March sweets and events

It's March!
It's spring!!!

As it was a very warm winter, cherry trees are already turning in pink.
Winds are still cold, but sun light is in the colour of spring.

So, here is one Japanese spring event on 3rd March.
It's Plum (Peach) flower festival AKA Hina-Matsuri. It's a girl's festival hoping a good marriage to come.

I normally make doll shaped sweets for this day, I may not have time...
Therefore, I prepare Sakuramochi earlier than usual. Please celebrate the festival with flowery sweets, instead.

A new sweet are on the shelf from yesterday.
It's a plum wine steamed sweets.

My friend brought back very precious plums which was used to make plum wine in her grandma's house. I't's handmade and very natural... and very strong!!!
I was drunk as I was eaten only one liquored plum.
So, I chopped very finely and steamed with the skin of sweets.

Please enjoy the aroma of plum wine as you put it in your mouth.

And!
On Saturday 5th is the Open Day of Brighton Japanese Club.
an-an will take a lot of spring sweets for this event.
Please check the poster attached.
The school is just a few mins walk from Brighton station or Shopping Centre.
It's a festival whoever interested in Japanese culture can enjoy!





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March Sweets

Sakura Mochi (Cherry Blossoms)　£1.50　
Theese leaves are from Organic farm "Namayasai" in Lewes and an-an pickled with sea salt. Smooth Adzuki paste inside.


Uguisu Mochi (Nightingale)　£1.50
Birds which sing the arrival of spring. Smooth Adzuki bean paste is wrapped by soft mochi and sprinkle Green Soy flour.


Tree colour Botamochi　£4.00 (set) or £1.50 (each)
Half mushed sticky sweet rice with smooth adzuki paste, Chunky adzuki paste or roasted soy flour.

Hanami Dango （Three colour Dango）　£1.50
Very poplar rice dumpling on a skewer.

Daifuku Mochi £1.00 each
Please pre-order for this, Choice from Smooth or Chunky Adzuki Bean Paste, and white or Yomogi (Japanese mug-wort) Mochi.

Plum wine steamed sweets bread　£1.50
This sweet bread is raised by Sakekoji (酒麹) instead of Ｙｅａｓｔ. You can enjoy aroma of plum wine. If you warm up a little bit, tastes better!

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March Event

Thursday 3rd March
Plum (Peach) Festival.
we will have a special sushi for this event.



Saturday, 5th March 12:00－16:00　St. Paul's Primary School on St.Nicholas Street
For the detail, please see above.

17th - 23th March Ohigan
20th March is the Vernal Equinox Day this year. Waiting for you with Botamochi.

Saturday 19th March
Saturday 26th March
Finally! an-an cafe is open on Saturdays!!!
Please put these dates on your calendar and just come and say Hi!

26th March - 1st April Japanese Pancake (OKonomi Yaki) Week!　


So many requests for this menu. an-an will serve this Osaka style Okonomi Yaki (savory pancake with or without meat) for this week only again! If you are on Lent, you are fine, Easter is gone! you can eat it again!
Of course, I will serve this menu on Saturday 26th, too.

*Please note, this will take a bit longer than usual menu to cook, so please leave plenty of time for me to cook perfectly!
For take away, I shall strongly advice to ring and give me 20 mins advance notice. Thank you.
** Please mention if you are allergic to fish or vegetarian at the time of ordering.

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It's so many Events coming. Exciting!!!

an-an is presenting Japanese Cherry blossom afternoon tea in Mid April.
This time, I want more people to enjoy Japanese tea on Weekends.
How about on Sunday afternoon?

Please take care of yourself on the change of seasons and enjoy the arrival of spring!!!

Emergency nortice for sweet lovers!

This Friday 26th is my birthday!

Usually, I have a dinner out with friends and enjoy Karaoke, but I need to travel early next morning.

so

I want to launch "an-an's food info exchanging session"!

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I love eating and learning all sorts of food.
Then, some of customers asked me to give some Japanese cooking sessions.

For win-win situation, I thought I can have a group activities to exchange cooking tips.

Anybody can join. It doesn't matter, if you are into Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Spanish, French cooking or British. If you love spending time in kitchen, this group is for you.

The first one would be...of course,


Sweets!!! on my birthday.


Joining fee is... your homemade cake/sweets!

Please bring your favorite baking! You can try all other's cakes and sweets, too.
What you need to do is list up all ingredients on a piece of paper and bring it with your cake.
If you have some unusual ingredients, please bring some samples.

Fee is your knowledge and skill to bake.

That's all.

