Please order "Osechi Box for One" now

I thought that the demand for Osechi would decrease this time as everyone could now go back home to Japan, but it seems that this is not the case and we have already received several enquiries.

So here we go...

This photo is from last year, so we may not be able to make it exactly as it is, as some of the ingredients are no longer available, but we would like to start accepting orders with the condition that we will replace any missing ingredients with ones of equal or greater value.

Please send the TEXT message "Osechi order" with your name and your mobile phone number to the cafe telephone, 07923 900344. If you don't receive confirmation message in 3 working days, please contact the number again.

As for what we can definitely include...

Datemaki, Japanese-style chicken meatloaf, chestnut kinton, red and white namasu, vinegared lotus root, black soy beans, Gomame, prawns, Onishime (konnyaku, koimo, burdock, lotus root, shiitake mushrooms, dried tofu), grilled salted salmon

We may have a most problem with Kamaboko fish cakes...? We have six weeks from now, so we will do our best collecting all the ingredients.

So this year's "Osechi for one" will be £30.00 per box. (with rice cake & instant miso soup).

We will have 20 box in total (no more than two boxes per person). The box needs to be picked up from 1pm on 31 December and only those who can come to our shop to pick up their order can order.

Please pay inadvance by bank transfer (we will give you the details when you make your booking) or pay at our cafe counter.

This year is only a month and a half left.

Next year will also be a hard one for many of us... but let's all do our best.

**Additional information**.

On the first Sunday of the new year, the 8th January, we would like to hold a workshop of  Calligraphy and ink painting (Suiboku-ga).

Drinks and refreshments will be served.

More information will be in the December newsletter.

November newsletter

 We're in winter time this week and it's finally getting colder... not 💦.

The weather has been unbelievable, with daytime highs of 20°C.

Is it global warming after all?

In the UK, utility bills have recorded an extraordinary increase, and I wonder if nature is doing us a favour by helping us to not have to turn up the heating as much, or if it's the calm before the storm...

I can't make any big changes, but I may not be able to go back... but I can make a few changes in my own life alone, so I try to start there.

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You may all be wondering, when can I plant my planters...? It happened on the second weekend after they were installed at the beginning of September.

The wind became so bad in the evening that the cover of the retractable roof section of the pagola, which should have been tied securely, opened and broke. I had underestimated the sea breeze in Brighton.

So I tried to buy parts to repair it, but after folding it and sending it all back, I was told it would take another six months to be able to deliver a new one, so I'm trying to figure out what to do. So the planter has already been left for almost two months without any soil in it. Ahhh, next spring we are planning to have a cherry blossom viewing with the weeping cherry tree flowers...

I would like to manage to deal with this in an environmentally and bank account friendly way as much as possible. Sob...

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This month's planned sweets are.

Chestnut buns ￡2.50

A large chestnut bun filled with chestnuts. Perfect with Japanese tea or coffee. It is a dish that reminds you that autumn has arrived. Flour (including gluten), eggs and dairy products are used.

Chestnut Daifuku ￡2.00
This is also a large Daifuku filled with chestnuts. Try it with a cup of strong Japanese tea.

Kabocha kintsuba (pumpkin sweet) ￡2.00
Delicious pumpkins from the organic farm Nama Yasai have arrived again this year. This kintsuba is made with the flavour of pumpkin. Made with wheat flour (including gluten), PlantBase.

Inoko mochi　￡1.80

This sweet is a shape of baby wild boar.
These rice cakes are eaten on the InoHi in November, with the wish that our family will grow big and healthly like wildboars. Please eat it with a generous dusting of yellow soybean flour. Made from soya beans. (PlantBase).

Sweet potato Mont Blanc ￡3.30 a slice

Fluffy brown sugar-flavoured sponge, smooth sweet potato pacing and sweetened apples with a hint of sourness... we believe this is a cut above the original chestnut Mont Blanc. Please give it a try.








