Don’t Visit Sendai Without Eating These 5 Famous Foods!

[Music] [Laughter] All right, welcome back to another episode of Dave Makes Food. Today we’re beginning a new culinary adventure in the insanely hot city of Sai. Sai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture and also the largest in the Tohoku region. It may not surprise you, but it’s also a very lively culinary city full of unique flavors you won’t find anywhere else. In this video, we’ll be diving head first into some moderately adventurous food. You know, I’m not going to lie and say they’re crazy when they’re not, but these are the top five famous foods of Sai. We’re starting out early at the ultra exclusive breakfast buffet at the Sotetsu Fresa Inn. This hotel is only available to those who can afford $50 per night and an additional $10 for breakfast. Although it was cheap, this was actually a fantastic spread that included a whole bunch of local Sai specialties such as Sasa, Kamabokco, Alba Gyoza, and Zunda Mochi. They also served a really delicious and impressive looking bad zushi. Bazushi means scattered sushi, as you can tell by its appearance. This really isn’t a common dish to see, especially on a cheap breakfast buffet, so it was a real treat. But anyways, let’s look at our first famous food of Sai, Sasa Kamoboko. Kamoboko is a fish cake which is common all over Japan. And Sasa refers to a bamboo leaf, which the kamoboko is shaped after. It’s made from white fish, including pollic, cod, and flounder, which are all abundantly fished off the Tohoku coast. Unlike most kamoboko, which are steamed, Sasa Kamoboku are grilled or broiled to give them their characteristic brown color, as well as a charred flavor. The texture is initially very springy and firm, but quickly become softer as you chew. The taste is very similar to other forms of kamobokco that I’ve eaten, and there are no distinct seasonings, just a very mild and clean fish flavor. I enjoy all forms of fish cake, and this one doesn’t really differentiate itself in any major way. So, I’m going to give it a specialty food score of 7 out of 10. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to try it. Moving on to our next sai specialty, the Alba gyoza. Al meaning green and ba meaning leaves. In modern terminology, al means blue, but originally blue and green were thought to be two shades of the same color in many Asian cultures. To this day, unripe fruit and the green signal in a traffic light are still both referred to as despite having a new word for green. I thought this was interesting, so I included it. But anyways, albeo get their green color from komauna, which are mustard greens. The leaves are kneaded into the dough, giving it a very distinct and vibrant green color. They are filled with the traditional filling of ground pork, cabbage, ginger, and garlic, as well as other seasonings. I literally just came from Utsonomia, the gyoza capital of Japan, so I’m very familiar with the filling at this point. And to be honest, I didn’t notice the flavor of mustard greens in the wrapper at all. But the rich, juicy, porgi flavor of the filling was delicious. Since I wouldn’t be able to differentiate between an Alba gyoza and a regular pork one if I was blindfolded, I’m also going to give them a specialty food score of 7 out of 10. Very delicious, but again, it really doesn’t stand out versus other forms of the same food. Our next specialty food from Sai is a dessert called Zunda. It’s made from young green soybeans, which are mashed into a paste and mixed with sugar. I’ve had desserts filled with red or white bean paste many times, but this is my first time seeing it with soybeans. The paste was sitting on top of mochi, which are pounded glutenous rice cakes. The zundo was quite dry and starchy. It was a little bit sweet, but definitely had the distinct flavor of edamame. The texture was very chunky. It’s not nearly as smooth as other forms of sweet bean paste. It paired decently with the extremely dense and chewy mochi, but this was less enjoyable than other bean desserts I’ve had in the past. It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t great. However, Zunda is extremely popular in many different desserts here, and I didn’t think this small one was a fair representation. So, let’s look at Zunda in a couple other forms. This is a Zunda shake, the form I saw it consumed in most commonly by far. A quick Google search tells me the ingredients are milk, ice, and zunda paste. When I took my first sip, I was shocked. The flavor immediately reminded me of tapioca pudding. I actually took a pretty close look to see if there was tapioca in it, but it turns out edamame has the exact same initial flavor as tapioca when prepared like this. It was mildly sweet, creamy, and earthy. The paste wasn’t ground as fine as it was at breakfast, so the shake itself was pretty chewy, but not in a bad way. It reminded me of boba. Each time I took a sip, it really did taste the exact same as tapioca pudding initially. But once you started to chew, the distinct flavor of edamame really came through. This was incredibly refreshing, and I enjoyed this way more than I thought I was going to. I’m giving the Zunda shake a nine. Maybe it’s just because it was