Japonaise Bakery in Porter still closed

Update 7/10/15: I have confirmed that the Porter Square location is permanently closed. Their Brookline location is still open.

I was in the Porter Exchange last night so stopped by to see what was going on at the Japonaise Bakery. There was a sign in the window saying they are temporarily closed but things don't look promising for reopening any time soon. They've removed all their non-baked goods products, refrigerators, and display cases.

In other news, Japonaise will be one of the food vendors at the Brookline Cherry Blossom Festival!

See also: Japonaise Bakery in Porter Closed

Japonaise Bakery in Porter Closed

Update 7/10/15: I have confirmed that the Porter Square location is permanently closed. Their Brookline location is still open.

I tried to stop by Japonaise Bakery in Porter yesterday when they should have been open but was greeted by steel doors. I called the main store in Brookline today and was told that Porter was closed due to equipment issues. I asked if the closure was permanent and was told she hadn't decided yet. I told her that would be too bad. It wouldn't surprise me if they close permanently since they never have very many customers. It would be a real shame. Japonaise has been in the Porter Exchange for as long as I remember but it seems like they've struggled for business since moving to this less visible location (they used to have a kiosk in the main hallway outside Bluefin). I'm sure that Kotobukiya's closure has hurt them as well.

In the mean time if you want azuki creams or shoku pan you will have to head over to their St. Mary's location.

Update 3/19/15: Stopped by the Brookline location today and found out that the equipment that broke is used to make their bread so they had no bread or bread pastries (other than bread pudding), just cakes, flan, a lone tray of almond croissants, and a few onigiri. It seems they are also struggling with being understaffed.  They are hiring for all positions.

 

Update 3/20/15: Went back to the Brookline location today and they had azuki & ichigo creams (yay!) along with a few other pastries but still no bread and no word on when the equipment would be fixed.

The Japanese are coming! Three Japanese chains to open in Boston this year

I really haven't been staying on top of the Japanese food scene much. It didn't actually seem like there was a whole lot going on anyway, although I've known for some time that Santouka Ramen was coming to Harvard Square. Eater seems to be on top of it though so if you want news, check here. They are reporting a February 11th opening. One of my friends wanted to know if I'd be first in line but frankly it's too damn cold this winter!

I heard tonight that Beard Papa's (Wikipedia), a Japanese cream puff chain, is returning to Boston! I went to their Faneuil Hall location once years ago and it seems they used to have a store in the North End as well but they'll be located in Chinatown this time. You can get updates on their Facebook page. Word in the Japanese community is that they will open in February.

Then there's Kyoto-based Japanese coffee chain, Ogawa Coffee. I hadn't heard of it, but apparently it's a big deal. See the Globe's: Ogawa Coffee planning to make US debut in Boston which reports they will open in Downtown Crossing. The Globe says they'll be the first Japanese coffee chain to open in the US and their reasoning for opening in Boston over New York City is interesting. One reason being that Boston and Kyoto are sister cities. No rumors of an opening date yet.

Sea of Trees seeking Japanese extras for filming in Massachusetts

Ken Watanabe at Inception premiere Photo credit: Ninha Morandini

Just got an email from a friend that a film starring Ken Watanabe is seeking Japanese extras, male & female 18+. I was surprised that a film needing Japanese extras would be filming in Massachuesetts so I did some poking around and found out Gus Van Sant's new film Sea of Trees started filming last month in Foxborough. The film is about an American man (played by Matthew McConaughey) who travels to Aokigahara, a forest at the base of Mount Fuji also known as Suicide Forest or Sea of Trees, to commit suicide. (Aokigahara is one of Japan's most popular suicide locations.) There he befriends a Japanese man (played by Watanabe) and "instead of killing themselves, the duo embark on a reflective journey through the forest together."(Hollywood Reporter) The F. Gilbert Hills State Forest will stand in for Aokigahara.