Please bring your tips for baking cakes and breads, ingredients for Vegan sweets, sweets for allergy sufferers, and sweets without any sugar or sweetner.

If you are not keen on baking by yourself, but love eating?
You need to pay £5.00 + drinks, but still you can join to this session.

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Friday 26th February, from 10am to 11:30 am. afterwords, cafe will serve lunch as usual.

if you have missed the Early Spring Japanese style afternoon tea, there will be some you can try on the day, too.

Look forward to seeing you!
xxx

February Sweets and Events

Japanese says January goes so quickly.

Yes, it had gone so quickly!!!

My finger, which was attacked by New Year’s Day prawns, my finger is still hurts a bit.

After the last blog, I took the antibiotics from doctor for a week, but my fingers didn’t get any better. In the end, I punctured my finger to take out bad stuff. The unbearable pain had gone, as well as the skin from the first joint of my finger…. Now I can hold chopsticks properly! Yey!

So, it’s February! Full of events! Full of loves!

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February Sweets

Umenoka £1.50 each

White bean paste seasoned plum pickle juice wrapped by pink mochi

Inaka Manju £1.50 each

Chunky Adzuki Bean paste and a sweet chestnut in skin made from yum potato.

Dorayaki (Smooth or Chunky adzuki Bean paste or Japanese green tea favoured filling) £1.50 each

Japanese pancake sandwich

Sanshoku Dango £1.50 each

Three colour rice dumplings on a skewer

Daifuku Mochi (Smooth or Chunky adzuki Bean paste)  £1.00

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February Events

Wednesday 3^rd

This day is thought to be the border between winter and spring.

We celebrate the spring to come with eating a special rolled sushi.

You will bite the whole rolled sushi facing towards the direction, which a lot of luck is coming from. This year, the direction is South-South-East.

Don’t talk while you are eating the sushi! The luck you are getting with sushi might fall off from your mouth!!!

Ehoumaki sushi - Cherrywood smoked mackle, Prawn, Japanese omelette, freeze-dried tofu, Shitake Mushrooms, Cucumber and Japanese radish

Vegetable salad Ehoumaki sushi – Japanese omelette, avocado, red pepper, lettuce, cucumber, carrot, Mozzarella cheese

Vegan salad Ehoumaki sushi – Freeze-dried tofu, avocado, red pepper, lettuce, cucumber, carrot, deep fried tofu

All are £4.60 each.

*Instant miso soup can be requested.

There will be some prepared sushi, but order in advance is recommended. It may take 20 min after ordered.

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Tuesday 9^th Pancake Days & Pancake night

I know it’s Pancake Day in the UK calendar, so why don’t I make Japanese style pancake on this day???

Japanese Pancake is savoury, called Okonomi-Yaki.

I will serve Okonomi-yaki on plates for lunch time, but if you book a seat on the evening session, I will serve Okonomi-yaki on hot plates, as we normally do in Japan. Regret to say, small children are not allowed for the evening session as it may be a bit dangerous.

All the menu contain Eggs, Wheat flour.

menu；

Lunch time between Monday 8^th and Friday 12^th

＊You can order from normal menu, too.

Pork berry　￡４.00

Prawn and squid　￡４.00

Chicken　￡4.00

Cheese（ｖ）　￡4.00

Modern (Fried noodle in Pancake)（ｖ）　￡4.50

Evening （19:00～21:00）booking only（up to 10 people）

￡10.00 per person（buffet & one drink）

Please bring alcoholic drinks as the café doesn’t have the licence.

（recommended to bring glasses too）

*Please understand, if booking is less than 6, this session might be cancelled. Please bring your friend!

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Saturday 13th

Second hand book market at Japanese school in Croydon

Croydon High School Junior Hall（Old Farleigh Rd, Croydon CR2 8YB）

9:50～10:40、11:25～12:00

You can buy a lot of spring sweets from an-an

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Sunday 14^th

Valentine’s Day

Sorry, an-an café is closed!!!

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Friday 19^th

Early spring Japanese Afternoon Tea

It’s in the half-term, so only 2 afternoon sessions happening.

Please check the morning session on Wednesday 24^th.

Booking necessary. 8 people in each session. £10.00 per person (1 drink included)

Detail will be announced later on this blog.

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Wednesday 24th

Early spring Japanese Morning Tea

Booking necessary. 8 people in 1 session. £10.00 per person (1 drink included)

Detail will be announced later on this blog.

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Friday 26^th

????

It’s getting to the time It doesn’t amaze me any longer…

I will bake a big strawberry short cakes in Japanese style to celebrate.

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Ok, that’s enough in one month!