Chestnut Mont Blanc ￡3.50 a slice
After the sweet potato comes the chestnut Mont Blanc with a brandy-infused adult flavour. It never fail your expectation. Try it!

Apple pie ￡3.00 a piece
These small, single-serving apple pies are a real treat, even if they don't contain any flour or butter. I like mine with a scoop of cold ice cream (+£0.50) on top of the hot pie.
If you want PlantBase, you have a choice of ice cream.

Spiced carrot cake ￡2.80 a slice
Spiced carrot cake is a classic. It is made without nuts, but with sunflower and pumpkin seeds. The little carrots on top are sweetened carrots and should be eaten with relish. Flour (gluten) and eggs are used.

We always try to have two types of daifuku and three types of dorayaki available, but if you plan to buy more than five wagashi, please let us know in advance so we can prepare them for you.

We also take orders for whole cakes. Orders are accepted up to a week before you come to collect your cake. For more information, please contact the café at.

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Events this month

From 1 November, we will start taking orders for a special Osechi for one person. Numbers are limited, so order early. More information will be in the next edition of the newsletter.

This month's 'Okonomiyaki Evening' will be held every Thursday on the 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th from 5.30 to 8.30 (last order 8.00).

It seems to be becoming quite established. There is the problem of closing too early, but we are strongly forbidden by the neighbouring residents to use the café after 9.00 am, so we do our best to stay open until 8.00 pm. We apologise for the inconvenience.




Saturday 19 November The café will be closed due to a business trip to London to sell Japanese sweets. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. As the sale is at the London Japanese Language Supplementary School, general admission will be limited. Please understand.

Sunday 27 Nov Japanese craft workshop & Christmas fair.

More details in next newsletter. Craft workshops start at 10am. It costs £35 per person (including materials) with tea and refreshments. Students are welcome. Languages will be in English and Japanese. Afterwards, the Christmas Fair will start at 14:00. Japanese knick-knacks, tableware and drinks will be on sale, as well as Japanese sweets.

Extra.

Schedule for next month. It's the start of the year ---💦.

We will close at 3pm on Friday 23 December, and on Saturday 31 December we will only be serving New Year's Eve soba (buckwheat noodles) and delivering Osechi (traditional Japanese New Year's Eve dishes).

After the New Year, we will be open from 4 Jan.

Thursday evening is OkonomiYaki Evening！！

 

 OkonomiYaki Evening is open from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.(The last order is at 8:00 pm) every Thursday.

Please call 07923 900344 to order.

Eat in or Take away available.

Sorry we don't do delivery.

Collection Only.

Thank you!

xx

October sweets and calendar

 

This year's Otsukimi date is very early.

Now, I know there is always a time difference between the lunar calendar and the Gregory calendar, but the first Saturday of October is the 13th moon night, the so-called chestnut moon.

However, the chestnut in the neighbour's tree are still green. 

I was going to do the presentation I did at Kew Garden last year at the café, but due to the Covid, I am still not in perfect health and will have to wait until the next time 😢.

We are very sorry for all the inconvenience and worry we have caused in the last two weeks. Even though after the test was negative on the seventh day, I was bedridden for almost two weeks with headaches, joint pains and fatigue due to breathlessness. I really thought I need to be a bit fitter...

What shocked me the most was the sense of taste gone somewhere... Everything tasted so funny. 

I thought I was going to go mentally crazy from the shock of the difference between the taste I expected and the taste when I ate it. Who said Covid made people loose weight... It was not my case at all. I was constantly looking for the taste I want to taste. As the result, I gained nearly 5 kgs😱

Now I am happy I can taste coffee, but I still can't taste Dashi. I can recognise the general taste of sweet, spicy, salty, sour, etc., but I don't think I have yet regained the sense of taste to guess what is used in the ingredients.

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October Sweets

Strawberry Daifuku ￡2.00 per piece　

As I could hardly make these in September, I will make them until the first week of October. If you missed An-an's strawberry daifuku this summer, this is the week to get them. If you have a large number, it would be helpful if you make a reservation in advance.

