Some Good News

After nearly a year without one, Bento Chef has finally secured full time employment!  Woo hoo! It's been a bit of a slog, given the tough job market out there, but I have finally been successful. So, what does that mean for this blog?  Well, for starters, I now need to take a lunch to work with me five days a week - perfect situation for starting to implement proper bento preparation!  However, that won't be immediately; I'm getting my head around the new job, settling into a new routine etc.  I also have another foreign excursion coming up shortly, plus Christmas and New Year. There's a lot going on and coming up over this last few weeks of 2014. Suffice to say, the blog is probably going to go quiet until the new year.  Which is a pity, but in the interim I'll...

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Brussel Sprout Vegetable Crisps

It's autumn!  Winter is fast approaching, the clocks have already gone back, and the most wonderful vegetable is in season! Brussels sprouts!  YUM! Typically, they are the staple of roast dinners across the country, but when you love them as much as I do, you're got to wonder, can I get away with having sprouts for lunch too? Answer, yes you can!  Put that packet of Walkers crisps away and make yourself some moreish vegetable crisps! Deliciously moreish home-made vegetable crisps! Vegetable crisps have been gaining popularity in recent years, but they're really easy to make at home and much more cost effective.  Not...

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My Cherry Blossom bento box!

About time I showed off my main bento box! Purchased at Tokyo Hands (fairly sure it was the Ginza branch) for a reasonable price, along with a number of accessories - I couldn't resist. So, here it is!  My pretty little cherry blossom patterned bento! I just fell in love.  Moment I laid eyes on it, I knew this was the box that was coming home with me.  Didn't stop me trawling through the rest of the shop just to be on the firm side of certain, but hey!  A girl has to spend her money wisely!  I'm not trekking a few thousand miles back again to return a box because I rushed my decision! The elasticated strap slips...

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Bento Showcase: Keisuke Umeda

As a regular reader of the news website, Rocket News 24, I've been keeping an eye out for bento-related posts. Today, they've shared some of the work of Keisuke Umeda - beautiful, arty, cute, and sinister examples!  Go check them out! "From plums to panties, the strange and beautiful bento of Keisuke Umed...

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Studio Ghibli Bento Box

My recent travels to Japan were nothing short of amazing.  And I succeeded in procuring a number of bento-related goodies! One major highlight of my trip was visiting the wondrous Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.  If you've ever seen any of Miyazaki's work, this place is just mind blowing - if you ever get the opportunity to travel to Tokyo, please, visit the Museum.  I have no words for it.  Photographs are not permitted inside, so I cannot share anything like that with you here. What I can share, however, is my main souvenir from the Museum.  I went to Japan with the intention of purchasing at least one bento...

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Home Again

Konnichiwa!  I have returned home! Japan was AMAZING!  I was extremely reluctant to leave; I had so much fun and just fell in love with the wonderful city of Tokyo.  The culture, the people, the food - by god, the food! I will definitely be planning a return trip in the future. Currently in the midst of unpacking, sorting through photographs, and unearthing my souvenirs - of which there are bento-related treasures I can't wait to share with you. I'll take photographs of my new goodies in due course, update the photo gallery (I'm trying to pick the brains of more code savvy people so I can change it), and really get this blog going with creating bentos and sharing food ideas and recipe...

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Tokyo Bound!

For me, the holiday of a lifetime is about to begin! I'm visiting Tokyo and travelling to Kagoshima over a three week period. Top of my souvenir shopping list - bento boxes!  100% authentic Japanese-made bento boxes. Chibi Girls I'm hoping to find at least two - although I'm sure the real difficulty will be trying to narrow it down to two!  Ideally a set of two boxes with a carry bag and maybe some accessories, like rice molds for making little rice balls. I can't wait to try out real rice balls - called onigiri.  I've been wanting to make some for a while but I've been holding off until I can see for myself what the real...

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What's in a Box?

The bento box itself can be just as big a part as the food it contains. With so much variety, it can be hard to know where to start! Honestly - if you're new to this, don't fret about rushing to buy an authentic Japanese designed bento box.  Whilst they're certainly nice to have, it's not a necessity, especially if you're just starting out. Ordinary food storage boxes are fine! Let's call it a starter bento box! Main thing is to have a box with a secure lid - you don't want your lunch spilling out before you even get to work! Unless you want to make one for sharing, the boxes don't need to be very big.  A set of two is perfect;...

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What is Bento?

In a nutshell - it is a meal in a box. Hailing from the realm of Japanese cuisine, the bento is traditionally a box-shaped container with a meal of rice, vegetables and meat or fish. They can be purchased at convenience stores all over Japan as 'ready to eat' lunch boxes.  They can be served at restaurants.  They can be made at home.  The containers can be disposable, beautiful lacquer-ware, plastic, simple, artfully decorated or plain.  The food itself can be just as varied. Bento can be as simple or elaborate as you please! I'm sure when people initially start to research what bento is all about, it can be quite intimidating...

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Welcome to Bento Chef!

Welcome to the blog of the Bento Chef! Join me on my journey of discovering the wonderful world of bento - from the delicious food, to the amazing works of art, and the boxes themselves. I hope you'll enjoy reading this blog as it develops. Itadakimasu! ~ Bento Chef...

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