Tsunami's Late Breaking News

Fugu snuff film (caution, may offend some people)

2009-09-06T15:20:00.001+08:00

Star Wars Sushi

2009-09-06T15:19:00.001+08:00

What next? Chopstick light sabres indeed.

Matching wine with food (from SMH)

2009-08-19T10:32:00.000+08:00

Matching wine with food

Simon Thomsen

August 18, 2009

Food and wine matching ... Throw out the rule book.

I know a leading chef – he's scored a hat or two – who has a very simple philosophy when it comes to matching food and wine: everything goes with pinot noir.

He's almost right. Burgundy's famous grape is pretty versatile and stands up well against a wide variety of food styles. It's a good red to drink with fish and, most famously, takes to duck like Ricky Ponting to any ball short of a length.

The point is Chef likes pinot, so he drinks it come what may. When it comes to matching wines with food, there really aren't any hard and fast rules about what's "right" – forget the old whites with white meat and reds with red meat rule; it doesn't always work.

Fat, oaky Aussie chardonnays can be too big, while French Beaujolais, Italian Valpolicella and some fruity pinots are simply too light.

My view, much like that of Chef, is that, first and foremost, it comes down to personal taste.

While New Zealand sauvignon blanc is staggeringly popular, my view is it's best used as a bathroom cleaner.

And when you hear buffs pontificating about a “food wine”, it's code for “I wouldn't drink that on its own.”

Keep it in mind, because chances are you'll drink most of the bottle without food, so pick a drop you'd happily knock off before dinner. That way, even if it's not a marriage made in heaven when the meal is served, you'll still be having a great time with the wine.

Aside from that, trust your gut feel and go with what you fancy.

In recent weeks, I've had a couple a fascinating insights into just how versatile the drinking choices can be, starting with a revelatory 15-course dinner with matching Japanese sakes (rice wine). Then came a seven-course meal matched with malt scotch whiskies. Imagine scallops with sesame and pickled ginger accompanied by a fruity and floral Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX whisky. It was superb.

Both meals were revelations about what's possible with a little imagination.

I've had meals drinking nothing but champagne too. So if you want to drink Penfolds Grange with a Thai curry, do it and to hell with anyone who tries to say no. (And a big alcohol red might work well with the spice, but more on that later.)

Does matching food and wine matter? Well, when you nail it, it creates wonderful new flavour harmonies and brings out hidden components in both the food and the wine.

Sometimes it brings out what the Japanese call umami – the fifth “meaty” taste (after salty, sweet, bitter and sour).

The first thing to decide when looking for matches is whether you want to contrast or complement the food. Sweet wines go well with sweet foods – for example the richness of foie gras and sauternes – but a sweet wine can also work well with something salty to balance the palate.

What sommeliers look for now in a match is what they call weight. It starts with lighter styles such as Italian soave and sauvignon blanc, ending with full-bodied heavy hitters such as cabernet sauvignon and shiraz.

The common thread to classic pairings, such as champagne with caviar, duck with pinot noir, and lamb with cabernet sauvignon, is that, like a couple of prize fighters, they're in the same weight division. Got a big, hearty dish? Call in the shiraz big guns. Light, delicate entree? How about a dainty, zesty young Hunter semillon? The fun part is experimenting and discovering something new. If the lamb has a little spice, look for a spicier wine. If you've thrown a few chops on the barbie, try an Italian Chianti.

Now let's consider a few curve balls.

The unmatchables

Asparagus

Many believe it's the grim reaper for wine. Lush, full-bodied wines tend to taste metallic. Tannins (found in reds) react like fingernails down a blackboard. Too much alcohol (a lot of Aussie wines are guilty here) and you're heading for the divorce courts. Try an aromatic wine with good acidity, such as sauvignon blanc, riesling or pinot grigio.

Chilli and spice

I'm a big fan of rose with spicy foods such as Thai and Sichuanese. You're looking for acidity and sweetness to mollify the heat and a lot of Australian roses are made in that style. Avoid French rose, since it tends to be drier.

Try aromatic, lighter, low alcohol white wines, especially gewurztraminer, riesling or pinot gris. Sweeter reds can work well too, such as a fruity Kiwi pinot noir. If the dish is rich and spicy, surprise, surprise, shiraz works well, because the wine's inherent spice notes are a good complement. Consider merlot and grenache too, but be wary of too much tannin (it's the stuff from the grape skins that makes the wine age well but, when you drink it, makes your mouth pucker).

Vinegar

Watch out for any dish splashed with lots of vinegar – salads are tricky. It gets along with wine about as well as an ex mother-in-law. Head for the beer fridge.

Salt

I mention it because tannic and high alcohol wines react with salt like Barry Hall when niggled, so don't go young cabernet with duck confit. Contrast can be good with salt, so consider wines with a little sweetness, such as chenin blanc and German-style riesling.

Think outside the box

When you're deciding what to drink, consider the setting, occasion and company. If it's a sunny afternoon lunch, lighter, crisp and acidic whites are better suited than big, high alcohol reds, unless a long siesta is part of the plan. But it doesn't have to be wine, either.

Sometimes beer does the job well. Explore the wide range of Belgian beer styles – some rich and meaty, others floral and feminine. Even Australian brewers are getting in on the act with wheat and honey beers, pale ales, porters and stouts.

Sherry is enjoying renewed interest, especially as an aperitif, but it also goes well with food, especially Spanish tapas. Consider a dry (fino) sherry with soups, a medium style oloroso with beef and pastry (sausage roll anyone?) and sweet Pedro Ximenez with chocolate desserts.

As I mentioned earlier, consider sake if you really want to have some fun and do something different. Pair it with lighter style foods.

One final small piece of advice: if you're going to serve a cracker wine you want everyone to appreciate, keep the food simple. If the food is complex, it ends up shouting for attention, too, and can drown out the wine. That's the philosophy behind Rockpool Bar & Grill, where there's a 3500-bin wine list that includes great French wines costing tens of thousands of dollars. I doubt I'll be trying any of those soon, but it's fun looking at the list and wondering what would go best with roast chook.

Gross Food

2009-08-18T01:13:00.001+08:00

Something you won't see on our menu. Gross, ne?

Bad Waiter

2009-08-11T23:58:00.000+08:00

Name the photo

2009-07-25T14:07:00.002+08:00

This is our first competition. The person who provides the best caption to this photo wins a $100 gift voucher to Tsunami.
Competition ends September 1, 2009.
You may ask "Where did you get this photo?" Well, we have way too much time on our hands after work.
So do these people apparently.