The film is expected to be released next year. Should be interesting to see how it does in the US and Japan. Japan's suicide numbers have been described as epidemic (nearly twice as many as the US - see Wikipedia) though they have been declining since 2010 following the Japanese government's increased efforts to reduce their suicide rate.

H Mart grand opening date in doubt

Update 5/6/14: H Mart Japanese groceries

Update 4/25/14: I was wrong. They opened on schedule.

Grocery store - 4/8/14

I knew I should have waited before I posted the grand opening date. One of my sources tells me that H Mart hasn't even begun the inspection process and given that they're still not finish installing things, it doesn't seem likely they can even begin to schedule inspections for another couple of weeks. It usually takes several rounds to pass inspections so I'm thinking an opening in May or June is more likely. As you can see from these photos taken on Tuesday and Saturday, they've made some progress, but there's still much more to do.

Grocery store - 4/12/14

Coming soon: New ramen pop-up coming to Yume Wo Katare

Update 3/18/14: Apparently I missed this when I checked Pop Ramen's Facebook page the other day. Their Culinary Team is listed as Jorgen "Walker" Peterson, who has been apprenticing with Tsuyoshi Nishioka, chef/ower of Yume Wo Katare, and Matt Chaves.

One of my friends just told me that Yume Wo Katare will be joining the pop-up game. Beginning Sunday, March 30th, they'll be hosting a micro pop-up called Pop Ramen, which will serve a vegetarian miso ramen (although pork will be available as an add-on!). This is a ticketed event. Tickets go on sale at Yume Wo Katare this Saturday, March 15th, at 5pm. You'll want to hurry over and get your tickets as they're only selling 54 bowls on opening day! (Update 3/15/14 7:20pm: I was at Yume Wo Katare a little while ago and tickets were still available.) They think the second Pop Ramen event will be on Sunday, April 13th.

Per Yume Wo Katare's Facebook:

"The base bowl will be $10 and includes: soup, noodles, moyashi (bean sprouts), yakinori (seaweed), negi (green onions), ninniku (garlic), spicy chili sauce, and an ajitama (seasoned soft boiled egg). A ~3oz portion of seasoned pork will be available for $1 extra."

Sadly, due to allergies I won't be able to try it, but I'm curious to hear what people think, so let me know if you go!


Date & Time
Random Sunday afternoons
11am - 2pm

Location
Yume Wo Katare

1923 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02140

Tickets
$10 for the base vegetarian bowl + $1 for pork
Tickets are necessary and may be purchased at Yume Wo Katare. You do not need to wait in Yume Wo Katare's epic line to purchase. Check Pop Ramen's Facebook page for details on when tickets are available. Check Yume Wo Katare's Facebook page for their hours.

Cash only

H Mart construction chugging along but no opening in sight

Update 5/6/14: H Mart Cambridge is finally open! & H Mart Japanese groceries

Today I was shown some interior photos of H Mart (which unfortunately I don't have permission to post). Although they've put up signs for Sapporo Ramen and Go Go Curry, equipment has yet to be unwrapped and installed and the food vendor stalls still look more or less like a construction zone. Counters and flooring have yet to be installed. I suppose they could complete construction this month and get inspected in April but at this rate I'll be surprised if they're open before summer.

H Mart Cambridge barely making progress

Update 5/6/14: H Mart Cambridge is finally open! & H Mart Japanese groceries

H Mart's storefront

I was in Central Square the other day so I went by H Mart to see how they were doing. They've taken out the front windows and doors, but it's just boarded up with wood now. At the rear entrance they've put up signs saying they are "coming soon" but I peered inside and it looks like they've made very little progress since I last checked in mid-November. Although the vendors were notified last year that they would be able to move into their stalls in January, I don't see that happening. The walls and floors are not finished at all - it still looks very much like a construction site, not a store. I found it odd that both times I visited (during the daytime on weekdays) no one was working on the space. Sadly, I anticipate it will be months before they open and we can get a taste of Sapporo Central and Go Go Curry.