Bunny buns ￡2.00 each.　

We also make these until the 13th night of the moon. Rabbit buns with white bean paste are steamed and plant-based. Contains flour and gluten.

Otsukimi Rolled cake ￡3.00 per slice.　

A rich chocolate and banana roll cake that captures the full moon. Contains egg, flour, gluten and dairy.

Halloween cupcakes ￡3.00 each.　

We will be selling a variety of scary and cute decorated cupcakes again this year, available from the third week of October. Please look forward to seeing what the designs will be.

Made with flour (gluten), eggs and dairy products.

Autumn Mont Blanc ￡3.50 per slice.　

Sweet potato and apple Mont Blanc. Rich sweet potato cream wrapped around a fluffy sponge.
This contains Egg, flour (gluten) and dairy 

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October events.

Okonomiyaki nights are planned every Thursday from 13 October.

Please check our Facebook event page for more details and menu. (Both eat-in and takeaway are by appointment only).

Weekly lunch plans (with miso soup or one drink)

Week 1 Set A Yaki Soba, chicken cutlet or thick fried tofu
              Set B Beef bowl or Kitsune bowl

Week 2 Set A: Sushi set, seafood or veg.　
              Set B Neapolitan (with fried egg) Chicken or Veggie

Week 3 Set A Japanese salad (chicken or tofu) with onigiri
             Set B Omelette rice (chicken or mushroom)

 

Week 4 Set A Curry rice with chicken cutlet or autumn vegetables
              Set B Nagasaki Champon (Seafood or Veggie)

These plans are subject to change depending on the availability of ingredients.

Every Tuesday, we will announce the weekly lunch of the week on Facebook and Instagram. Please refer to our Facebook and Instagram pages.

I'd love to make more events for this month, but my health is not yet up to scratch, so I'll leave it at that for now. I'm also planning to hold various Christmas markets and traditional Japanese art workshops towards the end of the year, so I'll keep quiet until then.

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Well, everyone, it's getting colder, take care of yourselves💓.

Apology and this week's opening hours

  

先週よりCovid-19の陽性となってしまい、たいへんご迷惑をおかけしております。
Sorry for the short openin hours and limited menu during the last week

19日月曜日の朝、体中が痛くなり、もう一度LFTをしたところ、陽性になっていました。

The morning of Monday 19th, I found I was positive after testing with LFT, as I had really bad body ache and tiredness. 

高熱が出ることもなく、咳が止まらなくなることもありませんでしたが、倦怠感と体中の痛み、そして息苦しさで、陰性になった今もかなり活動が制限されています。

No high fever, No cough... I just had pain all over my body, tiredness and short bleath. I still have the symptons and limited activities although I am now LFT negative. 

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引き続き今週も、下記の営業時間とメニューで皆様をお待ちしております。

Opening Hours
2時にラストオーダー、2時半に閉店
火曜日、水曜日、木曜日、金曜日のみ営業

9:30 am - 2:30 pm (2:00 pm Last order) 
Tuesday to Friday. 
Saturday, Sunday and Monday are closed

Limitted Menu
モーニングのサービスはありません。
お食事のサービスは11時半からです。
寿司セットは、ご注文お受けできませんので、ご了承ください。

No Breakfast service
Lunch Menu starts from 11:30 am
Sorry No Sushi set available during this period. 

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私の体調が整い次第、通常の営業に戻ります。
皆様の温かい言葉、たくさんの励ましの言葉、本当にありがとうございます。

Cafe will be back to normal on my return.
Thank you for your warm saports.

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写真は、この度高野山でお世話になりました福智院さんの美しいお庭です。
This photo was taken at the Temple spa Fukuchi-in in Koya-San. It's garden was very beautiful and well looked aftered. 

Long waiting is finished! It's Okonomi-Yaki nights!!!