We might be cute but don't make us angry

2009-04-06T21:40:00.003+08:00

Please be nice to the waitresses at Tsunami. Some of them have extracurricular activities that involve all sorts of firearms.

But seriously this is a funny web site that we stumbled upon. Yes, we need to get a life. But there's nothing on TV on a Monday. We should open Mondays.

Weddings - On Again

2009-01-17T17:22:00.003+09:00

We're doing weddings again!

Now that the commodity markets have stabilised (ie food prices don't have much chance of doubling by the time we have to do a wedding) we are OK with using Tsunami to have a wedding.

We haven't accepted weddings for over a year now. And we've knocked back some pretty nice ones from really nice people (apologies) but now we're ready.

Which by the way means that most of the 'good' dates are free.

If you want to book one go to the weddings page and ask us to send out a DVD (we need your mailing address). Or you can call Brett on 0418915533 and ask him.

(BTW there's a pdf with all the wedding prices and menus too

Weddings

2008-05-25T12:06:00.003+08:00

Last night we did our last wedding for a while. It was a good one (almost every one is - we've only had one 'bad' one). Let's see what commodity prices do in the next few months. We can't commit to prices one year from now.

Watch this space.

Shacho

Gold Plate

2008-04-12T21:54:00.003+08:00

Oh yeah, we won a Gold Plate last year. Forgot to mention it.

All kudos to Eric, Mayumi, Masa and the gang. They worked had and they deserve it.

Shacho-san.

Japanese Barcodes

2008-04-04T10:15:00.003+08:00

I love the Japanese. They have the ability to take something boring and make it interesting. Enjoy!

Caffeine Causes Dehydration?

2008-03-09T13:08:00.001+09:00

We always wondered about this.

The Claim: Caffeine Causes Dehydration

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: March 4, 2008
THE FACTS

Medical experts have been saying for years that caffeine acts as a potent diuretic. Consume too many caffeinated beverages, and you end up drinking yourself into dehydration.

But research has not confirmed that notion. Most studies have found that in moderate amounts, caffeine has only mild diuretic effects — much like water.

One report, by a scientist at the University of Connecticut who reviewed 10 previous studies, appeared in June 2002 in The International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

Investigations comparing caffeine with water or placebo seldom found a statistical difference in urine volume, the author wrote. “In the 10 studies reviewed, consumption of a caffeinated beverage resulted in 0 to 84 percent retention of the initial volume ingested, whereas consumption of water resulted in 0 to 81 percent retention.”

Another study, in the same journal in 2005, involved scientists following 59 active adults over 11 days while controlling their caffeine intake. They were given caffeine in capsule form on some days and on other days were given a placebo. Researchers found no significant differences in levels of excreted electrolytes or urine volume.

Other recent studies have found similar results.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Caffeine may not be as powerful a diuretic as it’s often said to be.

Next year's Japanese Christmas present

2008-01-02T01:18:00.000+09:00

OK so you missed out this year getting something really cool for the lady in your life. We know. It's hard. Just what do they want? How many times can you buy perfume without appearing to be boring? And the 'hints' are so hard to understand.

Fear not. We have found the perfect present. To avoid missing out buy one now and hide it in the closet and if the police find it under suspicious circumstances you can always blame us.

Chuck Norris Facts

2008-01-01T14:49:00.000+09:00

Of course being Japanese we are big martial arts fans so it would follow that we would love Chuck Norris, the only westerner to ever get an 8th dan belt in Tae Kwan Do. And we love the films!

A website devoted to publishing facts about Chuck has been going for a while and we encourage you to click on the above link. Such enlightening facts such as

• Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
• Chuck Norris counted to infinity. Twice.
• Guns don't kill people. Chuck Norris kills people.

Check out the site. It's a killer.

www.chucknorrisfacts.com

Japanese Santa

2007-12-26T14:03:00.000+09:00

We wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy new year. We are closed but will open Friday December 28th at 6pm. We will answer phone reservations that afternoon. (We can't go in as we've 'done' the floor with Polycure).

We thank all our patrons for coming in this year. Without you there wouldn't be a Tsunami and we want to say that we appreciate you.

Anyway just to finish the year on something humourous. From the 'only in Japan' category.

Have a good one!

Brett
Shacho
Tsunami

(From "Japan Today")

Santa Claus statues made of pure gold
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 07:18 EST

TOKYO — Precious metals company Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo on Tuesday unveiled two 200 million yen Santa Claus statues made of pure gold. The company said it took three months to make the 42-centimeter-tall seasonal figures using 20 kilograms of pure gold and a total of 1.7 carats of diamonds that decorate the belt.

The two Santa Claus figures will be displayed one each in Tokyo and Osaka until Dec 25.

Cup o' Sex

2007-10-03T03:41:00.000+08:00

We can think of a few interesting things to do with instant noodles. Actually the staff here absolutely love them and sometimes they'll make a bulk order with the Japanese supplier and fork out lotsa dosh for these karmas of instant gratification.
But this goes beyond anything we can think or even imagine.
Ah, Mr Mcawashima, you've done it again.

Art in Japan in strange places

2007-09-05T23:20:00.000+08:00

It's nothing to do with food. But they look so cool I just had to show them here.

For more click on the link above.

Tsunami

The Next Silly Thing from Japan

2007-08-22T00:23:00.000+08:00

I love Japan. It's beautiful mountains, sleepy little seaside villiages, the immense metropolis of "Planet Tokyo" and of course their silly inventions. You can spend a whole week in Akihabara looking at silly electronic gizmos. And then enjoy time in a Moe Moe cafe.

Now we have Diet water. Just as well.

In the kitchiest of kitch moves this wonderful product has been marketed for the person who has tried everything but still wants to punish his body.

Or maybe something to drink after eating tempura to salve your consience :-)

Take that you evil vegetables

2007-08-19T04:15:00.000+08:00

Along the same line as the previous post "Daikon tries to evolve".

The things we do for our customers! We singlehandedly take on ferocious vegetable beats in order to provide interesting vegetarian dishes and sides for you.

Know that many promising apprentice chefs and dishwashers were lost pursuing the culinary dream that is known as Tsunami. (Note teeth. Chilli is hot, man.)

byo ... chef? Huh?

2007-07-22T15:30:00.000+08:00

We've had people try to byo occasionally. (No, thank-you). "I've got a special bottle of champagne". Yeah, right. Better take it out of the brown paper bag freom the liquor store next time.