Coming soon?

See also: Ittoku Update / Sapporo Ramen coming to Central Square @ H Mart

Coming soon: Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine in Marblehead

Update 3/31/14: It seems that Junji's finally opened earlier this month!

I just found out that the owners of Sushi Island (which closed back in August) are hoping to open their new restaurant, Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine, in January 2014. They're already on Facebook. The restaurant will be located at 114 Pleasant Street, Marblehead, MA 01945. I'm not sure I've ever been to Marblehead before, but this will certainly be a good reason to make the trek!

Update 1/18/14: Just saw a post on a Japanese message board that they're hoping to open in February.

H Mart Update: 2014

Update 5/6/14: H Mart Cambridge is finally open! & H Mart Japanese groceries

Future home of H Mart Central Square

Folks hoping to eat ramen (and other Japanese food) in Central Square next month will have to wait a little longer. Although news outlets reported during the summer that they would open in November or December, a source told me that H Mart tenants received email a few weeks ago saying they would be allowed to move into their stalls in January. However, as you can see from these photos I took today, they're nowhere near ready to open. H Mart has been plagued with delays, so I'll be very surprised if they hit that date (I think they were first hoping to open in the fall of 2012). I suppose it's possible they could complete construction by next month or January but then they still have to pass their inspections which can be a lengthy process. The entire facility - the grocery store and the food concessions - have to pass before they can open. I'm thinking spring 2014...

Grocery store area

Food concession area

See also: Ittoku Update / Sapporo Ramen coming to Central Square @ H Mart

Closed: Sushi Island in Wakefield

Wow, this has not been a good year for local Japanese businesses. I just found out that Sushi Island in Wakefield closed last month after over 15 years in business. I think I might have been there once many years ago when a friend worked in that area, but since Wakefield is far to go for a meal, I hadn't been back.

The owners put up a note on their website promising to relocate and open a new restaurant. I hope that will actually happen. Best of luck to the Aokis.

Closed Japanese Businesses

This post is a work in progress. Am I missing something? Let me know at keiko dot in dot boston [at] gmail dot com!
Last updated: 5/15/18

Former home of Miso Market

Well, it's pretty sad that I have to write this post but with the closings of two Japanese grocery stores, one restaurant, and one cafe in the past 6 months, I decided I should list them separately in case people wonder what happened to them. I've also listed a few businesses that closed years ago that I still hear people talk about. I will update this post as needed.


FOOD
Grocery Stores | Restaurants | Other Japanese Food Businesses

SHOPPING & SERVICES
Books | Hair Stylists
 

---

Grocery Stores

Japan Village Mart | 200 Washington St., Brookline, MA - Brookline Village | Yelp

Closed spring 2013.

Kotobukiya Japanese Market | 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA - Porter Exchange 

Closed in May 2009. Former employees of Kotobukiya now run Ebisuya, the only exclusively Japanese grocery store in New England that I'm aware of. 

Miso Market | 1963 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA - Porter Square | Yelp

Closed August 2013.

Yoshinoya | 36 Prospect St., Cambridge, MA - Central Square | Yelp

Closed May 2007.

Restaurants

Ken's Ramen House | 1 Brighton Ave., Boston, MA - Allston/Packard's Corner | Yelp

Closed January 2011. Interesting rumor on Eater that a new somewhat related Ken's Ramen is coming to Providence. It seems they already put up a website.

Pikaichi | 1 Brighton Ave., Boston, MA - Allston/Packard's Corner | Yelp
Closed December 2017. In 2011 Pikaichi bought Ken's Ramen House and moved into the space they occupied at the grocery store formerly known as the Super 88. Due to the landlord wanting to drastically raise their rent in 2017, they decided to close their Allston location and relocate. They reopened at 123 Boston Ave. in Medford, MA in April 2018.

