Get ready for SAKQUESO!, our first dinner event with Timothy Sullivan of Hakkaisan Brewery and Casa de Kei (Keisuke Akabori) of Delage. Join us for a special meal paired with Hakkaisan Sake from Niigata, Japan, at Sequoia Diner in East Oakland on Friday June 17. We will be serving a 5-course tasting menu highlighting CHEESE! Timothy will be […]
Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori
May 18, 2016
Upcoming Event: Sake Gumi Exclusive Field Trip to Sequoia Brewery (SF)
We are excited to announce our very first field trip exclusively for Sake Gumi members. We’re going to Sequoia Sake Brewery in San Francisco! This is the City’s first sake brewery and we are thrilled to share with this opportunity to tour the site with Sequoia’s founders and sit down for a special sake tasting and food […]
May 16, 2016
Itani Ramen’s Gyoza Machine (and Recipe!)
Kyle Itani used to have midnight ramen pop-ups at his Oakland restaurant, Hopscotch, a few years ago and Yoko and I would sneak in and snag a table. It was way past our bedtime but it was such a rare occasion for a restaurant in Oakland to be open past midnight, and, serve ramen! Now, […]
May 6, 2016
Event Recap: Sake Dinner at Camino
A motto around Umami Mart is that, “We only work with our friends.” We cherish our community and Yoko and I love being able to source products for the shop by artisans that we know personally, and throw fun parties with them too. I worked as a bartender at Camino restaurant for several years and owe them […]
April 25, 2016
Happy Hour: Umamichelada!
Ah, Mexico. We went to Cabo San Lucas over New Year’s and had a magical time. We were captivated by the sea breeze… … the abundantly fresh seafood… … tremendous tacos… … pristine blue skies… … the spirit of adventure… And… … the Michelada! Yes, I had a love affair with the Michelada for the first time on […]
April 21, 2016
Event Recap: Tohoku Springs Back!
I’m happy to report that we had a successful fundraising event for Tohoku last month. This was our first collaboration with UC Berkeley’s Center for Japanese Studies, and we’d all agree that it was awesome. Despite the massive rain that poured down on downtown Berkeley on the night of March 12, we had about 100 […]
April 12, 2016
Upcoming Event: Kayoko’s Cherry Blossom Cobbler Birthday Festival 3000
April 21st — my birthday — is a big deal in Kayokoland. In high school, my best friends would show up at my bedroom window with balloons and breakfast. My 21st birthday was spent in Positano, Italy, like Marisa Tomei in Only You (best romcom!). I turned 27 in a seedy karaoke bar in downtown […]
April 4, 2016
Take-Chan Niboshi Ramen in Tokyo
The best bowl of ramen we ate on our last trip to Japan was in the Chofu neighborhood of Tokyo. We were on our way for some R+R at an onsen nearby and stopped by Take-chan, which specializes in broth made with niboshi (dried infant sardine). It was highly rated on Tabelog, so we wanted to try it. Plus, […]