We've also had customers bring in fish "I just caught it today" and snow crab "I'm an importer". (Please don't do it). Even order pizza from the pizza bar up the street. (Why not go there in the first place?)

But, to bring your own chef?

Hmmm. Another example of Hollywood pretentiousness and tom-foolery.

Anyway, it's an interesting life. All of you have a good day.

Shacho Brett

Sting Causes a Stir in Restaurant

Reuters / Lucas Jackson
Rocker Sting stunned staff at a Miami restaurant by taking along his own chef to cook his meal, according to reports.

The Police star insisted on having his personal chef preparing his meal in the kitchen of posh eatery Casa Tua in Miami Beach.

A source tells Britain's The Sun, "It was amazing -- Casa Tua is one of the best places in town. It has some fantastic chefs and Sting brings his own person to cook. No one would believe it.

"Apparently his people booked ahead and said staff would cook for his friends but not for him."

Restaurant owner Michele Gredene says he could not comment, but did not deny the incident.

Earlier this week, Sting and wife Trudie Styler were ordered to pay $49,888 to their former chef by a British employment tribunal.

Jane Martin claimed she was forced to work 14 hour days while pregnant and Styler was not sympathetic when she experienced morning sickness early in her pregnancy.

Picture Bentos

2007-07-01T13:18:00.000+08:00

We here at Tsunami are big time fans of bento boxes. Brett's favourites are 'eki ben' which are the bento boxes that you buy at train stations. Each prefecture (region) has it's own bento. Saporro would have a seafood & salmon based one, possibly with Saporro beer. It might have a lamb based one ("Lamb Gengis Khan").

Of course the Japanese are really into art as well and we thought we'd show a rare combination of these two art forms. Enjoy.

SMS Takeout orders

2007-04-17T01:31:00.000+08:00

Don't forget. You can sms your takeout order to 0417 922944.

Toro Coming

2007-04-06T12:18:00.000+08:00

The season for toro is almost here. Mmmm, can taste it now. Our toro will be southern bluefish tuna from Port Lincoln. 'Nuff said.

Shall we do one?

2007-03-18T14:52:00.000+09:00

Fast-food shop goes upscale with foie gras burger

The foie gras burger is pictured in Fukuoka.
FUKUOKA -- A fast-food shop here has taken the humble hamburger to culinary heights with the introduction of the foie gras burger.
The foie gras burger sells for 1,350, 1,400 or 1,450 yen at the "Classic Burger" shop in Fukuoka's Hakata-ku.
The 27-year-old manager of the shop developed the idea to attract more customers to the local shopping area.
An official of the shop said that the foie gras burger tastes best when eaten hot. (Mainichi)

March 18, 2007

Japanese web site address - go here ...

Daikon Tries To Evolve

2007-03-18T14:45:00.000+09:00

Farmer gets a kick out of real 'daikon ashi'

The foot-shaped daikon radish in Kitakyushu. (Photo courtesy of reader Tadashi Fukuda)
KITAKYUSHU -- A farmer in Kitakyushu's Kokura Minami-ku is getting a kick out of a daikon radish shaped like a foot that she grew in a veggie patch in the front of her home.
Hitomi Katamura, 51, has been farming for 16 years and says she's seen plenty of daikon that split into two or three prongs at the foot, "but I've never seen a radish shaped like a foot."
Katamura initially wanted to sell the daikon, but instead had it displayed outside a Japanese pickle store.
The radish even has an "ankle," so the longer you look at it, the more it appears to resemble a foot. It has become a favorite among customers of the pickle store. "Daikon ashi," or fat legs shaped like a daikon radish, is one of the great fears of Japanese women (ashi is the Japanese word that encompasses the leg, foot and toes). Customers compared their legs to the daikon and one of them reportedly said "I still don't have to worry" about developing daikon ashi, or fat legs. (Mainichi)

At last people see the light about Rosé

2006-08-06T21:52:00.000+08:00

We were always fans of Rosé. Tastes great on a hot summer night in the garden at the back of Tsunami. Now it seems the world in catching up with us (;-) Having experimented with a few Rosés in our days, namely Charles Melton and even Nederberg, we have settled on Montalto Pennon Rosé which won best Rosé in the Australian Penguin Fine Wine Guide the year before last.

We'd like to get more Rosé on our list but alas it's not popular (yet) for reasons mentioned in the article.

We hope you enjoy this article from the New York Times.

The Summer Drink to Be Seen With

By JULIA CHAPLIN and SIA MICHEL
Published: August 6, 2006

IT was Fourth of July weekend in Montauk, N.Y., and Ben Watts, a D.J. and photographer, was serving as host of his annual beach blowout at Ditch Plains, a popular surfing area. Although there were plenty of people in hoodies huddled around a fire, this was no humble gathering. Mr. Watts was spinning 80’s rock and hip-hop for a crowd that included Russell Simmons; Sean MacPherson, an owner of the Maritime Hotel and the Park restaurant in Manhattan; the Hollywood stylist Philip Bloch; and the actress Naomi Watts, Mr. Watts’s sister.

Sophia Rosé, 2004. A rosé wine from Francis Coppola's vineyard named for Sophia Coppola.

Poured at the Spotted Pig, Domaines Ott, the beautiful drinkers’ rosé of choice, whispers Provence.
At least a dozen revelers were chugging light pink wine from a bottle. It was Domaines Ott, a French rosé that retails for about $30. Thanks to Mr. MacPherson, who always packs several cases for the weekend, it has become the unofficial drink of the Ditch Plains scene, so common that attendees were referring to it as “D.O.” and “the Ott.”

“To me this wine tastes like the South of France and summer, and you should have an endless supply of it,” said Mr. MacPherson.

Rosé wines, long disparaged as too sweet, too pink and too cheap, have improved in quality in recent years and been embraced by food and wine connoisseurs. But a new collection of fans have emerged: club-hopping hipsters and tastemakers, who lay in a stash of rosé for parties and ask for it when out on the town.

“Rosé has replaced prosecco and cosmos as the new chick drink,” said Ken Friedman, an owner of the Spotted Pig, a celebrity-friendly restaurant in Greenwich Village, which offers five rosés on its wine list.

