Umami Mart

We all have those comfort dishes that are close to our heart, and transport us back to childhood when biting into whatever it may be. For me, a bowl of chicken udon from Gombei always makes me tear up with nostalgia. Originally a little diner-style eatery in San Jose’s Japantown, Gombei has been a Bay […]

When it comes to matters of eating out, I am pretty inflexible. Since I will travel long distances for good food, I get pretty upset if I don’t get what I had originally intended. By nature, I am quite stubborn (classic Taurean trait), and I am even more so about what I eat. So when […]

Crab. Now who doesn’t have a thing for crab? Sri Lanka is a tiny island hanging off the tip of southeast India where there is an abundance of juicy seafood. People probably eat more fish than meat. And yet, it’s been donkey’s years since we’ve been able to get a decent-sized crab or lobster as […]

I want Washio’s Awamori Wasabi-wari to be world famous, so I’ve gone ahead and named it “The World Famous Awamori Wasabi-wari.” It’s been out there on the WORLD wide web for over three years now, so I think it has earned its title. I caught the making of the world famous Awamori Wasabi-wari on tape […]

A few months ago, I designed a ceramic mug shaped like a monkey’s head, for rum-based cocktails… and no, it wasn’t for selling in stores. I don’t think it would be very consumer-friendly. Yet it had a purpose — the only tiki bar in Copenhagen, Brass Monkey had approached me to design a cup for their drinks. […]

For my birthday this year, I went to Tulum, Mexico with Johnny. It was our first trip we would be taking together and it took ages to decide where to go. Buenos Aires? Mexico City? CUBA??? I hadn’t taken a tropical vacation in forever, so the requirements were a nice beach and good food. And […]

*Nahoko Morimoto is a Tokyo-based photographer. Her work has been featured in Brutus and Vogue Japan.

Uni, burrata, button mushroom, yuzu Son of a Gun Los Angeles

Do you guys all know my pops? His name is Kunio, and he is a sushi chef. Classically trained as a tempura chef, he was offered to transfer to Los Angeles where Inagiku, the Tokyo restaurant he worked at, was opening a location in the iconic Bonaventure Hotel. So, the Akaboris all ended up in […]

Mr. Thad Vogler needs no introduction. He is a leading barman in the Bay Area and beyond, who opened Bar Agricole in San Francisco in 2011. Named after agricole rum (rum made with 100% raw cane sugar), Thad has put his heart, soul, personal philosophies, and many years of experience into the restaurant — which […]