Shiro Japanese Restaurant | 3 Gates Pond Rd., Berlin, MA 01503 | Yelp
Closed September 2013. They posted to Facebook post on 9/19/13 saying they were closed until further notice for renovations. On 12/24/13 they posted to Facebook saying they were still working on their renovations, but as far as I saw, they never reopened.

Snappy Sushi / Snappy Ramen |  | Yelp
Closed 11/19/17. Technically this isn't a total closing but a relocation, however since they're in a new location under a new name I thought I would list it here. The restaurant formerly known as Snappy Sushi and renamed in August 2013 to Snappy Ramen has moved to the other side of Davis Square and reopened with a new menu as Snappy Kitchen at 234 Elm Street. There is also a Snappy Sushi location on Newbury St. in Boston that remains open.

Sushi Island | 397 Main St., ‎Wakefield, MA | Yelp
According to a note on their website, Sushi Island closed on 8/25/13. The Aokis hope to open a new restaurant in a new location.
Update 1/11/14: The Aoki's are hoping to working on opening their new restaurant, Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine in Marblehead.

Yakitori Zai | 315 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA - South End | Yelp
Closed summer 2013.

Other Japanese Food Businesses

Japonaise Bakery
1032 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA - Allston/Packard's Corner | Yelp

Closed summer 2013.
1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140 - Porter Exchange | Yelp
Closed 3/17/15. Unclear if closure is temporary. Summer 2015 - Confirmed closure is permanent.
The Brookline, MA location is still open.

Mochi Kitchen
Somerville, MA | Yelp
Closed March 2015.
The Boston Globe: Mochi made-to-order!

Books

Sasuga Japanese Bookstore | 7 Upland Rd., Cambridge, MA - Porter Square
Brick and mortar store closed 2004, online store closed 2010.

Hair Stylists

Kanoko Hair for Women @ Fernanda's Beauty Salon | 75 Bow St., Somerville, MA 02143 - Union Square
Closed 10/27/14.

See my Directory of Greater Boston Japanese Businesses & Organizations for a partial list of businesses and organizations that are still open.

Izakaya Ittoku!

Update 11/11/13: Ittoku is finally open! See First Look: Ittoku!

It seems that Ittoku set up a Facebook page last month saying they would open in August, although we're at the end of the month and they're not open yet. They're hiring staff so hopefully they'll open soon.

Closed for Good? Yakitori Zai may not be Reopening

Update 9/9/13: Boston Restaurant Talk is reporting that the closure is official because the building is for sale. Also, Yakitori Zai's website is no longer up.

Update 11/11/13: Ittoku is finally open! See First Look: Ittoku!

Yesterday I heard from one of my restaurant sources that Yakitori Zai's temporary closure is in fact permanent. Last night I tried to reach owner Kazu Aotani (also owner of Snappy Sushi on Newbury Street and the newly rebranded Snappy Ramen in Davis Square) who I know socially to get confirmation, but wasn't able to. Today I went to Snappy Ramen for lunch (post to follow) and recognized one of the staff from Zai. I asked if the rumor was accurate. It was immediately clear that I'd asked an awkward question so I suggested that Zai's future was "unclear" to which he agreed and said it might reopen at a new location.

Later in the day I heard from a friend in the Japanese community that she had also heard Zai is permanently closed. Between the two sources I pieced together that the closure may have been the result of a neighbor(s?) complaining about the venting of Zai's grill. If so, it won't be the first time a restaurant in a mostly residential neighborhood has been forced to close due to issues with the neighbors. Yakitori Zai has only been open since June 2012, so it's really unfortunate they couldn't work things out to remain where they are.

Fans of Zai's weekend ramen lunch can check out Snappy Ramen. The chef told me that their ramen is a little different from Zai's but the same style.