At Union Square Wine and Spirits in Manhattan, the demand for rosé has increased about 30 percent over the last year and 100 percent to 150 percent over the last four years, said Jesse Salazar, the wine director. “A lot of younger people are buying rosés,” he said, adding that many men are no longer embarrassed to be seen drinking a pink wine. “Guys will bring it to rooftop parties and backyard barbecues. I’ve been putting rosé in an empty Gatorade bottle and drinking it in the park.”

Long a populist summer staple in Provence, where it is enjoyed by everyone from socialites to construction workers, rosé first became popular in the United States during the 1960’s and 70’s with sweet, fizzy and inexpensive Portuguese brands like Mateus and Lancers.

But because it was often made with grapes harvested for other wines and doesn’t age, it was always considered less credible than reds and whites. Over the last few years, however, wineries around the world have begun to harvest grapes specifically for rosé production, and quality has increased.

“I used to hate rosé,” said Alex Kapranos, the lead singer of the rock band Franz Ferdinand and a food columnist for The Guardian in London. “It was a Blue Nun-style secretary’s-night-out drink, and that put me off it. But a couple years ago I had a cold bottle on a hot night, and it was marvelous.”

Still, its old reputation was hard to shake. Jay McInerney, the wine columnist of House & Garden, compared rosé to Jackie Collins novels and Jerry Bruckheimer movies in his August column. “There was a sense that pink wine couldn’t be serious,” said Mr. McInerney, a rosé fan, who has been trying to lead a revival for years. “People were afraid of looking unsophisticated by drinking rosé. It wasn’t red. It wasn’t white. They didn’t know what to do with it.”

But now, among a certain group of global style setters ordering rosé is a sign of being in the know. Dropping the name of a Provençal rosé like Domaine Tempier can be code for having recently frolicked in St.-Tropez or Cap d’Antibes, where rosé accompanies leisurely seaside lunches. Even Pamela Anderson, in the days before she wed Kid Rock in St.-Tropez, was snapped by paparazzi on a yacht, a glass of rosé in hand. “The South of France holds a place in people’s hearts and psyche as this cool jet-set place,” said Jennifer Rubell, the author of “Real Life Entertaining.” “Ordering a bottle of rosé back in the U.S. is a subtle sign of belonging to that world.”

Devotees praise its light refreshing flavor, one that complements food and tastes best very cold, even iced. Recent converts say you can sip it all night without getting too drunk or suffering a bad hangover.

“A lot of my friends don’t want to get wasted on vodka and be sick the next day,” said Greg Krelenstein of the MisShapes, a group of three influential Manhattan party promoters and D.J.’s, who tasted rosé for the first time this summer. “And everybody’s off the speed drinks like Spark. I’ve bought rosé for people, and they’ve been excited to drink something that’s not going to make them crazy like tequila.”

On a Tuesday night in late July rosé was flowing at restaurants across downtown Manhattan, including Freemans, Lil’ Frankie’s, Uovo, Grape and Grain and Little Giant.

At the Spotted Pig the most requested label, Mr. Friedman said, is Domaines Ott, which has become the trendsetter’s rosé of choice since it was bought by Champagne Louis Roederer, the maker of Cristal Champagne, two years ago.

And at least according to those who buy and serve it, it is the most recognizable brand of rosé, the top seller at both Sherry-Lehmann on the Upper East Side and Union Square Wine, which was sold out by late July.

“Domaines Ott is the 501 jeans of rosé,” said Mr. MacPherson, the hotelier, who discovered rosé 20 years ago while vacationing on the Riviera. “It’s like a groundswell buzz name,” said Mr. Friedman, who draws a comparison to the way Tommy Hilfiger clothing became popular in the rap world.

And you thought our menu was weird? (From New York Times)

2006-06-25T14:37:00.000+08:00

Letter From Ubon
In Northeast Thailand, a Cuisine Based on Bugs
Jennifer Gampell

Despite the presence of fast-food chains in Ubon, the consumption of insects, frogs and other critters remains commonplace.

By JENNIFER GAMPELL
Published: June 22, 2006

For most of us Western foodies, an encounter with an edible version of something we'd rather run from or swat can be somewhat fraught. But you can't claim to have tried the local cuisine of the hot and arid northeastern quadrant of Thailand known as Isaan without sampling an insect. Until the economic boom of the early 1990's, this predominantly agrarian region was the poorest in Thailand, and the myriad creatures that flew, crawled, swam or burrowed therein represented tasty and cheap sources of dietary protein.

A woman glides by in a wooden boat, selling peanuts, fruit, fried insects (grasshoppers, crickets, water beetles) and black scorpions.

My own walk on the buggy side began in Ubon Ratchathani (usually shortened to Ubon), capital of the province of the same name, which is also the largest in Isaan. Despite the omnipresence of global fast-food chains like KFC and Pizza Hut in Ubon, the consumption of insects (including larvae), frogs and other critters remains as commonplace today as dumping five teaspoonfuls of roasted ground chili into a bowl of noodle soup.

To appreciate the place of insects in daily Ubon life, drive 20 miles or so west of the capital toward the neighboring province of Sisaket and look for a stretch of four-lane road several hundred yards long that is lined on either side with small wooden stalls and parked cars. Many Thai provinces are celebrated for signature foodstuffs or products that are retailed in great quantities alongside major thoroughfares. Judging by the items sold here, what announces "you're driving through Ubon province" is red ant larvae, other insects, scorpions and frogs.

The creatures that haven't already been skewered and grilled or deep-fried lie in semiconscious states on banana leaves or in bowls and bags. These still-wriggling results of last night's catch might upset those of us who don't cull our food from nearby trees, rivers and rice paddies, but their intermittent signs of life reassure potential purchasers that no pesticides were used in the capture.

My first bug-eating experience occurred in more prosaic surroundings. A Thai friend and I were sitting cross-legged in one of the hundreds of low-slung thatched huts floating on the Moon River at Haad Khu Dua on the western outskirts of Ubon. This 40-year-old so-called resort is actually a collection of tiny bamboo eating places spread out along 500 yards of riverbank. Each similar-looking restaurant boasts at least two rows of open-sided A-frame dining areas that sit atop plastic pontoons tethered to rickety jetties. Dining en masse is a venerable Thai tradition, and generations of families come here to while away afternoons and evenings in alternating rounds of eating, drinking and snoozing.

