We’re going to LA! That’s right, we’ll be spending a few days in sunny Los Angeles, driving down Sunset Boulevard with the top down searching for the Walsh residence in Beverly Hills. Then, poolside sunbathing in our bikinis, sipping on Mai-Tais with little umbrellas. Cause that’s what you do in LA, right? Woohoo! Aside from all […]
Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori
June 25, 2013
Postcard from Oakland: U-MART Opens Tonight!
Come out tonight for the grand unveiling of U-MART, the Bay Area’s first conbini. We can’t wait for you to meet our new fridge!!! Details on the PARTY OF THE YEAR here. See you tonight! GET EXCITED.
June 17, 2013
Upcoming Event: U-MART Opens 6/25 (Party of the Year!)
Conbini is a shortened word for “convenience” which is referred to when talking about convenience stores in Japan. Littered around on any street corner in most cities, conbinis are like a typical corner store, or bodega — but from the future. They are well-lit, sparkling clean havens stocked with freshly prepared foods to-go, nail clippers, […]
June 14, 2013
Kayo’s Kitchen @Hopkins Buffet: Ume Gin Cocktail
Welcome to a special edition of Kayo’s Kitchen: Live from Hopkins Buffet! For those who follow our Instagram, you may have asked yourselves, “Where is the Hopkins Buffet?” Well, it’s Yoko’s house of course! God forbid she should name her place something bore-a-thon like Yoko’s Kitchen! I tested out a new cocktail creation recently in […]
June 10, 2013
Lazyass Cookin’: Dashinomoto (MSG Soba Tsuyu)
In seven years of Umami Mart, there has not been a single post about dashinomoto! As the editor and founder of this international food blog, I am… ashamed. Dashinomoto (aka fake dashi aka MSG) is the backbone of LAZY Japanese home cooking. Yoko and Harumi Kurihara would not approve. But COME ON, sometimes, I don’t […]
June 7, 2013
Packaging Whore: Chinatown Canned Goods
Our shop is located right next to Oakland’s Chinatown, where I spend a lot of my time. This is sort of a dream for me, I’ve always wanted to be near a Chinatown, whether in NYC or in the Bay Area — so I could have access to a variety of banh mi, noodles, dim […]
June 6, 2013
U-Mart Conbini @ Umami Mart
It all started out so innocently, like any of Yoko’s casual ideas: “Why don’t we add a konbini to the back of the store???” A konbini inside Umami Mart?!?!?! This will go onto the wall of Genius Yoko Ideas, on par with: “Why don’t we open an Umami Mart storefront???” (Circa March 2012). This was […]
May 30, 2013
Upcoming Event: Umeshu Class with Peko Peko
Ume (Japanese plum) season is upon us! Through the years, we’ve brought you many posts about making umeshu (plum cordial) at home. We’ve had several umeshu features and recipes on the blog, from Yoko’s kitchen in Tokyo, MOTO’s kitchen in NYC, and from Sylvan’s Peko Peko HQ in Oakland. There have been loads of of […]
May 27, 2013
Celebrate Dad!: Thoughtful Gifts for Father’s Day 6/16
I don’t know about you, but finding a gift for Dad has always been so HARD. Trying to brainstorm the perfect gift for my mom was tough, but a gift for my father? Impossible. I think it’s a misconception that women are pickier than men — at least in my family, Kuni was the toughest […]
May 24, 2013
Umami Mart Closed This Sunday
Guess what, we’re re-doing our floors!!! This is SO exciting for us — as many of you know, our floors are white. While beautiful, we’ve come to a point where they must be replaced. We’ll be getting down on our hands and knees to install NEW WHITE FLOORING this Sunday 5/26 + Monday 5/27, which […]