Front: Chicken Shoyu, Back: Spicy Miso

Fans of Zai's yakitori may want to head to Ittoku when it opens. I was also told by my restaurant source that Zai's yakitori chef, Sho Inoue, had found a new job at Ittoku. I confirmed this with co-owner Carlos Garcia who gave me permission to share the news. Co-owner Chiki-san gave me a sneak peak of their menu a few weeks ago but I'm wondering if they'll be retooling the yakitori section of the menu now that they have a trained yakitori chef. In my excitement, I forgot to ask Carlos. (Update 9/7/13: I talked to Chiki-san today. The yakitori portion of their menu will not be changed. He showed me pictures of the interior, including the yakitori grill. Looks really nice! Update 11/11/13: Inoue-san's plans changed and he returned to Japan.)

Ittoku Update / Sapporo Ramen coming to Central Square @ H Mart

Update 5/6/14: H Mart Cambridge is finally open! & H Mart Japanese groceries

Sapporo Ramen in Porter Square

It seems like lately all I've heard is bad news about Japanese food in Boston (Miso Market is closing, Yakitori Zai is temporarily closed, Yume Wo Katare is temporarily closed). Finally, some good news!

Ittoku Update

Update 11/11/13: Ittoku is finally open! See First Look: Ittoku!

I've previously written about a restaurant called Ittoku that was slated to open at 1414 Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton last year. It's a joint venture between Kentaro Suzuki (known to all by his nickname Chiki-san), a sushi chef at Ebi Sushi, Carlos Garcia, owner of Café Mami and Ittyo, and Manabu Ito and Taiji Mineo, co-owners of Sapporo Ramen. I'm excited to announce that they should be opening soon. Carlos told me last week that now that construction is finished they can schedule their inspections. Unfortunately, restaurants often fail first inspections, in which case they'll have more work to do after that, so I'm not going to speculate on when they'll be able to open.

Chiki-san gave me a sneak peek of their menu. As I've mentioned before, they'll serve sushi, ramen, yakitori, and izakaya-style dishes. Their three ramen offerings, developed by Manabu-san, will be house, yakiniku, and spicy.  I'm not sure if the house ramen will be the same as the house ramen at Sapporo in Porter Square. Update 11/12/13: Ittoku reduced their ramen offering to just one - Gyukotsu Ramen, a beef broth ramen for $8. Yakitori offerings include the usual meats, a number of bacon-wrapped options, and an all-garlic clove skewer. I'm excited to try the omusoba, which I've never encountered before. It's an omelette stuffed with yakisoba!

Sapporo Ramen coming to Central Square  @ H Mart

Manabu-san is also hard at work developing the ramen menu for the Sapporo Ramen location that will be inside the new Central Square H Mart that's supposedly going to open this winter. The menu will be entirely different from their Porter Square location. Manabu-san and Taiji-san have also partnered with José Garcia, owner of Ebi Sushi (and Carlos's brother), to serve sushi at the Central Square location.

José told me that when you walk in from Mass Ave., Go Go Curry will have the first spot on the right, followed by Sapporo Ramen, and then Paris Baguette, with the grocery store in the back. José said the food court will seat 120 (confirmed in the transcript of the July 9th City of Cambridge License Commission General Hearing).

Sapporo Ramen and Go Go Curry beat out many other applicants for the two restaurant concessions, which is great, because there isn't any good cheap Japanese food in Central Square right now. Although I'm not a big fan of Sapporo's current menu, I'm looking forward to trying the yakiniku ramen at Ittoku and Sapporo Central's ramen!

In researching this post, I stumbled upon a 2007 interview with Taiji-san (which references Sapporo's old menu) and a 2011 Savoroux Savoroux blog post about what led to their menu change. Here are some other reviews:

• BunnyandPorkBelly: Sapporo Ramen Porter Square Cambridge, MA Boston
• Tiny Urban Kitchen: Sapporo Ramen

Yume Wo Katare v. Sapporo Ramen: Apples & Oranges

Left: Yume Wo Katare Ramen without garlic  Right: Sapporo House Ramen without scallions

People always ask me, "Which is better - Yume Wo Katare or Sapporo?" I don't think it's a fair question, because it's like comparing apples and oranges.