A waitress negotiated the narrow plank walkway leading down from the onshore kitchen area to our floating "dining room" and knelt to crawl along the woven plastic floor mat and unload our order of gai op fang. (This Ubon delicacy consists of a whole chicken stuffed with lemon grass and pandanus leaves, rubbed on the outside with crushed herbs, covered with a makeshift lid and slow-cooked on a bed of coconut husks.) In my personal sublimity sweepstakes, the perfectly spiced, succulent fowl and the sun dipping below the rolling green hills on the opposite bank were neck and neck for first place.

Onto this hyperpastoral scene glided a small, hand-hewn wooden craft, propelled by a smiling oarswoman sporting a straw hat. She rowed her aquatic incarnation of the ubiquitous three-wheeled Thai street cart in and out among the restaurants, purveying peanuts, fruit, fried insects (grasshoppers, crickets, water beetles) and black scorpions (technically classified as venomous arachnids). At 50 baht ($1.33 at 39.24 baht to the dollar) for three small bags, I really couldn't use price as a disincentive to trying one.

Crunchiness and sogginess are, respectively, the most and least desirable physical attributes of any food I eat. These rankings informed my selection, which included a bag each of everything except the large brown water beetles. Apart from its huge, squishy-looking midsection, the shiny blue-black scorpion presented more crunchy bits than the crickets or grasshoppers. I randomly picked a four-inch candidate, pulled off its legs, tail and claws, took a deep breath, shoved the lot in my mouth and started chewing.

As so often happens in these situations, the reality of scorpion eating was orders of magnitude less terrifying than my fear of it. The appendages were suitably crunchy (except for the unchewable claws), although rancid frying oil and too much salt spoiled the overall experience. Having thus conquered my squeamishness, I had some grasshoppers (crispy) and crickets (slightly soft but small enough to eat quickly) and asked my Thai friend whether fried bugs always tasted this greasy and salty.

By way of an answer she drove me to one of her favorite late-night haunts, a streetside restaurant near Ubon airport (which the United States built during the Vietnam War). Beyond knowing the road (Uparison), I can't guide anyone to it because like every other popular restaurant in Ubon it's far too local to merit an English name.

The friendly founder of this 35-year-old open-air restaurant, renowned for its many varieties of fiery Isaan salad (som tam) and tasty cooked bugs, reigns over her domain from the relative comfort of a bench near the prep table. Decades of pounding the essential som tam ingredients — chili and shredded green papaya — wore out her arms, and she recently passed the pestle on to her daughter.

Health consciousness has reached the frying pans and woks of Ubon insect chefs; many now cook with dry heat instead of gallons of oil. I ordered a small plate of mounded grayish-brown flies (nobody knew their English nomenclature) that had been pan-fried with slivers of lemon grass. To accompany them I chose a type of som tam made with khanom chin (thin rice flour noodles) with the standard additives of lemon juice, palm sugar, peanuts and dried shrimp.

Using tiny rolled balls of sticky rice as shovels, I demolished everything — along with whatever residual bug phobias I still possessed — in under 10 minutes. Based on my admittedly limited experience I can say pan frying easily tops the other method, at least for tender or lightly carapaced creatures that aren't destined to spend long hours outdoors in the heat.

Unfortunately time didn't permit me to try the many other variations on the bug theme such as: raw (chopped and added to chili-based sauces and salads), steamed (in a banana leaf with curry sauce) or soaked in whiskey (a scorpion-based homegrown Viagra substitute for men). Not to mention the entire panoply of non-insect cuisine for which Ubon and the rest of Isaan are renowned. But I'll definitely be coming back here again. Once you've eaten scorpion, everything else is a piece of cake.

BBQ

2006-06-18T03:10:00.000+08:00

BBQ's galore anyone? (I kinda like number 3). Anyone have any thoughts?

Suntory and Lost in Translation trivia

2006-05-31T17:11:00.000+08:00

If you have always wondered what they were saying in the scene where Bill Murray is being directed to do the Suntory commercial. We liked that scene. The link that we have included has some other interesting trivia like the fact that Sofia Coppola's famous film director father Francis was directed in a Suntory Ad by the legendary Akira Kurosawa (The Seven Samurai).

Anyway, here it is. (Posted originally in the New York Times).

Lost In Translation translation

Translated dialog from the Suntory Time whiskey commercial scene from the *superb* Lost in Translation. Taken from Are You Awake?.

"Bob, who is in town to make a whiskey commercial, doesn't speak Japanese. His director (Yutaka Tadokoro), a histrionic Japanese hipster, doesn't speak English. In one scene, Bob goes on the set and tries to understand the director through a demure interpreter (Akiko Takeshita), who is either unable or (more likely) unwilling to translate everything the director is rattling on about."

Needless to say, Bob is lost. And without subtitles, so is the audience. Here, translated into English, is what the fulmination is really about.

DIRECTOR (in Japanese to the interpreter): The translation is very
important, O.K.? The translation.

INTERPRETER: Yes, of course. I understand.

DIRECTOR: Mr. Bob-san. You are sitting quietly in your study. And then
there is a bottle of Suntory whiskey on top of the table. You
understand, right? With wholehearted feeling, slowly, look at the
camera, tenderly, and as if you are meeting old friends, say the
words. As if you are Bogie in "Casablanca," saying, "Cheers to you
guys," Suntory time!

INTERPRETER: He wants you to turn, look in camera. O.K.?

BOB: That's all he said?

INTERPRETER: Yes, turn to camera.

BOB: Does he want me to, to turn from the right or turn from the left?

INTERPRETER (in very formal Japanese to the director): He has prepared
and is ready. And he wants to know, when the camera rolls, would you
prefer that he turn to the left, or would you prefer that he turn to
the right? And that is the kind of thing he would like to know, if you
don't mind.

DIRECTOR (very brusquely, and in much more colloquial Japanese):
Either way is fine. That kind of thing doesn't matter. We don't have
time, Bob-san, O.K.? You need to hurry. Raise the tension. Look at the
camera. Slowly, with passion. It's passion that we want. Do you
understand?

INTERPRETER (In English, to Bob): Right side. And, uh, with intensity.

BOB: Is that everything? It seemed like he said quite a bit more than
that.

DIRECTOR: What you are talking about is not just whiskey, you know. Do
you understand? It's like you are meeting old friends. Softly,
tenderly. Gently. Let your feelings boil up. Tension is important!
Don't forget.

INTERPRETER (in English, to Bob): Like an old friend, and into the camera.

BOB: O.K.

DIRECTOR: You understand? You love whiskey. It's Suntory time! O.K.?

BOB: O.K.

DIRECTOR: O.K.? O.K., let's roll. Start.

