Umami Mart

*Dear Martians, please welcome the newest addition to the Umamimart Familia, Jerkey. She is based in LA, and a good friend of Umamimart writer Sarah Nevada and Yoko’s cousin (and loyal reader) Tomo. We first met at the San Pedro Fish Market Umamiventure, back in June last year, and she is a huge pizzahead. She’ll […]

PREFACE Skankynavia: In the US (Part 1 – Berkeley) Last week I listened to the great NYC radioshow called RadioLab. They deal with quirky science and interesting true stories, and last week’s subject was “memory” (a rerun from 2007, listen here). It turns out that every time you remember something, and when you revisit a […]

My family and I went on a flying visit to Paris again to rendez-vous with my dad (since he managed not to get his UK visa in time–visa people suck). Last year I gave him a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s memoir of 1920s Paris, A Moveable Feast, which he raved on about until I decided […]

I want to talk about the US, particularly about its food. USA–my god, such a vast, vast country–so much space, so many people it’s almost hard to fathom. Especially for someone who lives in a tiny country of five million where everyone who’s anything knows each other and where you can never go Sunday grocery […]

I went to Miami for my birthday this year. I didn’t do much besides reading, lounging by the pool, drinking piña coladas, and eating. It was 90ËšF every day, sunny, dry, and my allergies disappeared while I was there. For those of you who suffer from severe allergies each spring–with stuffed-up noses, eyes and ears–the […]

It seems that pop-ups are popping up all over New York City recently. What’s going on? Or should I say What Happens When? That’s the name of a new pop-up resto that has a nine-month lease on a space in SoHo, and a new menu and theme every month. I visited in April for Movement […]

Recently, I had a ramen epiphany in San Francisco. It was at Ken Ken Ramen, a tiny operation that pops up in the Mission every Thursday and Sunday, at The Corner (a coffee shop/ restaurant space). Robert Patterson, who grew up in Japan, no longer wanted to travel all the way to San Mateo (or […]

I just got back from a weekend in NYC, for a very important Umamimart Reunion Dinner, hosted by Yamahomo (post coming!). Even though I really only had two full days in the city, I bounced around and hit some of my favorite haunts. It felt good to be back, if only for a few days. […]

As you may all know, I’m half-Japanese and half-Sri Lankan, so anything to do with either country sparks an immediate interest. So when I began hearing rumours about a new Japanese cake shop and tea salon springing up in trendy Primrose Hill in north London last year, my ears perked up. My sister and I […]

In honor of the James Beard Awards being held tonight, I thought I’d post about Craig Deihl of Cypress Restaurant in Charleston, who is nominated for Best Chef (Southeast). I was certainly impressed by him when I had the great pleasure of attending and shooting his Angus Beef sponsored dinner at the JBF Pop-Up last […]