Let’s tackle and enjoy each event!!!

A Happy New Year, 2016‼‼‼

Well, I have to start this new year with apology...
I's already 5th after this new year started.

2015 closed with non-stop cooking of Osechi (Japanese new year box), and 2016 arrived with a big swollen finger tip on my right hand.

Because of that, I cannot use chopsticks for cooking and type with only one finger. What ever I do takes much longer than usual. I didn't realized the middle finger was so important.

What on earth happened?
I really don't know why my finger got swollen so much. Probably, the fightback from the largest prawn I used for the Osechi on the New Year's Eve.

I Never have any reaction to eating prawn, but the way finger reacted is exactly same as insect bite. I normally have really bad reaction to insect bite and need to go to see doctor for it.

I might have stung my finger with somewhere on Prawn's shell and got really painful later on on the New Year's Eve. Now my finger tip is 1.5 times as normal and cannot bend any more, and itchy but painful. GP told me it's too late to take anti-histamine, so I need to take anti-biotic for 7days. Anyway, he told me that it needs 3 to 4 days till my finger shrink to normal size. Until then, good old slow one finger typing.

Mmmm, let's try to keep things positive!


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Here are January Sweets.

Mame-Daifuku
Salty soy beans are mixed in Mochi. Chunky Adzuki Bean Paste is in the Mochi.
£1.20 each.

Zenai
Sweet adzuki bean soup thickened by Kuzu powder.  White round Mochi is cute in the soup. You can take away in a cup, too.
£1.50 per bowl.

Dorayaki
Pancake Sandwich with filling of smooth adzuki bean paste, chunky adzuki bean paste, green tea flavor or chestnuts and chunky adzuki bean paste.
£1.50 each.
Chestnuts has very few stock. after this stock are sold, it won't come  back till next autumn.

Toasted Daifuku Mochi
Please choose smooth or chunky adzuki bean filling.
Enjoy the hot melting mochi.
£1.20 each.

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Events in January

It's been "business as usual" since the 4th January. However, because of the school run, I need to leave the café at 2:30. I should be able to open till 3pm from next week. Please check with the white board on the shop window or on the phone. Sorry for the inconvenience.

15th January (Friday) is Small new year's day on Japanese Calendar, which is the end of New Year Cerebration Period. My hometown have a big bonfire on the day, but it may cause someone call police, if I do it in front of my cafe... so I am thinking something else.

I have been announcing the next Japanese style afternoon tea in January, but it will be postponed to early February. I will announce on a blog later on.

And... now! It's officially winter! even if it is not so cold, it's winter!
So, it's time to have Niku-man night and Oden night!!!
Let's do them soon.

Please tell me the date you would like to do those night.
First comes first served. (in the way, it won't happen unless someone request the date!!!)

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It's been miserable since Christmas, however, it is sure that the day time is getting longer!
Spring is just around the corner!!!

December Newsletter

It's already the last month of 2015. December has come.
Scarely...  I feel time goes faster and faster year by year...

My family already had a cold and let me know the beginning of winter... I am only person who has not have any sign of cold, yet... touching wood, touching wood...
Well, it might be eating aduki bean paste so much, or might be drinking blueberry teas,

I will take a week off during Christmas holiday, so till then, I will work hard and get ready for the New Year!

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December Sweets

Satsuma Mochi (Mikan Daifuku)
Limited edition till Christmas!
Japanese winter fruits, Mikan, is wrapped by chunky adzuki bean paste and soft Mochi.
Cinnamon's spicy aroma will take you into Christmas!
(Sorry, No grape Mochi for now.)


Steamed Chestnuts Yokan
Although Chestnuts is not cheep this year, I will make a steamed chesnuts yokan with full of sweet chestnuts.

Chestnuts baked cake (Manju) & Chestnuts Dorayaki
As long as Chestnuts season is here, I keep making them.

Toasted Mochi
Choose from Chunky or Smooth adzuki bean paste. Please enjoy a different taste of Mochi.

If you take away,  please warm it up in a microwave for a few second before serving.

an-an's Christmas cake?
Maybe.... Maybe not....

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December Events and Holiday Opening Time 

3rd December (Thu)　
It was the last delivery from Namayasai, Organic Japanese Vege farm.

15th December (Tue)
The Deadline for application of Japanese style new year's bento box.
Please see below for the details.

22nd December (Tue)
Winter Equinox is on this day today, In Japanese old saying, if you eat Pumpkin (Kabocha) on this day, we will live through this winter healthily.

I will make pumpkin and Miso soup, Pumpkin Croquettes and Pumpkin sweets, too.
There will be also Amazake (sweet rice drink) to get warm!

