2026-01-22
Dashi from scratch vs. instant
Finally did a proper side-by-side. The difference is smaller than I expected for miso soup, but enormous for chawanmushi. Notes on kombu grades and timing.
I write occasionally about things I cook, books I read, and observations from daily life. Nothing urgent, nothing important.
Recent notes
2025-12-14
Winter walks in Yanaka
The cemetery path between Nippori and Ueno is best in December. Cold air, almost no tourists, cats sleeping on warm gravestones.
2025-11-03
On buying a good knife
Spent three months researching, visited Kappabashi twice, and ended up with a 180mm Tojiro DP gyuto. Why I think it's the right first Japanese knife for most people.
2025-09-18
Fermenting rice bran: week six
The nukadoko finally smells right. Cucumber pickles are coming out consistently good. Tried daikon for the first time — needs at least 36 hours. Lessons and mistakes so far.
2025-08-05
Three summers of kakigori
A ranking of shaved ice places I've tried in Tokyo, with notes on syrup quality, ice texture, and whether they use natural ice. Himitsudo remains the benchmark.
Recently read
Kitchen —
Jan 2026
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat —
Dec 2025
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain —
Nov 2025
The Book of Tea —
Oct 2025
About
I moved to Tokyo a few years ago and have been slowly learning to cook Japanese food with some seriousness. Before that I lived in Moscow and briefly in Berlin.
By day I work in software, but this site is not about that. It's a place for everything else.
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