When I received a list of places to eat in Seattle from one of our longtime customers, @SamayouKodomo, the only comment he put next to Blind Pig Bistro was, “American goodness… beer bread, mmm.” Besides this, there was no other insight into this little eatery out a way’s north of the downtown area where we were […]
Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori
June 18, 2015
Yakitori Bunraku in Tokyo
A good friend of mine is in Tokyo right now and he wanted a shortlist of places to eat. As a tourist, you usually do want to be armed with a list from someone you know of where to dine while traveling. You don’t want to get stuck in an awful, overpriced restaurant that caters […]
June 16, 2015
Upcoming Event: Horiguchi Coffee Tasting
We are thrilled to host a complimentary coffee tasting this Saturday with Horiguchi Coffee, a roaster from Tokyo. Founded in 1990, Horiguchi is a craft roaster that sources beans from Colombia, Tanzania, Panama and Ethiopia. With three cafes in Tokyo, Horiguchi prides itself on using only premium beans; utilizing advanced roasting technique. Two blends will be available to […]
June 4, 2015
Umami Tool Watch: Microdent Knives
We are total gadget heads here at Umami Mart. Johnny always scoffs when I bring home a new kitchen toy, or cocktail tool — we even tried to implement a rule of getting rid of something in order to bring in a new product. But that didn’t last long. When I brought home these two […]
June 1, 2015
Lazyass Cookin’: Cold Sanuki Udon with Nameko Mushrooms
Many of you are well aware of my noodle addiction. I like all noodles: soba, udon, ramen, linguine, naengmyun, pho, any and all of it. Fried, boiled, in broth. Cold soba is probably the only food that I crave all of the time — and it is always the first thing I eat after being […]
May 21, 2015
Postcard from Shanghai: Cocktails at hoF
*Yoko is in China for 10 days! And with no access to Facebook or Instagram, she is sending us photos the old school way — via postcards. We’ll be featuring these snapshots from Yoko in Chengdu and Shanghai all week here on the blog. Enjoy! – Kayoko My first cocktail in China during this trip […]
May 4, 2015
BOTTLE SYSTEM, Activated!
We did it. We patiently (or persistently, rather) waited for over two years to get to this point: selling Japanese beers and sakes at Umami Mart! It was a long, drawn out journey but it was all worth the wait. As soon as we received our license to sell beers and wines from the lovely state […]
April 30, 2015
Happy Hour: Gin(jo) Rickey
With the opening of our bottle shop, I have been exploring the world of sake. Daiginjos, Junmais, Yamahais, Namas, I’m trying them all. While tasting all of the different sakes, there is one particular trait I’m always looking for: would this be good in a cocktail? Tis a very important question. Through all the sakes I’ve tasted so […]