Japanese restaurant Association Food Festival

Last weekend was the 13th annual Japanese Restaurant Association Food Festival held at the Double Tree Hotel in Little Tokyo.

I'd heard a good amount of buzz about this festival over the last couple of years but hadn't attended before. Tickets were $60, including unlimited food and drink.

The festival was divided into a few sections. Inside the hotel was one room where most of the food was being served and the various shows and demonstrations occurred. Next to it was the sake tasting room. Upstairs on the hotel's well landscaped roof was  another area where food requiring cooking was being served. Of course, there was the obligatory taiko performance.

Generous portions of iced green tea were distributed for non-alcoholic needs. This was much needed since it was a very hot day. 

Cold soba noodles.

Sukiyaki.

Karaage chicken weings.

Chicken and onions over rice.

Ramen. For some reason this was being served outside. I skipped it because of the heat. 

One of the show's major selling points  was undoubtedly the limitless sushi.

About 10 chefs were working nonstop throughout the show to keep the sushi supply flowing. A tthe beginning, the line was massive, but it dwindled soon enough n and you could easily walk right up and take all the sushi you wanted.

Sushi included embi (shrimp), shiromi (snapper), maguro (tuna), ikura (salmon roe), ika (squid), hamachi (yellowtail), uni (sea urchin), sake (salmon), and tuna rolls. It was all decent quality considering the setting. The squid stood out most to me as being particularly good. Plus you can't go wrong with unlimited uni.

The main event was the filleting of a 200 pound bluefin tuna.

Here's a video of the action. My apologies for the creative camera work:

Obviously very skilled. 

Afterward, they sliced and served the tuna as sushi. Very good, but I sadly  missed out on the toro.

Live music on the roof.

Among the dishes offered on the roof were these takoyaki, or Japanese octopus balls. Essentially, they are friend balls of batter with ginger, green onions, and octupus. They are served with Kewpie mayonnaise and shaved bonito.  I thought these were among the best that I've had. Also fun to watch the preparation.

Two varieties of tempura were offered, shrimp and some sort of small, whole fish. The shrimp were good, but I thought the fish tempura  was the first bite of the event. When I asked what sort of fish they used, I was simply told white fish. It certainly wasn't any sort of fish that would be described as white fish at a sushi bar. Here's a video of the fryer:

Onto desserts:

Ice cream, available in green tea, azuki bean, and black sesame (shown). 

Green tea mouse from Maison Akira.

Chocolate and mango mochi ice cream.

And now the sake tasting room:

There was quite a bit more than shown, actually. I've certainly developed more of a taste for sake. Sake is nearly as varied as wine, ranging from ultra dry to ultra sweet. There was also a few plum wines and shochus. 

I have mixed feeling about this event. First of all, the rooms for the food and sake were way too small. At the beginning  you could barely move around in the food room. Eventually, the scene calmed down as many people moved to the roof where the beer was being served. However, it still created an uncomfortable environment and made me question the price . However, the food and drinks were good, and its hard to complain about all you can eat good quality sushi. Early this year, I went to the Japanese Food and Sake Collection show, which I thought had much better organization. Still, I had a good time once the crowds thinned.