Ryuji Rates 10 Picks from a Seijo Ishii Superfan, Then Makes a White Truffle Butter Pasta with Sweet Shrimp

At the start, Sugasawa named Seijo Ishii as a store similar to Kaldi. Ryuji initially objected that "Seijo Ishii is a supermarket," but Sugasawa explained what the two stores have in common. Just as Kaldi carries many original products, so does Seijo Ishii. On top of that, Seijo Ishii doesn't just sell meat and fresh produce like an ordinary supermarket; it also puts real effort into its prepared foods.

Ryuji had the impression that Seijo Ishii was a store only people with money go to. Sugasawa doesn't deny this, acknowledging that trying to do all of your everyday shopping at Seijo Ishii gets expensive. On the other hand, Sugasawa's view is that if you use it like Kaldi, as a place to pick up a little something special, it works out cheaper than eating out. At the end of the episode, Sugasawa also pointed out that the store sells things that can't really be compared with other cheaper supermarkets, and that it can sometimes be cheaper than eating out or buying the ingredients and making something yourself, encouraging viewers to go find hidden gems.

The first product was a seafood kimchi loaded with baby octopus. Seijo Ishii carries several kimchis, including mozuku seaweed kimchi and salmon kimchi, but this is Sugasawa's top pick. It costs 999 yen, which seemed to surprise Ryuji a little. Still, seeing it packed with whole baby octopuses, heads and all, prompted an exchange to the effect that even if it were 1,500 yen, that would seem about right for Seijo Ishii.

On tasting it, they found that it contained not just baby octopus but also regular octopus and squid. The texture was springy, and it wasn't very spicy. It's mild enough that even people who don't handle spice well can eat it straight as a snack with drinks, yet it has real depth, and the verdict was that you couldn't get this level of quality buying ordinary kimchi for home.

Ryuji gave it an A. It tastes good, but being frugal by nature, in Ryuji's own words, the price felt a bit high; at 850 yen it would have been an A-plus. Ryuji also joked that the first item tends to get treated like the first act at the M-1 Grand Prix, since the scoring standard hasn't been set yet.

The second item was a seared pressed sushi loaded with engawa (flounder fin), which Sugasawa says works both as a snack with drinks and as a meal. Sugasawa praised how perfectly it's seared. You peel back the wrapping to eat it, and the engawa is piled on far more generously than one slice per bite. Ryuji was surprised, saying there was three times as much as at a conveyor-belt sushi place.

What the two of them rated highly was that the toasty aroma of the seared part sets it apart from typical seared sushi. The other point was that, even though it's pressed sushi, the rice isn't packed rock-hard, and the rice itself tastes good. Ryuji explained that each slice of engawa has plenty of fat, and layering them together elevates the flavor. The accompanying salt-and-wasabi also went over well. The rating was S-plus, with Ryuji saying it was almost a perfect score, a level that's genuinely moving.

To refresh the palate, Sugasawa served a potato salad with shiso leaves from Oita Prefecture, adding that having prepared foods is one way the store differs from Kaldi. It looks a bit like basil Genovese, but it's made with shiso. Eaten as is, the shiso flavor came through clearly and refreshingly. Ryuji, however, felt it could use a little something more.

So Sugasawa suggested drizzling on a bit of soy sauce, in the same way potato salad tastes good with sauce on it. When they tried it, the verdict was "soy sauce completes it." Sugasawa added that it's also good on a baguette. Ryuji rated it A-plus, saying that it pairs well with soy sauce, which adds a Japanese touch and makes the flavor stand apart from conventional potato salad. As a prepared-food pick, Ryuji said they quite liked it.

Next up was a butter made by Truffle Bakery, a bakery famous for its salt bread, and sold at Seijo Ishii. According to Sugasawa, it became a huge hit on social media, to the point that for a while it was impossible to buy.