24th (Thu) to 30th (Wed) 
Cafe is closed due to Christmas Holiday. Sorry for the  inconvenience.

31st December (Thu)
New year's Eve!!!
Open at 12;00 for New Year's Osechi Bento Box.
Close around 6pm.

Only Tenpra Soba (Buckwheat) noodle in broth is on the menu!!!
We do take away, too.

Cafe reopen on 4th January (Monday) on usual opening time.

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It's almost the deadline for the New Year's Osechi Bento Box!!!

￡18.00 each Please apply by sending English text to 15th December on Cafe Phone.number.07923 900344

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an-an wish all my customer, friends and family are fine to get through this festive season.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

A report of Japanese Afternoon Tea

Belated report of the Autumn Japanese Afternoon tea held on 20th November. Thank you so much for coming!!!

I had so much fun of making a lot of traditional Japanese sweets!
Yes, this is my first impression after the tea party.

Recently, an-an cafe became quite busy for preparing and serving lunch all time. It is good thing, but I sometimes want to push myself making more difficult Japanese sweets. So I made the afternoon event to push myself to make what I want to all the time.

I did  one session before the usual lunch service and 2 sessions after the lunch service. all the sessions were fully booked quite early.

The reason why this afternoon tea is so reasonable?
it's because you are the judge of my trials.
well, it's same as a trainee hairdresser do haircut cheaply to the cut models.
I need more practice... so please don't hesitate to tell me your honest thoughts!

Here are some photos I served this time.
Theme was "Autumn Harvests", using pumpkin, sweet potatoes and chestnuts!

the first dish, Autumn Tenpura (battered veges and Buckwheat noodles). Veses are from Organic farm, Namayasai. They were so tasty!





second dishes


Chestnuts paste, Steamed sweets "kimishigure", Sweet potato & apple pie, Chestnuts Mochi

third dishes


Jounamagashi "chrysanthemum"、Squares "Pumpkin & Azuki beans

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there were so many point I need to review.

1. I should have taken more time to prepare. Believe me, I was so busy!
This event should have happened earlier, but I could not make enough time to make all the sweets.
I managed to do this before winter... in fact, it snowed on the next day...

2. I am not professional... making Tempura...
next afternoon tea, I won't try Tempura any longer...

3. Sweet potato & apple pie was not very Japanese?
I was going to make something more like Japanese traditional sweets using something else but tartlett. However, I could not make rice wafer in the end. Some guest told me it was too British.

4. at last, about, "chrysanthemum".


When I visited my long term online Wagashi teacher first time in this summer holiday, he told me how to. I needed to practice, but I just didn't have time to make such a time consuming sweets...

So I pushed myself to make time to practice this sweets. Acctualy, I could say this afternoon event is for me to making this sweets. Still not very good, but... Thanks all who ate this sweets! I am so proud! But it has never reached to the level I ant to!!! I just need to practice.

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I am getting ready for New Year's special packed lunch box from now on.
After the New Year, i am planning another tea party.

Please keep checking this blog if you are interested!

Do you fancy cooking Japanese tonight?

If so, please come to cafe an-an.

Here is a new corner in the cafe.

　

Japanese Curry Rue, Japanese Short Grain Rice
Miso Soup pouches, Dried Wakame Seaweeds
Katsu sauce & Okonomiyaki Sauce

You can buy them from here.

Almost all products are used at this cafe or for an-an wagashi (Japanese Sweets), so I can give you some advice about the ingredients.
Just only.... packages are large as catering size...

I will make a list you can order a week in advance.
For example, you can order a large bag of rice, frozen fish for sushi, etc.

Please ask more detail at the cafe.
Moreover! Parking in front of the cafe is free for an hour!!!

Here is a small price list of what you can buy from an-an cafe. (November 2015)

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Sushi Rice (Product of Itary) 1㎏￡1.80、20㎏￡30.00
Organic Brown rice (Product of itary)1㎏￡2.30、25㎏￡55.00
Curry Rue for catering (contains Penuts, so an-an doesn't use this product any longer) 1㎏￡10.00
Curry Rue (Current product cafe use) 240g　￡2.60
Soy Sauce１Ⅼ￡5.00
Dried Wakame Seaweed 50g　￡1.00
Frozen Edamame 500ｇ　￡2.00
etc.etc.

More products will be here soon.

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Chestnuts on the blackboard now.
Of course, Japanese sweets are full of chestnuts!
New menu, warm Yaki Daifuku (Roasted Mochi) is nice in cold windy day.