Fusion cuisine is responsible for many unique ingredient and flavor pairings that are hard to replicate outside of the United States. One of my favorite finds as an adult was the realization that in certain neighborhoods in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area blends of Asian and Mexican cuisine were taking place in…
“Sanuki udon is the soul food of Kagawa,” remarks Hideo Tadokoro, owner of several fine dining establishments, including the sake-themed restaurants Sake Tottari and Akatsuki no Kura in Yokohama, both of which proudly serve Kagawa’s own Kawatsuru sake among their selections. He speaks like the true Kagawa native he is and encourages me to delve…
Cheese and sake pairing is growing in popularity. It’s not a ‘classic’ pairing, of course, like sake with oysters, dried fish, or mushrooms, as you might see almost anywhere in Japan that serves casual, rustic fare. It’s a recent development that’s mostly gained momentum outside Japan, influenced largely by the prevalence of such pairings in…
Ethiopian food has grown in such popularity that it’s available in most major cosmopolitan cities around the world, from New York to Tokyo to Paris to London. Even smaller metropolises tend to have a restaurant or two these days. Obviously, without the Ethiopian diaspora community the many restaurants serving the country’s unique, native cuisine would…
Small chunks of cream cheese marinated in sake kasu (lees) is a staple of sake bars, izakaya and sake-loving homes all over Japan. It is usually served with toothpicks as an appetizer or a snack to nibble on while sipping sake with friends. Stuffed olives, meanwhile, are a common item in specialty grocery stores…
Kyoto is rich with small eateries and tiny bars. Some of them are hidden away, perhaps even intimidating to enter. But if they are advertising sake in some way, they can be hard to resist. Sometimes, we’re as interested in seeing what kind of food is being served as we are in the sake…
You always need a bowl with something to nibble on when drinking sake at a table with friends and family. The right snack can also enhance umami and other flavor profiles of sake. This simple spiced nuts recipe should do the trick. Another plus: you can make a lot in advance and just keep it…
Daiginjo Chotokusen While ginjo aromas are usually described in terms of melon, banana and apple, the ginjo aromas of this sake are like a Venn diagram of them all; no one element stands out any more than another. The fusion of these all creates a hard-to-describe but distinguished and refined aroma that leads to a…
Angkor pepper seeds from Cambodia. This interesting pairing combination was discovered by Villapon, a small bar in Yokohama, Japan.
This is a very simple dish with many variations that we got at Moto Stand in Shinjuku, Tokyo (featured in the Tokyo bar guide in issue #1). It is basically sashimi slathered with sesame, chopped onions and other condiments on a bed of alfalfa. The sashimi and sesame are the essentials because the oily fish…