I felt I should have sushi. Even if the only part of Japan I was in was the international terminal at Narita airport.

So, on my way back from Taipei, I had just enough of a layover to make a quick stop at Sushiden and get a little something to go.

Would authentic Japanese sushi, even if it was airport sushi, be a magnitude of better than even the best American sushi? Well?

Not quite yet, a week or so later and I found myself at Logan Airport in Boston. While waiting for a colleague who was arriving on another flight, I spied, Ryo Asian Fusion. Would it be better, the same, worse, than it's Narita counterpart?

Well...

Sushiden had a nice layout and a couple of sushi chefs making fresh sushi. I stayed basic, avocado rolls and a bit of salmon. To go. Served in the rectangluar plastic box, ginger and wasabi on the side, soy sauce in little packets, and a bit of the fake green grass. Chopsticks. Perfect. I headed over to the gate, popped the top and did the whole soy sauce, wasabi chopstick swizzle and ... well, not quite yet.

Back in Boston, again, stayed basic, avocado roll, no salmon. The sushi chef was busy with a person in front with a complicated order, me, and one behind. She did a good job, but ...

Well. At Ryo Asian Fusion, the rice was just a little too sticky, and obviously a bit hard to spread, appearing unevenly in the roll. The avocado, a bit unripe, was sliced to order and also a bit uneven. Same rectangular box, wasabi, a nice strong ginger, soy sauce. But darn it, couldn't find chopsticks - though I saw someone with some later.

Verdict?

Sushiden. I don't think it was being in Japan that made it better, but just a little more care on the part of the restaurant to make sure staffing was sufficient and that the ingredients were all ready.

Now, for the next trip, I need to get out of the airport and into some real sushi!

Sushiden
Meal: Sushi
Rating: ***
Date: 28 February 2009
Address: Narita Airport, Terminal 4
Website: http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/rest_shop/rest/floor_list/shop_page/t2_1_02_susid.html

Ryo Asian Fusion
Meal: Sushi
Rating: ***
Date: 8 March 2009
Address: Logan Airport, Terminal C
Website: http://www.ryoasianfusion.com/about-us.html

The Friendly Skies: TPE to IAD

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

United Airline Economy Class, Part II

Heading back to Washington after a number of excellent meals in Taiwan, I had, of course, my airline meals to look forward too!

Lunch
On the leg from Taipei (TPE) to Tokyo (NRT), we were started off with an interesting ground chicken on rice. This was served with the side salad, some very tasty steamed bok choy, and a pecan cookie.

Lunch
Traveling westward, from Tokyo to Los Angeles (LAX), we stayed with an Asian theme, with chicken thighs on rice with various steamed vegetables, a side salad, the mystery hot dog roll, and the not quite a brownie. (pictured above)

Breakfast
It was getting earlier in the morning on the NRT/LAX leg, so it was eventually time for a hot breakfast. Very hot. Really really really microwaved hot! A version of an omlette, a sausage, and a small pastry.

And then we landed in LAX. A quick dash through immigration and customs, a wait in various lines, re-checking luggage, and then, back to domestic flight foods (meals to purchase, beverage service). I was pretty sleepy by this time, so a handful of almonds were able to see me through (along with a couple of glasses of orange juice.

Meal: Lunch/Lunch/Breakfast
Rating: Not Rated
Date: 28 February 2009
Address: Somewhere in the sky
Website: http://www.united.com

Tea fit for the Emperor

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

San-hsi-t'ang Teahouse
National Palace Museum

San-his-t'ang, located in the west hall of Yanghsin Pavilion of Forbidden City, was Emperor Chien-lung's studio. At the National Palace Museum, the San-hsi-t'ang Teahouse is located on the top level of the museum with an excellent, panoramic view down the mountaintop and overlooking the peaks of the museum rooftop.

Inside, the decor is simple, yet elegant, lots of dark wood and comfortable seating. I was lucky to be travelling with a knowledgeable companion, and I put the ordering in her capable hands. We were a party of three (joining three other colleagues who had arrived earlier), so there was some room for experimentation.

Since this was a teahouse, we had to have tea! My colleage ordered two selections for us: a light and refreshing green tea and a darker, delicous oolong.

For my meal, I was started off with a seafood dumpling soup. It was a surpring and delicious dish.

Floating in a broth was a large, pillowy dumpling. Poking into the dumpling revealed a potpouri of marine treats. Shrimp, shellfish and some other mysterious items (perhaps bamboo fungus?).

After soup came a selection of steamed dumplings. including a particularly tasty cabbage roll. The topper to the steamed rolls (actually, the bottomer, as it was at the bottom of the bamboo steamer), was a sticky rice and mushrooms served in a lotus leaf.

After eating, we sat back to enjoy the view and finish off our tea. A delightful lunch before heading off for an extensive tour of the Palace Museum collections!

More photos online.

Meal: Lunch
Rating: ***** of 5
Date: 24 February 2009
Address: National Palace Museum, 221 Chih-Shan Rd., Sec 2, Wai-shuang-hsi, Taipei 11143, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Website: http://www.npm.gov.tw/hotnews/dining/index1_en.html