Well, I don't know if I can call it a night, since it doesn't get dark until 9pm during Summer time...

As we have announced, we are planning to make as many okonomi-yaki as we can between 5pm and 8pm on the 4th and 11th Thursday of this month.

Anyway, okonomiyaki takes time to cook, so please forgive me if there would be a short queue.

This time, if the weather is good, you can have it on the terrace. However, the sun in the late afternoon is glaring... 💦 If the weather is fine, please bring your sunglasses.

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First of all, please make a phone call to make an order. 

07923 900344

(Please make sure you speak to a member of staff to confirm your booking, as you may not be aware if you are sent by text).

We can only make four Okonomi-yaki at a time, so when you place your order we will specify a time for pick-up etc. Of course, If there is no queue, the waiting time might be still 20 minutes .

If you come to the shop without ordering by phone, we may ask you to come back in a bit later, depending on how many tables are available.

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Awww... i haven't done Okonomi-yaki night for so long and I am so nervous.

So here is the menu. ↓Please click here to enlarge the menu.

"Oh, it's so cheep!" We hope you'll think in that way. After all, it's The street food of Nippon, so it can't be expensive! We'd like to serve beer and other beverages, but not this time.

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The price of rice has gone up so much that I thought I'd try with 'Kona-Mon" food, just like Kansai people do. I wonder how long this shortage of Japanese food surply continues... 😢.

August break and some news...

 I have finally, finally recovered from the jet lag from Japan.

I apologise for any inconvenience caused to you by the shortened opening hours and menu changes during my absence.

Since my return from Japan, I have been surprised by the incredibly fast increase in prices, although the price of petrol has gradually come down. The price of rice, which is an essential part of Japanese food, has almost doubled, while the price of soy sauce and chicken meat for making chicken katsu has risen by 30%.

In order to keep An-an going long, I decided to take time to re-arrange an-an.

We will therefore be taking a summer holiday from 1-13 August. We apologise for the inconvenience.

We will work hard for the next two weeks to make the café a more relaxing place for everyone to spend time.

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This week we are serving yakisoba as our special lunch of the week, as we were unable to make the yakisoba we had promised the first week of July. Choose between chicken katsu or pumpkin croquette topping. This also comes with a drink (including miso soup) for up to ￡2.50, so please come along.

If you can, we'd prefer you eat in, but you can also take your yakisoba home.

Yaki-soba will also be served in the first week of August (16-20 August) after the summer holidays.

By the way, lunch set B is the teriyaki lunch.

Come and try it before the summer holidays start.

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And what a surprise! For those of you in the London area, thank you for your patience.

Finally, we're allowed to go to London to sell our wagashi!

Sunday 7 August, free entry and lots of other fun for the kids, so whether you're in the area or just visiting London for the first time in a while, please pop along.

I'll be there with lots of sanshoku dango (three-coloured dumplings), strawberry daifuku and more.

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Now, we are bringing back our Okonomiyaki Night, which has been requested by many of you.

So far, we are planning to have them on Thursdays during the summer holidays, 4 and 11 August, from 5 to 8pm.

We will let you know the detailed menu and other details in August.

This time, we are thinking of having a terrace where you can eat in, so please come and join us on a summer evening. (Reservations required).

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We've just brought back from Japan the shaved ice machine we've always wanted!

It is a real fluffy shaved ice.

We have now started with three types: honey lemon, strawberry milk and Ujikintoki.

Try shaved ice made with an old-fashioned hand-cranked shaved ice machine.

If you want Plant Base shaved ice, you can change honey to maple syrup and condensed milk to Plant Base Icecream when you order.

(To be continued until the end of September).

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During the summer holidays in August, we will be clearing out our stock.

We will be selling items at half price, including those nearing their expiry date, so we look forward to welcoming you to the café over the next three days until this Saturday.

Well, it's unbelievably cool in the UK after the heat wave of just a week ago, but watch out for colds and Covid and enjoy the British summer!