Umami Mart

I’ve been really into harusame (bean thread noodles) ever since my grandma sent me home with some two years ago. With a quick soak in some warm water, these noodles are ready to be fried or boiled, depending on what kind of texture you are in the mood for. Since opening Umami Mart, Kayoko and […]

After all this talk of fancy dining, 4-star service, Le Bernardin and the lack thereof, I’m bringing it all back to what we’re all about: SOUL. Umami Mart is all about love and sharing and laughter and how food plays a great role in that in our lives. Yoko and I had an errand to […]

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 […]

Here’s something I dragged out of my photo archives. It’s from my trip to Kerala, India back in 2007. We spent two days and one night in the backwaters on a houseboat — probably one of the most glorious experiences of my life! One thing I clearly remember was our breakfast on the boat. The […]

Remember when Yoko posted that pornlicious article about how to make ikura-don (salmon roe over rice), topped with a raw egg? Well, one night, she invited me over for dinner and she made ikura spaghetti!!! What a gluttonous noodle feast in a bowl. The al dente pasta had been lightly sauteed with garlic and tossed with […]

I should confess that I have never really been a fan of tsukemen (ramen with dipping sauce). Shouldn’t ramen be in a piping hot broth, brimming with scallions and chashu (pork) and menma (bamboo shoots)? Tsukemen just always seemed so WRONG to me, despite the fact that I love zaru soba (cold soba with dipping […]

São Paulo has the second largest Japanese population outside of Japan (about 650,000+), but since my arrival here I’ve been pretty bummed by the lack of good Japanese restaurants. Thank God for the Koreans! Koreans immigrated to SP with promises that Brazil was the country of the future — and Brazil still strives towards this dream. […]

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

Spaghetti alla Chitarra prepared by chef Dan Kluger at The Core Club. He is now the chef at ABC Kitchen in NYC. Photo by Erin Gleeson.