BOB: For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.

DIRECTOR: Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut! (Then in a very male form of
Japanese, like a father speaking to a wayward child) Don't try to fool
me. Don't pretend you don't understand. Do you even understand what we
are trying to do? Suntory is very exclusive. The sound of the words is
important. It's an expensive drink. This is No. 1. Now do it again,
and you have to feel that this is exclusive. O.K.? This is not an
everyday whiskey you know.

INTERPRETER: Could you do it slower and ?

DIRECTOR: With more ecstatic emotion.

INTERPRETER: More intensity.

DIRECTOR (in English): Suntory time! Roll.

BOB: For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.

DIRECTOR: Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut! God, I'm begging you.

Posted originally in NY Times

The $204 sandwich

2006-04-12T00:53:00.000+08:00

And we thought we were being silly having a $50 Wagyu hamburger. From the Sydney Morning Herald.

The $204 sanger

A new gourmet sandwich goes on sale at an upmarket London store today - but at a cost of £85 ($200) it could be too much to swallow for hungry shoppers.

The cheekily-named McDonald sandwich - after its creator Scott McDonald, the executive chef of department store Selfridges on Oxford Street - earns its whopping price tag because of the Wagyu beef that makes up most of the filling.

According to London's Sunday Telegraph, which had a taste of the expensive delicacy, the 595-gramme sandwich comprises 24-hour fermented sour dough bread, spread with a foie gras-flavoured mayonnaise.

It also contains brie de meaux, considered one of Europe's finest cheeses, English cherry tomatoes and rocket, plus roasted peppers.

"Utterly fantastic mixture of tastes," one of Britain's leading chefs, Giorgio Locatelli, told the newspaper through a mouthful of the sandwich.

"Tangy, sweet ... a monster mouthful that would be a really sexy love food to share with a lover. The beef simply melts, it falls apart. I'm impressed."

The newspaper said five orders had been taken so far in advance of the sandwich going on sale.

Ninja's at Tsunami

2006-04-02T15:07:00.000+08:00

Whilst some may think of our waiters and waitresses as highly skilled service professionals dabbling in the dark arts of table cuisine provision, and some wonder just what did happen to that irritating customer full of overly loud complaints, or that incessantly crying child - (they just seemed to 'disappear'). Are any waitpersons at Tsunami ninjas? No.

But they do exist! Click on the link to see some.

Interesting Maid Links

2006-03-31T12:58:00.000+08:00

Welcome home master!
It's quite a fascinating phenomema. Have a look at these links.
http://www.cjas.org/~leng/lainspotting/2006/03/maid-in-akihabara-episode-1-review-and.html"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjNGX-jQS94&search=maid
(Links include a good video file)
http://www.akibaangels.com/articles/09_2005/maid_cafe.php
http://www.78magazine.com/issues/03-01/inter/japan.shtml
I think we'll have to stop here otherwise you'll all think we have an obsession.
(BTW, if anyone knows how to get automatic click on links to work in Blogger, please let us know. Obviously we're not geeky enough).

We thought about this ...

2006-03-31T10:34:00.000+08:00

We think we have the cutest waitresses in the world working here at Tsunami. Wouldn't it be great if we could get them to wear outfits like this?
But seriously I doubt they would. If you're interested in having a look the site is ...
http://www.maidmoecafe.com/
They have cafes like this in Japan where the girls 'coo' all over you and say things like "is it alright for you sir?". Of course it's not serious, and it can be expensive, as most role playing non virtual forms of entertainment are.
Only in Japan.

Sushi you'll never see at Tsunami

2006-03-25T13:58:00.000+08:00

Don't get me wrong. We like sushi. But not all sushi is created equal. Some of it is just plain weird. Here are a few examples.

The sweet sushi uses sponge cake instead of shari rice, and jello sweets instead of netta.

It is, however, quite funny and we suggest you use it at your next dinner party if you're bored and have got nothing to do.

New Lamb Dishes / French Influence

2006-03-18T11:27:00.000+08:00

We're very honoured to have a visiting chef show us a few pointers and recipes regarding Classical French and Nouvelle cuisine. Our friend Tomoki Yoshigoe (pictured here with his wife Nozomi) is down from Japan studying English (whilst on a month's holiday from his normal job at one of the famed Tokyu corporation restaurants).

We enjoyed what he cooked so much that we'll put it on the menu. It was French lamb cutlets, coated with panko and herbs, roasted, and served with a delicious shredded potato and other ingrediants little flat cake. I'm not sure what he put in it or exactly how he cooked it (I hope Tetsuya remembers) but it tasted absolutely delicious.

It's time we had something new. Next we hope to get some Kurobuta pork. Stay tuned.

Sushi FAQ's

2006-03-13T11:04:00.000+08:00

Tsunami's Late Breaking News
For all you wanted to know about sushi but were too afraid to ask.
www.sushifaq.com/
Enjoy

Things we dig / New FAQ's.

2006-03-12T15:07:00.000+08:00

With a warped sense of humour like ours we prefer 'different' humour like "Trailer Park Boys". Brett likes it so much that he's taking to walking around with a low-ball glass of Rum and Coke like one of the characters ie Julien. But then, he's a bit silly. But seriously if you know someone with cable and the comedy channel, invite yourself over at a time when it's on.
Here's the link to the site. (If course language offends you please don't visit this site).
http://www.trailerparkboys.com/

As for music, we really like Hed Kandi stuff, especially the Winter Chill collection.

And jazz. Always jazz.

New FAQ's.

Well, we want some and who better to give us some than you. Who knows, maybe some day we'll make a video blogg of them. The best FAQ will get a beer from Brett when he comes in next.

Guess-the -girl competition

2006-03-06T00:15:00.000+08:00

Guess the name of the girl in the photo and you can have wine to the value of $60 when you come in next.

This contest finishes in June and naturally is not open to any employee of us. Naturally.

Of course if you can't see a photo of the back of a girl anywhere here that means our little photo posting experiment went horribly wrong and no-one wins. Apologies.

Questions

2006-03-05T23:57:00.000+08:00

Frequently asked questions

Everyone enjoys reading the FAQ's on our menu but frankly they're getting outdated. We need more.

Go ahead and ask here. If they're good enough we'll post on the menu. You'd be surprised what people don't know but were afraid to ask.

Come to think of it, ask questions that you think people other than yourself would like to ask but aren't reading this blogg.