extremely hot outside and I had just walked up to the castle site, but this was outstanding. It was the perfect blend of sweet, creamy, and edamame e. Let’s take a look at one last Zunda dessert since I also decided to pick up some fancy mochi. Unlike the mochi from earlier, which were incredibly dense, these were as soft as could possibly be. an unbelievably tender mushi wrapped around sweetened zunda paste. Similar to the other two desserts, the zunda paste really wasn’t smooth. It was very chunky and starchy. However, because this had a soft pounded mochi around it, the two textures really complimented each other. This dessert had your typical level of Japanese sweetness, and overall, I thought it was pretty good. So, I’m going to give it a 7.8. Definitely better than the version at breakfast, but not nearly as enjoyable as the Zunda shake. If you come to Sai and want to try a Zunda dessert, definitely go with the shake, especially if it’s hot outside. Next, we’re going to take a look at what is by far Sai’s most famous food. Gutan or grilled beef tongue. It was invented in 1948 in Sai by a chef named Sano Kaishiro, the owner of a Yakuri restaurant. Due to severe food shortages following World War II, he looked for less utilized cuts of meat. And after much experimenting, he began serving what is the modern-day guan. For my first try of the traditional dish, I headed over to Rickyu, an extremely popular and highly rated beef tongue restaurant chain known for their thick sliced tongue and use of charcoal. As well as beef tongue, they also had quite an extensive menu, much larger than you would expect from a specialty restaurant. After ordering, my set meal arrived in less than 10 minutes, and it smelled incredible. I was instantly hit with the powerful smoky aroma from the charcoal grilled tongue. The meal set also came with some pickles, a special miso, a small side of beef and coyaku in some kind of brown sauce, a clear beef soup that had an unbelievably warm and comforting aroma, some rice mixed with barley, and a much for dessert. Obviously, we had to start with what we came for. And I’ve had beef tongue many times before, but nothing even remotely as delicious as this. Not only was this by far the best beef tongue I’ve ever eaten, this was quite possibly the most enjoyable beef I’ve ever eaten. The first thing you tasted was the charcoal flavor. It was very pronounced. All these slits that were cut into it definitely allowed more smoke flavor to penetrate the meat as well as make it more tender. The texture really reminded me of a more juicy, highquality tenderloin. If for some reason you decided to brine a tenderloin steak, this is what I imagine the texture would be like. It was incredible. But the most shocking part of all was the flavor. It was so beefy and more and more rich flavor came out as you chewed. Because of the large amount of smoky flavor, the taste really reminded me of beef bacon. if you’ve ever had that. A really pleasant, smoky, rich beef flavor combined with a tender and juicy texture. This was some of the most delicious beef I’ve ever eaten. I couldn’t believe how flavorful it was. With regards to the side dishes, since it was a small amount of barley added to the rice, I didn’t really notice a difference. The kanyaku and beef dish reminded me of doayyaki, a very similar dish from Nagoya, except this version didn’t include miso in the sauce. This had the classic sweet soy flavor. It was pretty good. By far the best side was the clear beef soup, which had a surprising amount of flavor. This was like fur levels of beef flavor even though it looked light. And not only was it beef, this was oxtail soup, which is one of my favorite cuts and has a distinct extra beefy flavor in my opinion. The large amount of green onions added a wonderful fragrance and freshness. They also gave you a piece of oxtail which was perfectly tender with lots of sticky rendered tendon. One of the best meat textures out there. But the star of the show was obviously the beef tongue. Every single piece was grilled to perfection. literally uniform color across the entire outside with no dark or light patches. The pickles were lightly salted and fermented. They had a refreshing flavor that contrasted the beef well. And the miso was actually surprisingly spicy for being traditional Japanese food. The miso was mixed with green chilies, and this is literally the first time I’ve ever heard of using fresh chilies in Japanese food. I thought it was fantastic and the deep flavor of the miso stood up to the heavy smoked flavor of the tongue and complimented it extremely well. I’m going to give this Qan a 9.9 out of 10. I really feel like it should get a 10 out of 10 cuz I don’t see how it can be improved, but this is my first video rating local specialties, so I’m going to have to leave a teeny tiny bit of room. If you visit Japan and enjoy beef, this is an experience you 100% have to try. At this point, I’ve been to fancy A5 Wagyu meals all over Japan that cost much more than this, and I would pick this 10 out of 10 times. Not only was this incredibly delicious, but the entire meal set was only $30. This was at least 6 ounces of meat. I wasn’t sure how rich it was going to be, so I ordered