SakaMai

Located in the Lower East Side, SakaMai is a Japanese Izakaya and Sake Bar filtered through an American consciousness. On surface, one can righteously conclude that SakaMai is no where close to a pure Japanese restaurant simply by navigating through the menu. Yet, beneath the mere appearance of a fusion restaurant, there are some generousness in the use of ingredients, politeness towards the Japanese culture, and sincereness rooted in the service. Everything that resembles the Japanese cuisine.

Izakaya 居酒屋 is a Japanese pub with a wide selection of alcoholic drinks. Back in Japan, we often go for drinks along with small dishes after a long day of hardworking. On a typical Friday, students arrive the earliest, with large and heavy bags. For them, it is about “drinking” instead of “eating”– their top choice is always places with cheap drinks. At around 7:30 p.m., white collars lash out of the skyscrapers and rush to the Izakaya. They sit down, order a large glass of beer and cheer for the end of the long week. Fried chicken is an all time classic–a good izakaya always has juicy and tender fried chicken. As more people coming in, the izakaya becomes vibrant and lively. It is a place where great friendship is nurtured, a place where professional network is expanded, and more importantly, a place where people can just relax and chill. At 10:00 p.m., the whole town is drunk.

Since I moved to the United States, I witnessed the booming popularity over Asian cuisines. Especially, Japanese cuisine proliferated in the high end restaurants. Many chefs have been trying to incorporate Japanese cooking techniques and ingredients into their menu, such as Joshua Skenes at Saison, Shinobu Namae at L’effervescence and Nicolas Abello at L’appart. Some has been successful, and some unfortunately did not master the art of fusion.

Fusion requires a deeper understanding of the underlying history and culture or simply a holistic view of why people consume this particular product/dish. It is not like solving a math problem: when you add A and B, you simply get A+B. Many has tried this approach:

Sushi+Pizza=Sushi Pizza

Croissant+Ice cream= Cronut Ice Cream

If you really think deep on the cronut and baogel craze, it is not about literally adding two things together but rather extracting the essence of each food and making two goods complement with each other. The crispiness from croissant and sweetness from donuts; tender sweet pork belly from the steamed chasiu bao and firmness from the bagel…etc. The success of these hybrid relies on the maximization of utilities from consuming only one product. Fusion cuisines should and must imitate the logic behind hybrid pastries, that one plus one is greater than two.

In my opinion, I think SakaMai did a good job in generating extra utilities for customers. The overall atmosphere was youthful, vibrant and casual, packed with people in between 20 to 40 years old. As we were seated, the waiter came immediately and greeted us warmly. Since my friend and I were craving for uni, we basically ordered everything with the sea urchin (except for the Truffle Uni Rice Pot).

Our Recommendation: 

Egg and Egg on Egg was one of the highlights of that night. The egg in the bottom was scrambled with a lot of butter, and topped with with raw sea urchin and caviar. Egg was very rich and creamy, and the sea urchin and caviar added layers of umami. We couldn’t resist to order another one!

After I put a piece of the roll into my mouth, I asked my friend: “hmm… I wonder where is the meat?” It was overall delicious but don’t expect to have a large cut of wagyu beef!

There were two layers: a handful of ikura (salmon caviar) and homemade tofu. I personally liked the tofu more as it was very silky and had the subtle sweetness from the soy beans. Although this dish did not require much cooking techniques, I think it really highlighted the freshness of the tofu and ikura. Sometimes simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.

The second highlight of the night was this Beef Tartar. Even till today, I still can’t forget the rich and complex feeling I had in my mouth. It was like an orchestra, the dish mixed ingredients from different categories: beef, red miso, roasted bone marrow, crispy Maitake mushroom and horseradish. There were so many components, but as you put everything on a piece of bread and bite into it, you can feel the harmonious marriage of all ingredients and experience a complex and sensational explosion of flavors in your mouth. It was extremely creamy, buttery and savory.

To end, Black Sesame Creme brûlée was a must. It was certainly thicker than a typical Creme Brûlée, and the custard base was dominated by the sesame flavors topped with a hard caramel crust.

Others

Note: This is not a typical umeshu (plum sake). Unlike those that are common in the market, this one was slightly sour and had a stronger plum taste. The color resembled a Rosé wine. If you prefer the traditional one or like sweeter alcohols, this is not for you. But if you are adventurous, give it a shot!

 

SakaMai

Location: 157 Luella Street

Tel: 646-590-0684

Web: Sakamai.com