In totally unrelated news we would like to say how much we have enjoyed watching "Trailer Park Boys" the outstanding Canadian (But you wouldn't think it) comedy and we wholeheartedly recommend it (as long as you're broad minded and don't mind strong language and drug use).

Be careful what you eat

2006-02-06T00:52:00.000+08:00

Tsunami's Late Breaking News
Read this in the New York Times. Of course if you are a vulture be assured that all the painkilling drugs in Tsunami's food are guaranteed to be non lethal. Enjoy the article.

Good News for Vultures

For more than a decade, three species of vultures on the Indian subcontinent have been dying in hordes, poisoned when they ate dead livestock that had been given the painkiller diclofenac.

To save these birds from imminent extinction, conservationists have called for a ban on the use of diclofenac. Last year, India agreed to ban the drug eventually. But one key to phasing it out has been finding an alternative that is effective on cattle but safe for vultures.

That alternative appears to have been found, according to a study in the journal Public Library of Science Biology. An international team of researchers led by Gerry Swan of the University of Pretoria in South Africa discovered that another cattle painkiller, meloxicam, is not harmful to vultures in the concentrations given to livestock. So now there is good reason to proceed with a ban on diclofenac.

working?

2006-01-27T01:31:00.000+08:00

Is this still working? Well, we'll soon see.

How to Eat Sushi Properly

2005-10-31T18:49:00.000+08:00

Thought this was interesting enough to share.

Many people ask us 'how do I eat sushi'? Well, there are many do's and don't's but the main thing to remember is to eat slowly with contemplation and don't get too hung up over the rules.

When you read about the rules you will realise that some of them are there for good reason. Especially not putting too much soy in your dipping bowl (it spills and too much soy is bad for you).

Have a read. There are 5 parts.

<"http://bayosphere.com/node/903">

Tofu - good for the bones

2005-09-26T03:55:00.000+08:00

It was encouraging to read about people making tofu in the blog. Here's some more about tofu that I read in the New York Times. Normally I would paste a link but you need a (free) subscription to read it and most people can't be bothered.

Prevention: A Little Tofu, for Those Middle-Aged Bones

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Published: September 20, 2005

Eating soy may help prevent bone fractures in postmenopausal women. A large study of more than 24,000 women suggests that soy protein is especially helpful to bone health in the first few years after a woman reaches menopause.

The subjects in the study, women 40 to 70, were participants in the Shanghai Women's Health Study who were followed for four and a half years. In this time, 1,770 fractures were reported.

The researchers adjusted the figures for age, osteoporosis risk factors, socioeconomic status and diet other than soy food. They found that the more soy a woman ate, the less likely she was to break a bone.

Within 10 years of menopause, high soy consumption was associated with a 50 percent reduction in the risk for bone fracture.

Dr. Xiao-Ou Shu, a co-author of the paper and a professor in the department of medicine at Vanderbilt, pointed out that the American Heart Association and the Food and Drug Administration recently recommended the consumption of 25 grams of soy protein each day as a heart disease preventive.

That would be more than enough to assure protection against fractures as well. "The consumption level of women who were in the top 20 percent in our study is equivalent to two cups of soy milk per day, or three-quarters of a piece of tofu," she said.

Although the amount of soy protein can vary among different brands, one cup of soy milk contains about 6.6 grams of soy protein, and a piece of tofu contains about 16 grams. "In my opinion," Dr. Shu said, "women should increase soy consumption."

Tofu making - the ins and outs

2005-09-16T00:47:00.000+08:00

Had a funny experience tonight. Tetsuya was making tofu. He wanted to do it the old way starting from soaking the beans etc. OK, very well.

The beans were soaked from last night so he ground them and cooked them and made the soy milk. That was great. The soy milk doesn't taste like what you buy at a supermarket where oil and all other kinds of things are added. It tasted OK - well, like soy milk should.

But then came the problem.

To make tofu you have to add a coagulent to the soy milk. Modern manufacturers add chemicals but purists (like us) use nigari, a deep sea salt, Magnesium Chloride. When Tets added it it didn't work. Turns out it was out of date. So ... he added some more. Still no coagulation. So more.

Of course i didn't know that so I came in and tasted it. Well, I have not tasted many things as vile as that. It was horrid. Imagine soy milk mixed with a lot of sea water and you'll get close. Turns out the nigari had lost it's 'nigari-ness'.

Oh well. Back to the drawing board.

It just shows you that there is a lot of work behind the scenes to make a successful product and (fortunately) most people only see something after we have tried it out sometimes quite a few times. But the end result is worth it.

But it tasted vile. Watch this space :-)

Stand and Deliver

2005-09-10T03:28:00.000+08:00

"So what's new?" everyone seems to ask.

Well, we've been robbed. Twice in about 10 days.

It's nasty when you get rolled. That insecure, almost violated feeling that leaves you with a sour feeling down in your stomache. But then that's not news to most of you. So what do you do?

You pick yourself up, fill in all the insurance forms (funny how they never pay out like you thought they would when you signed up for it) and revamp all your security measures, call in workmen to lay steel bear traps and get the security system upgraded.

We believe we have seen the last of them. They didn't get anything the last time, and they won't get anything in the future (we've seen to that) so we can get on with life and make new dishes and come up with various schemes to give the punters a good time when they come in.

Mr Charisma himself

2005-08-25T21:59:00.000+08:00

Was just chatting in the office with John Bannister of the Charisma Brothers and we'll probably be putting one of his songs on the Tsunami site as a demo download.

If you like the song you can go to his site and send him money and he'll spend it (and send you a CD hopefully). Of course you prbably want to have been to Tsunami on a Friday night and heard him sing. Hey cats!

Weird restaurants we've seen

2005-08-07T11:03:00.000+08:00

Bang! Bang!

Thinking about non violence and the world we live in lately. How does this relate to restaurants? Have a look.

http://www.bbqreport.com/archives/barbecue/2005/07/09/texas-six-shooter-grill/

2005-07-24T16:13:00.000+08:00

No soup for you!

2005-07-24T16:06:00.000+08:00

We don't need no sushi nazis

I thought this site was funny. Don't ever complain about us!
http://www.soupkitchenintl.com/imitators.htm

This is the site from the soup restaurant which Jerry Seinfeld based his 'Soup Nazi' episode on. When I was in New York last my friend Aaron said it was so delicious and cheap but you had to queue for over an hour.

Thanks but no thanks, Aaron. Life's too short. (But maybe once to say that you've done it).