the small size. High quality Wagyu can become overwhelming quickly, but this was more comparable to a USDA prime or Canadian AAA steak. I easily could have eaten twice the amount. All right, that’s going to be very difficult to beat. But let’s move on to our final Sai specialty, si nab. Siri being Japanese parsley, also known as water drop wart or water celery. and nab meaning hot pot. Siri is not to be confused with mazuna, which is also called Japanese parsley, and is actually what I thought was going to be in this dish. I went to an extremely highly rated SI restaurant to try it, and it came out in a few different parts. The first being the hot pot, which contains some different types of mushrooms, including oyster and ininoi, carrots and leaks, and one piece of simbe, which is a rice cracker. The soup was a duchy stock base seasoned with sugary mudinine and I can only assume cooking sake since those are the classic seasonings in Japanese cuisine. The flavor was halfway between your traditional dashy stock and a sukiyaki sauce. Sweet and savory with dried bonito flavor. It also came with a platter of Japanese parsley and some slices of very fatty duck breast. In fact, there was more fat than actual meat on most of the slices. As for the seasoning it came with, there was some kosho, which is yuzu pepper and salt, some green onions, grated daikon mixed with chili powder, and panoo sauce. I wasn’t exactly sure how to add everything, but I figured I’d just try the duck first. I cooked it to about medium, and since the meat cooks much faster than the fat renders, I can only assume you’re supposed to be eating it with a lot of the fat. It had a distinct but pleasant dark meat flavor. Slightly irony as duck tends to be, but very delicious. Obviously, a large amount of richness from the fat, but both the panzoo sauce and sweet and savory dashy stock complimented it well. But the main star of the dish is really supposed to be the si. It had a wonderful crispy, watery texture no matter how long you cooked it for. As for the flavor, it was somewhere between Italian parsley, spinach, and celery. Very refreshing, slightly bitter, and floral. I really enjoyed the crisp, fresh texture and herbal flavor, but it didn’t feel very substantial to eat. I guess that’s why there’s so much fat on the duck. You probably burn more calories than you consume with the parsley. Both the duck and parsley were very delicious, but the best part of the hot pot was actually the mushrooms. The sweet and savory flavor of the broth paired best with the subtle earthy flavor of the mushrooms in my opinion. After you finished the ingredients, you chose one of four carbohydrates and were also given an egg. You could choose between rice, mochi, udon, or soba. And I chose udon. I added the noodles and was instructed to beat the egg and slowly pour it in to create the final course. The noodles were definitely on the soft side, but they soaked up the flavor of the broth well. However, because the broth had been reducing all meal, it was pretty strong at this point. I’d even say it was overwhelming. All of the ingredients were extremely fresh, and I really wanted to like this version of hot pot, but the broth was just way too sweet for me, especially after it had reduced. Had it just been a regular dashy broth without the addition of sugar, I would have preferred this meal a lot more, but with that being said, it was still a very enjoyable experience. I know most people would enjoy the sweet and savory flavor of the broth. It just wasn’t for me. I’m going to give Si Nab a 7 out of 10. And here are the scores for the top five famous foods of Sai. I enjoyed all of them, but my clear favorite was Sai’s most famous dish, Qutan. This was by far the best thing I tried here, and it wasn’t even close. There was actually one more famous Sai dish that I wanted to try, but I ran out of meals, and that was harako meshi. Haraco is the local name for salmon row, and meshi refers to cooked rice. I was lucky enough to find a bento version on my way to the next city. Haraco meshi is made by poaching salmon in a dashy stock seasoned with soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Part of that liquid is then used to cook the rice, giving it a distinct darker color. Once the rice is cooled, the poached salmon is placed on top and ikura or harako is added. Although it uses strong seasonings, the flavors in the dish were actually quite mild. Nothing overpowered the gentle taste of the salmon. Although the rice had a darker color, the main flavor was just a subtle dashy stock. As the name suggests, the harako is the star of the dish. It ties the light flavors of the salmon and rice together so well with its rich brininess. I’m going to give Harakomeshi a 9 out of 10. All right, there are the final scores of the famous foods I tried in Sai. I hope you enjoyed this video as much as I enjoyed trying these new culinary experiences. Please like and subscribe if you did. Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed this new video format or maybe a city you’d like to see me do a similar video for. We’re heading to Moroka next, which is the capital city of Iwattate Prefecture. I hope you’ll follow along. Thanks for watching.

