OK, Here we go..... I think it only fair to start with this photo as this trip to Tokyo, and the inspiration of these two guys with me in the photo, really kicked off my interest in exploring food, photographing said eats, and sharing/explaining my impressions of my experiences. So, to you David Chang and Anthony Bourdain, Cheers, and thanks. As I begin I think it only fair to explain a bit of what my purpose with this blog is. As you know, I do not participate in Facebook, and I wont go into why here, but I NEEDED a vehicle to communicate and connect with those in my life, both near and far. As the name implies, this will primarily be a blog about pizza. However, as this is mine, I will feel free to do and say as I damn well please, as it pleases me. So I hope to not offend or tiptoe too far over the line of appropriateness, but if I do, that's just too fucken bad. Enjoy. Pizza, food, life experiences, thoughts, feelings, rants, and more food. This is what you will find here. Please feel free to share and pass along to anyone you think might have an interest, as I hope you will as well. Sincerely yours, DVA

Friday, February 21, 2020

The Alchemist - Bar and Dining - Niigata, Japan




I'm back in Niigata and with a free night by myself I'm in need of something new.  The inter-webs has brought me to this place, The Alchemist.

I'll start by saying there aren't a lot of non-food photos because, frankly, I hadn't expected to do a story on this one.  Not that I thought it wouldn't be worthy, rather I simply wanted to have a nice meal and check out a new place (new to me) and starting off by shoving my phone in everyone's face is kinda lame.  So, being the wallflower that I am, I sat at the bar, literally at "the pass", and injected myself into as much of the action as I could, and I loved it.  A big bonus was that not only was the food great, the people working here were equally as awesome.  
I'd return just to hangout and talk, and I will.

Here are the owners, Ai and Josh.  Josh is the chef, Ai is the Queen of all of the other action, especially the wine, of which I am told they are the #1 purveyor of Australian wines in Japan.  Did I mention that Josh is Aussie?  Yep, big time.  And as this isn't at all an "Australian" restaurant, LOTS of the ingredients are Australian, presented with very solid classic cooking, in a warm and inviting atmosphere.

One word of warning if you go, don't look for the guy in the tie.  I think that must have been a wedding photo or something  The guy I met was in full chef mode, t-shirt, apron, kitchen towels tucked in either side, working it.  A great bloke tho.

So Josh is Aussie, Ai is Japanese.  They lived for a while in Australia and a few years ago moved to Niigata where they are raising their 2 young girls, and killing it with this bar/restaurant.

On to the food.


Disclaimer!!!

I did not eat all of the food you are about to see.  I ate a lot of it, and I'll tell you at the end, but as I said I was sitting at the pass and I checked it all out and took photos of what I could.

Amuse-bouche.  Pork belly on top of a sun-dried tomato puree.  Really perfectly crispy top, juicy meat, a great bite to start.


Polenta with short ribs and etc...  Looked and smelled great.


Josh apparently had a burger spot back in Australia and said that if I tried one thing (I got more than 1 thing) it should be the burger.  Burger me Josh.


They grind the meat and make the buns.  I love that there isn't a million things going on with this burger.  I want a burger not a salad....  Meat, cheese, pickle, mustard, ketchup, bun.  BOOM!

I don't do "bests", etc.. as you know, but this is one of my favorite burgers, ever.  Again, a great balance of flavors.  You can taste everything, and it works together. 

A great burger


Next up is the sausage roll.

Pork and kangaroo meat.  This one is easy to F-up, a few extra minutes, someone not paying attention for a sec, and the thing is dry AF.  They are paying attention here.  The meat was juicy and flavorful and the dough was crisp and flaky.  Beet root jam (or something like that) it was a bit sweet but it was paired with this roll because it works amazingly to balance the flavors, sweet/savory, crispy and light and fluffy.  Loved it.


I started with a beer, then moved to a martini.  It was quite good, the olives were marinated in Australian Yuzu, or something???  Dunno, but I liked it.


A very nice local couple sitting next to me brought in a batch of strawberries for the owners.  They were some unique strain or variety, and unique to this area???  Sorry, bad recall on this one.  What I do remember is that they were delicious, and really nice of them to share with me also.  Good on ya. 


Pavlova, cream, passion fruit something or other, etc...  Looked great and I saw a few going out so it seemed to be one of the popular desserts.


Ta da!


Duck prosciutto

Looked killer, maybe next time I'll try it.


Antipasto plate.  Sliced to order, house made bread.  Killing it.


Steak and mash, compound butter.

I saw a few steaks going out also.  Smelled great.  A steak might also be on the list for next time, we'll see :-)




And my final dish, Lasagna.

I'd say a de-constructed version as it was layered to order.  Did I say that they make the pasta here?  Yeah, and it was really great.  A nice end to a great night.

So, to recap, I had:
1 beer
1 martini
2 glasses of wine
amuse bouche
a burger
a sausage roll
lasagna
For a total of about $80 USD.

Yes, ridiculous.  It would be a bargain for double that.

Let me also note that this is not a locals only hangout, nor is it an ex-pat spot.  While there is 1 Aussie and 2 Americans working here, who are all native english speakers, 1 of them is fluent in Japanese, and the owner and a server are also native Japanese, and speak english.  

So, whether you are looking for a date night spot, dinner alone, business meal, drink before or after dinner, this is the place for you. Warm, inviting, friendly people serving great food and drink.
The Alchemist, can't wait to come back, thanks.

DVA


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