Fuji Foods

Well, back in London, there appears to be a somewat wider selection of Japanese groceries on offer. I pottered down the road this morning to Fuji Foods in Crouch End.

Mr Fuji, who was a little abrupt having just yesterday returned from a trip back to his native Osaka, has been in business for almost 5 years. His little store of Japanese standard groceries also houses a sushi/sashimi counter behind which he stands cutting fish.



He tells me sushi is his most successful product and, while browsing in the shop, a couple of regulars swing buy to pick up their orders. The other stock includes all Japanese cooking staples, miso, shiso, nori, mirin, soy, tofu, umeboshi, rice, edamame, natto and so on, plus there is a good selection of soft drinks featuring iced green tea, CC Lemon and Pocari Sweat. They even sell mentaiko sauce for spaghetti. All in all, a comprehensive range with a few avocados thrown in for good measure.

Being located in a relatively trendy part of North London where the word 'organic' is sure to draw a few more happy pence from enthusiastic green shoppers, Fuji Foods is on the ball boasting its own selection of Japanese organic produce.

Fishing at Tesco's

When sushi first exploded on to the British restaurant scene in the 1990s, it wasn't long before it caught on as a healthy alternative to the ubiquitous triangle packaged sandwiches. Media everywhere picked up on the trend and tended to agree enthusiastically that this particular Japanese import was cool, healthy and to be hastily embraced. The BBC went so far as to claim that sushi, although not particularly confidently, "could cure cancer". Interestingly, ever the xenophobe, the Daily Mail was a lone voice in actually putting forward the opposite opinion that sushi is not only unhealthy, but also possibly carcinogenic (see here).

Nevertheless, a trip today to Tesco's in Amersham, Buckinghamshire confirmed that sushi is firmly installed on the British snack rack. The range is rather simple, mainly salmon, prawn and egg, and it is not worth spending time on the truism that British sushi is rather different from what one finds in Japan (see here for that). The fact is sushi is here to stay and it will be interesting to see how it develops and what British features it takes on - apart from being more expensive and not as fresh of course.

A potter around the shelves reveals very little else from Japan. In this particular branch there was no sake, no Japanese beer, no Japanese brand of green tea, no pickles or senbei.

The most conspicuous Japanese brand is Yutaka whose place on the "Speciality Ingredients" shelf consists of miso soup, sushi rice and vinegar, tempura batter mix, seaweed, wasabi, ginger and instant yakisoba (tangy Tokyo style no less!).



There were also a few bottles of Teriyaki sauce and Kikkoman soy sauce. What will provincial Tesco's stock next? mirin? natto? I'll keep updating and check out the Waitrose and M&S too.

Welcome to the Mikadonian blog: writings, rambling and miscellaneous postings about Japan-related trends in Britain. With a strong bias towards food.