Planning a trip to Japan? Make sure Sendai is on your list, especially if you’re a food lover! In this ultimate Sendai Food Tour, we’re diving deep into the culinary heart of Miyagi Prefecture to uncover the Top 5 Most Famous Foods you absolutely MUST try. From savory delights to unique sweet treats, prepare your taste buds for an unforgettable journey!

Join me as I explore the best of Sendai’s local cuisine, hitting up iconic spots and discovering hidden gems. You won’t want to miss these authentic Japanese flavors!

In this Sendai Food Guide, you’ll see me devour:

Gyutan (Grilled Beef Tongue): The undisputed king of Sendai cuisine! I visit Rikyu, one of the most famous Gyutan restaurants, to try their incredibly tender and flavorful grilled beef tongue. A true Sendai essential!

Zunda (ずんだ – Sweet Edamame Paste): A vibrant green delight! I try both the traditional Zunda Mochi (soft rice cakes coated in sweet edamame paste) and the surprisingly delicious Zunda Shake.

Sasa kamaboko (笹かまぼこ – Fish Cakes): These bamboo-leaf shaped fish cakes are a popular local snack and a true taste of Sendai’s fresh seafood. See how they’re made and grilled!

Aoba Gyoza (青葉餃子 – Green Dumplings): Discover these unique dumplings with their distinctive green skin, a local twist on a classic Japanese favorite.

Seri Nabe (せり鍋 – Japanese Parsley Hot Pot): A comforting and aromatic hot pot featuring the unique crunch of local Japanese water dropwort (seri), including its prized roots!

BONUS FOOD: Harako Meshi (はらこ飯 – Salmon & Roe Rice): Although typically a seasonal dish, I managed to find this stunning rice bowl topped with savory flaked salmon and glistening salmon roe. A beautiful and delicious bonus!

Whether you’re planning your next Japan travel itinerary or just love watching delicious food vlogs, this video is packed with authentic experiences from the Tohoku region.

If you enjoyed this Sendai food adventure, please hit the LIKE button, SUBSCRIBE for more Japan travel and food guides, and leave a COMMENT below telling me which dish you’d try first!

✨ WATCH NEXT:
[https://youtu.be/G-oT0q9S-nY] – Gyoza Tour of Utsonomiya

⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 Intro to Sendai Food Tour
1:36 Sasa Kamaboko
2:33 Aoba Gyoza
3:52 Zunda Desserts
6:44 Gyutan at Rikyu
11:36 Seri Nabe
15:25 Bonus Food: Harako Meshi
16:18 Final Thoughts & Outro

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Music by Roa
https://youtube.com/c/RoaMusic

restaurants that i visited:

sotetsu fresa inn sendai: 4 Chome-4-5 Central, Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0021

sendai castle ruins: 〒980-0862 Miyagi, Sendai, Aoba Ward, Kawauchi, 1番地

rikyu: 1 Chome-10-1 Ichibancho, Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi 980-0811

Serisoan Sendai-Ekimae: 〒980-0021 Miyagi, Sendai, Aoba Ward, Central, 3 Chome−6−12 仙台南町通ビル 2F

#Sendai #JapanFood #Tohoku #TravelJapan #JapaneseFood #Gyutan #Zunda #HarakoMeshi #SeriNabe #Sasakamaboko #AobaGyoza #FoodTour #JapanTravel #Miyagi #FoodVlog #MustEatJapan

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