Blog

Taco rice is the culinary lovechild of Tex-Mex, Okinawan and Japanese flavours -- a dish that's popular all over Japan these days.

Located a half a block away from Umami Mart along 9th Street at Broadway. The selection and prices are unbeatable for a farmers market in the Bay Area.

A lecture and sake tasting event with Hakkaisan brand ambassador Tim Sullivan (Urban Sake) at Alchemy Bottle Shop on Grand Avenue, Oakland.

A lesson in cocktail history and tutorial on how to stir cocktails at the Forgery in San Francisco

The Lexus of ramen noodle machines used at Ramen Shop in Rockridge, Oakland.

Our second free tasting with Tokyo-based Horiguchi Coffee featuring Flower and Juicy #2, and single-origin Ethiopia and Kenya blends.

We visit Sake Nomi in Seattle, a pioneer in sake retail shop and tasting room in the U.S.

Photos from our huge Matsuri party in the parking lot behind Umami Mart. Abura-ya, Team Print Shop, Hopscotch, Workhorse Rye, Emeryville Taiko, more.

Don't Call This a Saketini is a take on the traditional Martini, using a dry sake instead of vermouth.

We visit Chizu, a cheese bar in downtown Portland, with a sushi bar concept.

We landed at Mike's Noodle House in Chinatown, Seattle and ate wonton and siu kau noodle soup and chinese donuts and soy milk.

The third annual Sake Summit in San Francisco is your chance to try pretty much all the sakes that are available for consumption in the Bay Area.

We visited Oregon sake brewery, Sake One. Operating since 1998, Sake One produces all Momokawa sakes.

Shanghai Restaurant is our go-to in Oakland Chinatown for green onion pancake, dumplings, noodle soup, and Malantou.

Wow guys, THREE YEARS!!! Can you believe we have been open in Old Oakland for three whole years???!?!?! From bare walls to Skankynavian chic, Yoko and I are so proud and happy to have been able to share our passion...

It's been a crazy sake week here at Umami Mart -- first we launched the Sake Gumi, and now, we're happy to announce a special tasting event with renowned Hakkaisan Brewery! We will be hosting an evening with Timothy Sullivan, founder...

We choose the sakes and you drink them! Sake Gumi is is our way of making sakes available nationwide. Two bottles a month sent to you.

Cha's Restaurant specializes in the Hong Kong cha canting-style. Soy milks, sandwiches, instant noodles, braised seafood, fried rice plates, etc.

To commemorate its 90th year, Kewpie released a limited edition mayo, named Tamago wo ajiwau mayonnaise, in a super cool jar.

Frog is big in Shanghai. Frog dishes are on almost all menus. It's like the chicken of America. We ate bullfrog at Zhuwu Sichuan Restaurant.