Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori


July 11, 2010

¡Viva España!

by Kayoko Akabori

Game starts in three hours, and I’m jumping on the Paul the Octopus bandwagon to say GO SPAIN! Let’s be real- them Spanish mussels just taste better. Just sayin’. PS: Paul is by far the silliest phenomenon of the year.

July 9, 2010

Umamiventure #26.5: Candytown (LA)

by Kayoko Akabori

Omg, I totally forgot to write about Candytown, right next door to the San Pedro Fish Market! Silly me! After gorging ourselves with shrimp, oysters and ceviche, we finally called it quits and all walked over to Candytown. Yes, we saved room for dessert. Candytown is super cute and looks like Willy Wonka barfed all […]

The Free Lindsay Sandwich @ Hapa Ramen (SF)

by Kayoko Akabori

Made it to the Hapa Ramen pop-up yesterday for lunch at the Ferry Building. Let’s forget about the ramen for a hot second, and talk about their “random celebrity specials.” HELL YAH! How could you resist? The special of the day was… FREE LINDSAY aka The Lindsay Lohan Sandwich! RAD! Says it’s so trashy, we’ll […]

July 7, 2010

Heads-Up! – Umamiventure #27: The Trappist (OAK)

by Kayoko Akabori

Can we just be lazy this month and have a low-key Umamiventure? YES! Let’s meet at The Trappist Belgian beer bar in downtown Oakland for their Taco Tuesday, next 7/13 at 7pm. Yes, SFers, I’m asking you to trek over the bridge. Deal with it. The Trappist is awesome. They have nearly 30 different beers […]

Condiment Crack: Maldon Sea Salt

by Kayoko Akabori

Meet Maldon Sea Salt. This is the product that inspired me to start this column. This is my crack. No joke, it’s like MSG– except it’s au naturale. I sprinkle it on everything. Eggs, vegetables, meats… EVERYTHING. Not while cooking, but at the very end, when a dish needs some umph. I taste subtle hints […]

July 6, 2010

I Am Ficus, Need Hot Lay

by Kayoko Akabori

Fig season is upon us! They are like fleshy pink dewdrop kisses that look like… don’t make me say it. Don’t! … Fine, they look like VAGINA, ok? OK?? Happy now? God, you guys are such perverts! No seriously, they do, right? They are such sexual creatures! Turns out, they really are quite the promiscuous […]

The Plumming Project: Jarring + Clean Up (FML*)

by Kayoko Akabori

PREFACE: Ingredients + Recipe Prep + Boil I’m not sugarcoating this. I need you to understand what a truly, utterly, and horrifyingly HUGE PAIN IN THE ASS this entire project is. When browsing the I N T E R N E T for recipes, no one ever tells you that this is such a life-consuming […]

July 2, 2010

The Plumming Project: Prep + Boil

by Kayoko Akabori

This is one of those projects that I always think I can handle, but it just turns into dread, and ultimately only goes to prove what a huge procrastinator I am. Since I picked up the plums from Christi a week ago, it’s just been this nagging thing that’s been clawing at my brain EVERY […]

July 1, 2010

Sneak Peek: Ippuku! (Berkeley)

by Kayoko Akabori

It’s happening. Ippuku, the East Bay’s premiere yakitori and shochu bar is opening on Monday 7/5! HOLLA! I was lucky enough to get a tour of the restaurant before it opens and talk with the owner/chef, Christian Geideman. Located in the heart of Berkeley, the restaurant space is quite breathtaking (read: epitome of cool) and […]

Letter from the Editor: Welcome to My Neighborhood

by Kayoko Akabori

July is here! My god, look at this ultra blue sky– it’s so goddamn bright here, I still can’t deal with the California sun. Quit complaining! It’s gorgeous here! Fine. It’s a new month, and rent is due today. This is my first rent check I’ll be writing since I moved out of Brooklyn! I’m […]