Teppanyaki

2005-07-15T18:03:00.000+08:00

"Do you do teppanyaki?
Once a week on average I get a call saying "do you do teppanyaki?"

Now I know what they mean. Sitting at a counter watching a funny chef cook steak and other goodies on a hot plate and occasionally flicking pieces (hopefully) into the mouths of excited guests. It's entertaining and I remember back in the days of when I was dating (before I got involved in restaurants) I would often 'go teppanyaki'. It takes the stress off of you having to invent witty conversation. Just talk about the funny guy in front of you.

So the answer is ""Yes" - at Tsunami we do 'do' teppanyaki, but "No" it's not what you're looking for". We do have a teppan, but it's in the kitchen (where it belongs in out humble opinions) and we never did like flicking food at people unless we didn't like them.

I just thought I would mention this because last night Tetsuya and I were talking about teppanyaki and how I never saw any teppanyaki restaurants in Japan. He replied that he had never been to any either. I think they're rare in Japan. They seem to be more of a western invention. Japanese people usually go to a 'Yaki Niku' house which is distantly related. But that's another story.

Wagyu Hamburger? Are you crazy?

2005-06-29T02:41:00.000+08:00

Tsunami's Late Breaking News
OK, we've had some stupid ideas in the past and this might be one of them but consider this. A wagyu hamburger.

It would be made with top grade wagyu beef, have non pasteurised Beaufort imported cheese, twin quail eggs, a spot of cupie mayonaisse (maybe not exotic but we love the stuff) and Japanese oshinko style pickles stuffed between two buns, and it would come with hand cut chips doused with gomasio (sesame salt). It would be expensive. And some would consider it a crime. But I bet it tastes good.

What makes us think of these things? I don't know. I just woke up with it in my head.

We've already started working on it. Tetsuya minced the beef with our processor but it cut it too fine. Tonight he hand 'chopped' the beef, which was great, but he mixed it with onions which wasn't. Still, we learnt. Developing a dish can be a long process.

Anyway, why say all this? Well, if anyone is actually reading this guff, we would like to have your ideas. What would you like to see on Perth's best hamburger? Tell us, or forever hold your peace.

Brett

Wagyu update

2005-06-16T02:26:00.000+08:00

Tsunami's Late Breaking News
Well, we have wagyu beef on the menu finally. If you order shabu shabu at Tsunami you'll be presented with 2 fine trays of exquisitely marbelled wagyu beef.

But we're not satisfied. We want to do teppanyaki with wagyu. Actually we have some already. Beautiful stuff too. But it's way too expensive for most folk. (We would have to charge more than $50 for a steak - some restaurants charge over $70). The cut we bought to experiment with is sirloin. Nice but too expensive.

What we want is some choice rump. Being wagyu will make it more than tender enough.

Does anyone out there know where we can get some? Our current supplier says we have to wait 3 months (it's June now) but we don't want to wait.

I'm hungry writing this. I'm going to get something to eat.

Produce Suppliers

2005-04-27T11:47:00.000+08:00

Where do you get it!?
To make great food you need great material.

Help us out. If you know any suppliers of really exceptional produce we'd like to know about it. What we're after is ...

Wagyu beef
Hand made fresh tofu or tofu making equipment
Fresh fish from the boat
Avocados
Shiso / Perilla / Tito (Please please please)
Fresh wasabi
Bush tomatoes
Hand made Japanese food products

If anyone knows of anyone (or even if it is themselves) who can supply us the following, post here or email us.

Just one point though. If you're suggesting Wine please remember we get roughly around one winery etc per fortnight wanting to sell us wine. They are usually good wine, but we usually cannot take it as our list would balloon out to hundreds if we took them all and we wouldn't have anywhere to put it all.

But I can tell you this. If your wine is in the Australian Penguin Fine Wine Guide and it scores over 4 cups then we will seriously look at it and in fact you have a good chance of us putting it on.

Thanks for all those who could help.

Brett / Tsunami

New Menu - suggestions anyone?

2005-03-13T23:54:00.000+08:00

Tsunami's Late Breaking News
Summer is coming to a close. It's our busiest season for sure. But being busy and making a new menu don't go together.

Whilst we have some ideas of what we would like to put on the list, being the egalitarian critters that we are we would like to offer you the eater to make suggestions as to what you would like to see on the menu. There you go.

Menus can be difficult documents to produce. The items must be popular yet not boring. Filled with good produce yet not too expensive. And unusual yet able to be sourced regularly. So please keep these factors in mind when you offer your pearls of wisdom.

And thanks for doing so.

Brett & Tetsuya
Tsunami

New Projects

2005-02-18T01:45:00.000+08:00

Tsunami's Late Breaking News
What will we do for 2005?

There's lots of things we want to do. Finding the time (and energy) to do them is another matter.

If you're reading this, we'd love to hear what you would like us to do (keep it clean), maybe a dish you had overseas that you would like to eat here at Tsunami. Let us know!

Anyway, these are some things we would like to do if we have time. Maybe when get a little quieter.

• Make our own tofu. If you have been to Japan and have tasted tofu from those little places that have been making tofu for a hundred years and people queue up waiting for them to open and they sell out by 10:00am, then you'll know what we mean.
Expand the range of fish on our sashimi list.
Have a fugu week.
Have a big party in July.
Get a life.
Get some reaally really good non-alcoholic drinks onto the drinks list.
Make some new modern dishes.
Make an On-Sen (outdoors Japanese hot spring bath) outside out the back.

The list goes on. We're open to suggestions. Silly ones will be deleted.

Weddings weddings & more weddings

2005-02-14T19:23:00.000+08:00

We've been getting a lot of enquiries about weddings recently here at Tsunami. Well, what's to know about a wedding at Tsunami? Just the facts, m'am, to quote a line from a 50's detective series.

Maximum number of guests — 150 (in the garden)
Maximum number (really stretching it) — 200 (that's the garden and the back room, but it would be hard to dance after).
Why? It's unique, the garden with the lights is way romantic, and the girls in kimonos serving guests is a nice touch you won't see elsewhere.
How much? See the weddings page on the website for costs. There's a pdf you can download with all the options included. If you want to make changes, come in and see Brett or Eric or Tetsuya.
Are you booked out? Not yet, but March, October & December have been popular - but there's still room as I write this.
How can I save money? Have it on a Sunday. We can be flexible for Sunday weddings.

Any more info required? Ring Brett on 92847788 after 5pm Tuesday to Saturday.