Umami Mart

I was just chatting with Kayoko online, when we started talking about my lunch at Ginza’s Sato Yosuke udon restaurant. It was amazing. The noodles were thin and shiny. Apparently after they boil the noodles, they place them in ice-cold water to bring out the shiny sheen regardless if they are served chilled or warm […]

Traditionally every Japanese household pickled vegetables in Nuka (rice bran). The translation doesn’t cut it too well. Rice Bran is too pretty. It’s should be called rice shells in powder form. Nowadays, you can buy nuka pickled vegetables at grocery stores, so more and more people have stopped pickling their own vegetables at home. I, […]

My weekend was spent cooking and baking. This is as usual, if you know me. It was nice outside throughout the weekend, but I kept myself in the kitchen. This is my stress remedy. Some people might enjoy sitting outside, go for a walk, drink their sorrows away (I do that all the time), go […]

This is great. My colleague Miho told me about it. The deal is, you sign up for an e-mail subscription that this farm, Nihon Yasai, sends every weekend, and order mixed vegetable box for $30 plus shipping, or you can get individual vegetables to be delivered on Thursday. Daikon was 20 inches long, thicker than […]

The best ramen in the city (in my humble opinion) is only available on Wednesdays, and the restaurant only serves 30 bowls of it. This means you must get there right as the place opens at noon, and without any hesitation or shame, order as you’re still walking to the table. You will find that […]

It’s that time of year: sanma time. Sanma aka Pike Mackerel aka Pacific saury, is a wonderful seasonal fish to celebrate autumn in Japan. My favorite time of the year! We just got back from Aburiya Kinnosuke, where they have been serving a sanma lunch special since last week for $13. Check out this spread! […]

After Yoko’s post this weekend about taco ricing in Okinawa, I was super intrigued. Have you ever heard of such a thing??? As Yoko mentioned, taco rice origins lie in Okinawa, and is a product of the US occupation of the island. More about taco rice on Wiki– it’s fascinating. Leave it up to the […]

I adapted this recipe from a mag I was thumbing through. The original recipe tells you to serve cold and in thin strips, like say if you were to make strips with a potato peeler. I just turned it into mashed potatoes because I can’t resist the smoothness of mash. I often come across mentaiko […]

My allergies are in full force. It was so nice outside yesterday, but I couldn’t even be outside for more than 20 minutes. It was bad. And it is bad today too. I am wearing a mask, which makes me look like either a shady criminal or I that I have SARS. I want to […]

Aside from the fact that this was the site of my first date with my current partner, this spot is one of my favorites in the world. Nestled in Setagayaku’s Sakurajosui, Danran sushi (danran definition: sit in a (family) circle and chat happily; enjoy each other’s [one another’s] company) serves up fish dishes and sushi […]