While the French bread was toasting, Amatake duck prosciutto was served as a snack. Peeling off the film and taking a bite, Ryuji was surprised by how good it smelled. Sugasawa explained that it's smoked with cherry wood chips. It was described as having an intense meaty flavor, a little like horse sashimi. They also tried it with a little condiment on top, and agreed this makes it an even better snack with drinks. Ryuji gave it an S without hesitation, saying it's a flavor you can't get anywhere else.

As for the white truffle butter, Ryuji let out an involuntary "Tasty" just from snipping off the tip of the tube and tasting it. After piling it generously onto the toasted bread, the reaction was that of course it's popular. The price is 1,090 yen. Ryuji considered that acceptable, and Sugasawa felt it wasn't expensive. The rating was S-plus. They also talked about how it's great for cooking, pairs well with eggs so it makes a delicious omelet, and tastes good with anything. This butter also takes center stage in the pasta at the end.

The fifth item was a Seijo Ishii original: seared cream cheese marinated in Saikyo miso. After one bite, Ryuji said it had something of a cheesecake quality, a bit like Basque cheesecake, with the searing given as one reason. It's cream cheese inside, but it doesn't taste much like cream cheese. The two of them said this is because marinating it in miso draws out moisture, and because the slightly sweet flavor of Saikyo miso comes through.

It costs 499 yen, and Sugasawa emphasized that this is cheap for the amount. Ryuji rated it S-plus, explaining that while miso-marinated cheese can be found at izakayas and such, the Saikyo style isn't common. The added sweetness gives it a cheesecake feel, and pairing it with Saikyo miso also makes it work as a snack with drinks. Ryuji said they quite like pairing sweet things with alcohol, and Sugasawa said the product hits their tastes perfectly.

While waiting for the curry to heat in its pouch, Sugasawa served winter-wind-dried sweet shrimp from Hyogo Prefecture. They're large dried sweet shrimp meant to be bitten into as is, and Sugasawa, saying the head is the best part, recommended ones with lots of tomalley.

However, as Ryuji ate, they confessed to not really liking dried foods like this. The rating was C-plus, the only low score this time. As reasons, Ryuji mentioned disliking the way it dries out the mouth and seems to soak up all the saliva, and also not being much of a fan of shrimp crackers. When Sugasawa shot back, "You used to eat Kappa Ebisen," Ryuji laughed and replied that Kappa Ebisen is a different thing.

On the other hand, Ryuji suggested turning these into pasta, saying they'd definitely taste better in a peperoncino. This suggestion leads into the bonus segment at the end.

Next was Seijo Ishii's pork vindaloo, which had been heating in its pouch. It's a recommendation from Sugasawa, who has always liked sour curries; it's a somewhat distinctive type of spice curry that includes things like mustard. When poured into a bowl, it was full of large chunks of meat, prompting the comment that it doesn't look like a retort curry. Just from the aroma, Ryuji reacted, "This might be good."

Both of them rated it highly after tasting. There was even a remark that, to put it bluntly, it's many times better than Muji's curries. Sugasawa said that spice curry gets costly just in gathering the spices, so being able to eat one that's perfectly made is a luxury. It costs 399 yen; Ryuji said that's on the pricier side for a retort curry, but totally fine given how much meat there is. Regarding its pronounced sourness, Sugasawa explained that restaurants serve versions both less and more sour than this.

The rating was S. Ryuji said they'd almost like everyone to use this as the benchmark. Seijo Ishii makes many pasta sauces and retort curries, and Sugasawa said there are lots they haven't tried. That sparked talk, right then and there, of doing an episode that gathers and rates Seijo Ishii's retort foods and seasoning mixes.

The eighth item was century eggs. Ryuji confirmed they're duck eggs and joked, "Dinosaur eggs." Sugasawa bought just one this time, but normally recommends the six-pack to fans, since buying it that way saves about the cost of one egg.

