Japan Eats, Part IV: Ima in Kyoto

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Kyoto rice with icefish is presented at Ima.
Kyoto rice with icefish is presented at Ima.

Kyoto, JAPAN — In Japanese, Ima means “living room.”

If only my own living room in the Bay Area were filled with the relaxing fragrance of cedar, the warmth of a crackling fire, and such tantalizing aromas as this one.

Tucked away on a quiet street that once housed kimono shops, this newcomer opened barely two months ago in a renovated 110-year-old townhouse.

With a small team of three, it is overseen by Chef Kiichi Imai, who trained at Michelin-starred Hotel de Yoshino in Wakayama, before going to work in several Tokyo restaurants. He later worked on the opening team for Michelin-starred Txispa, a wood-fire restaurant in Spain, before returning to Japan to cook most recently at Noma Kyoto.

The restaurant is inside a 110-year-old former townhouse.
The restaurant is inside a 110-year-old former townhouse.
The restaurant is all about live-fire cooking.
The restaurant is all about live-fire cooking.

One of the restaurant’s investors will surely be familiar to anyone with a sweet tooth in the Bay Area: Charles Chen, founder of Basuku Cheesecakes.

Ima is all of 10 seats at the counter, which affords a clear view of the live-fire grill fed with oak firewood from Miyami forest in Kyoto. From start to finish, the hearth plays a major role in the dishes, blending Japanese and French influences that meld with sure-handed searing and charring.

Even the menu is smudged with artful burn marks.

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Japan Eats, Part III: Yoshoku Izumi in Osaka

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Beef katsu sando at Yoshoku Izumi in Osaka.
Beef katsu sando at Yoshoku Izumi in Osaka.

Osaka, JAPAN — Getting a reservation at Yoshoku Izumi was an arduous affair. Even when we managed to land the remaining seats on a Saturday night at 8:30 p.m., the extensive list of dos and don’ts on its website had us quaking in fear we’d commit a faux pas and get thrown out mid-bite.

Visions of the iconic Soup Nazi on “Seinfeld” were firmly planted in our heads.

We may have stepped inside the unmarked door, identifiable only by its potted maple tree outside, with trepidation. However, we left not only completely at ease, but thoroughly charmed and beyond content by a tasting menu that was absolutely delicious, as well as a relative bargain.

Our journey to this restaurant, renowned for its yoshoku or Japanese-style Western cooking, began last year, when my friend Charles, who travels often to Japan and knows conversational Japanese, recommended it highly. Having dined there twice, himself, he wasn’t sure if anyone on staff spoke much English. And unfortunately, Izumi is one of a number of restaurants in Japan that only takes reservations by phone.

The unmarked restaurant.
The unmarked restaurant.

So, I enlisted my friend Donna, who speaks Japanese, to try calling the restaurant on my behalf. She called, and she called. No matter if it was morning, afternoon, or evening in Japan, no one ever picked up the phone even after days of her trying. There was no answering machine, either, to leave a message.

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Eggs and Bacon — Japanese-Style

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This savory veggie Japanese pancake gets garnished with Kewpie mayo, tonkatsu sauce, bonito flakes, nori, and scallions.
This savory veggie Japanese pancake gets garnished with Kewpie mayo, tonkatsu sauce, bonito flakes, nori, and scallions.

After two trips to Japan, I have grown even more enamored of the cuisine — if that’s even possible.

Not just of the fancy kaiseki meals prepared with overarching reverence. Nor just the basic, mind-boggling cheap convenience store foods that have no business being as fresh and delicious as they are. But also of the simple, soulful homey dishes that are as far from flashy as you can get.

“Buckwheat Okonomiyaki with Eggs and Bacon” is one such dish.

This savory pancake is from “Wafu Cooking: Everyday Recipes with Japanese Style” (Alfred A. Knopf, 2024) of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Sonoko Sakai, a Los Angeles-based cooking teacher and food writer with quite the career arc. Born in New York, she started working as a film buyer and independent movie producer. In 2009, though, she made a 180-degree turn, journeying to Tokyo to study soba noodle making. When she returned to the United States, she became a culinary instructor and food writer specializing in Japanese cooking — and never looked back.

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Baked Cornmeal with Sour Cream, Cheese and Eggs — From the Danube

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Polenta turns extra rich and creamy when baked with sour cream and beaten eggs.
Polenta turns extra rich and creamy when baked with sour cream and beaten eggs.

It has inspired painters, writers, and composers including Beethoven, Schubert, and Strauss. The romanticized Danube is the second-longest river in Europe, connecting 10 countries, including Romania Serbia, and Bulgaria.

It is also the focus of the eponymous cookbook, “Danube: Recipes and Stories from Eastern Europe” (Hardie Grant, 2024) of which I received a review copy.

It is the third cookbook by Irina Georgescu, a Romanian food writer and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author.

It’s a collection of more than 80 recipes that illuminate the charm and everyday cooking of the Danube’s diverse food cultures, with dishes such as “Leek and Rice Pie,” “Fisherman’s Soup,” “Millet and Mushroom Stuffed Vine Leaves,” and “Strawberries with Rose Water and Creme Anglaise.”

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The Timelessness of Chicken Normandy

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Chicken braised in hard apple cider and creme fraiche -- a dish with a spiritual history.
Chicken braised in hard apple cider and creme fraiche — a dish with a spiritual history.

Tender, juicy chicken simmered in a creamy sauce flavored with hard apple cider is as comforting as it gets.

But did you know it’s also a spiritual dish?

Yes, “Chicken Normandy” is a classic that has been enjoyed for centuries at the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille, founded in the 7th century as one of the first Benedictine abbeys in Normandy. It epitomizes this lush coastal region of northern France by making use of the bounty of local dairy farms, apple orchards, and the monks’ own brewed cider.

It’s a dish usually served as Sunday supper, following the monks’ traditional performance of melodic Gregorian chanting.

So writes noted cookbook author and food writer Jody Eddy in her book, “Elysian Kitchens” ( W.W. Norton & Company, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

This fascinating cookbook delves into the food served in monasteries, temples, mosques, and synagogues around the world. It’s filled with 100 recipes along with beautiful photographs of these cloistered sanctuaries of which few are ever granted such an intimate view.

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