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Where to Get Japanese Noodles in LA

I am a junkie - a noodle junkie. It is my favorite food and carb of choice. I could probably give up bread, and maybe even rice, but never noodles. This month, I took over for Yoko for our monthly club Sake Gumi, and decided on the theme of Sake...

Umami Map

The 2017 Bay Area Ramen Boom Report

In Japan, they call any big, nationwide trend a boom (ブーム). For example, right now cilantro is all the rage in Japan. I'm serious - cilantro on EVERYTHING. So you could say there's a cilantro boom in full force in Japan. It's taken a long while for the ramen boom...

Hiroshima Eats at Chinchikurin (LA)

In honor of Hiroshima month here at Umami Mart, I visited Chinchikurin in LA a few weeks ago, where they specialize in its regional cuisine. Namely they serve Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. A popular chain in Hiroshima proper, this is Chinchikurin's first American outpost, that just opened in the...

Japanify

Niku Soba

If you didn't know already, we have a sake club called Sake Gumi and it's awesome. Every month, we choose a theme, and the sakes reflect that theme. Sometimes the theme is a style of sake, sometime I choose how sakes pair...

Postcard

Postcard from Shanghai: Reward

*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!...

Postcard

Postcard from Chengdu: Liang Mian Noodles

*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!...

Umami Map

Umami Map: Oakland Chinatown

One of the joys of working in Old Oakland is Chinatown. We're only steps away to a wonderland of dirt-cheap eats and one-stop grocery shopping. It has taken us over a year to mine through its dense 4x3 block radius, consisting of...

The Swedish Chef

The Swedish Chef: Champignons Bourguignons

Soyez le bienvenu au cours de cuisine Française contemporaine. Aujourd'hui nous allons faire un ragoût aux champignons bourguignon délicieux, champignons bourguignons.* And that is the extent of my French lingo skills. Although I use to live in Paris for a while, my French...