That day they made a quick century egg tofu. While mixing the seasonings, Ryuji asked whether they needed to let the century egg sit for a while after cutting it, since century eggs bought in places like Chinatown are sometimes left to sit to let the odor dissipate. Sugasawa replied that it was fine, since this product is labeled as an "easy-to-eat century egg." They also mentioned often just using tube garlic.

The finished century egg tofu was said to taste like the century egg tofu you get at a restaurant. True to its "easy-to-eat" claim, it didn't have any harsh aftertaste. Ryuji, saying that someone at their level finds century egg delicious on its own, also ate it plain and described the yolk as very rich. The verdict was that it's good to be able to get, at this price, something that used to be available only at places like wholesale supermarkets. The price is 160 yen. The rating was A-plus, with Ryuji explaining that the real value lies less in the century egg being amazing and more in knowing that "Seijo Ishii sells century eggs."

Last was the Premium Cheesecake, said to be Seijo Ishii's most popular item. Sugasawa prefaced it by saying it's so famous that everyone may already be eating it as a matter of course. Ryuji laughed about having thought it was a gratin from its appearance, and reacted with "Stylish" to the thoughtful packaging that you cut open.

Eaten plain, the verdict was that it's good but might divide opinions. So Sugasawa recommended adding plenty of black pepper. Ryuji kept adding more each time Sugasawa said "More," and on tasting it was surprised that it had turned from a dessert into a cheesecake to snack on with drinks. Sugasawa laughed that there was no way they'd bring a dessert, and suggested giving it to kids as a dessert as is, while adults add black pepper and pair it with alcohol.

Ryuji backed the black pepper version, saying it's for people who want a grown-up cheesecake. The rating included a "plus," but the grade can't be made out from the subtitles. As a point of concern, Ryuji mentioned the raisin accent, saying a different dried fruit might have suited them better. Sugasawa loves raisins. On price, they noted that considering it's a whole cake, it might even be cheap. Ryuji summed up that serving it with black pepper as a snack with drinks is a way to come across as "having good taste," so it's totally worth it.

After tasting everything, Sugasawa named the seared engawa pressed sushi and the white truffle butter as top picks. Sugasawa started to mention the cream cheese too, but added that the pork vindaloo was also good. In closing, Sugasawa said jokingly that it would be enough if people bought the engawa and the truffle butter.

Ryuji proposed doing a second installment, saying that with Seijo Ishii they could probably keep going forever. Ryuji also mentioned going to Kaldi a lot lately and asked Sugasawa for Kaldi recommendations too. Sugasawa laughed, saying they'd end up talking fast about ingredients like garam masala.

After the main segment, Ryuji made a peperoncino to redeem the sweet shrimp that had received a low score. Eaten as is, it was a C-plus, but as an ingredient, Ryuji says, it's a perfect score.

Here's how it's made. Crush the sweet shrimp, heads and all, into olive oil, and cook the garlic until slightly charred to bring out its flavor. Use one serving of 1.5mm, 5-minute pasta, adding water and putting it in the pan. As soon as the water goes in, the shrimp's red color and aroma come out. Ryuji explained that dried shrimp is like niboshi (dried sardines) and should also be great in miso soup. After cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, add cabbage too. The heat was too high and too much water evaporated, so water was added partway through. They also noted that with one-pan pasta you can add water if it seems too firm, and you don't need to worry much about the cooking time on the package. Season to taste, finish al dente, and add the white truffle butter at the end. Regular butter works too, but this time white truffle butter was used.

On tasting, the verdict was that the flavor of the tomalley from the shrimp heads comes through, and you wouldn't get this taste without the heads. The aroma of the white truffle butter is also strong. Ryuji emphasized that the cabbage is the great supporting player: it helps the truffle butter and everything else coat the whole dish and soaks up the umami. The rating was SSS, the highest of the day. Ryuji wrapped up by saying that the sweet shrimp gets a low score on its own but is worth buying, and if you buy it, you should definitely make this pasta.