Before Yume Wo Katare opened I wondered if it wasn't a little unfair of them to open so close to Sapporo Ramen when there are so many other parts of town that are lacking in nearby ramen. I wondered if Sapporo was worried about competition. After having my first bowl of Yume Wo Katare ramen I realized they're really not in direct competition. Just about the only thing Yume Wo Katare ramen and Sapporo ramen have in common is that they're bowls of soup noodles with veggies and meat on top. That's where the similarities end.

I have to confess to no longer being a fan of Sapporo. I used to eat there quite regularly, but a few years ago they changed their broth and menu and got rid of one of my favorites (Seaweed Ramen). I tried the new ramen a few times and went as recently as this week with a friend who doesn't eat pork, and I still don't understand why it's so popular. I stopped going to Sapporo a while ago because I found the new broth fairly flavorless. My recent visit was the same. It's possible that other ramen at Sapporo has more flavor, but due to food allergies, the House Ramen is the only one I can eat. 

Aside from the broth, my biggest problem with Sapporo is that I'm still hungry when I'm done eating. I've even tried ordering their ramen with extra noodles. Still hungry. If I'm paying $10+ (including tip) for a meal, I don't want to leave hungry. Pikaichi serves slightly more noodles in their Tokyo Shoyu Ramen, but when I was ordering just ramen, I would leave a little hungry. Then I noticed you can add a bowl of curry (or cha-su don) for $1.99. Problem solved. Sapporo has sides, but none sized for an individual. My current favorite of Sapporo, Pikaichi, and Mentei is Pikaichi. Yume Wo Katare is in a class by itself. I find their ramen too rich to eat regularly, although I've noticed some of their customers eat there weekly or even more than once a week.

I've heard that Sapporo's business is up since Yume Wo Katare opened. Many people don't want to stand in a 2 hour line at Yume Wo Katare, but they want a bowl a noodles, so they'll head over to Sapporo. The wait time at Yume Wo Katare continues to be long even though they recently expanded their hours by an hour each night. Others leave Yume Wo Katare after learning they serve only pork ramen since they can't or don't eat pork (or even meat). Sapporo's main broth is made with chicken & vegetables and they also have a vegetarian broth.

I tell everyone who likes pork that they should try Yume Wo Katare. Their ramen is definitely more value for your dollar, but not everyone can/wants to eat a bowl of noodles as calorific as theirs or stand in line in the cold for 1-2 hours. Since opinion on Sapporo is so divided, I recommend that people try it for themselves even though I'm not a fan. Really, with only four ramen restaurants in Boston, it's easy to try all four and decide for yourself.

Comparison

Yume Wo Katare Ramen - $12 (including tax) 

• Broth: Extremely rich (some say too rich), fairly salty (some say too salty), a little sweet tonkotsu (pork & soy sauce) broth (some have described it as being closer to a light gravy).
• Noodles: 350g of wide, dense, house-made noodles cooked al dente.  Chewy but soft.
• Pork: Two large, thick, fatty slices of rolled pork belly. They're not always consistent - some days saltier than others, some pieces fattier than others.
• Other Toppings: Briefly boiled bean sprouts & cabbage (fairly consistent from day to day), seabura (pork back fat - some people find this too rich), and a heap of fresh minced garlic. Extra toppings are free.

Sapporo House Ramen - $9.50 (including tax)

• Broth: Thick but flavorless (to me anyway - some people rave about the flavor of their broth) chicken & vegetable broth. I've heard people refer to their broth as "rich." It's certainly a little richer than your average ramen broth, but I don't find it rich. I feel that the broth is lacking in depth.
• Noodles: I'm not sure what the portion is but it's on the small side - my guess is around 140g of thin, light, commercially-made noodles cooked al dente. I find their noodles are usually more al dente than I'd like but I always forget to ask them to cook them longer.
• Pork: Two small, thin slices of lean pork with very little flavor.
• Other Toppings: Sweet corn, raw bean sprouts, half of a medium well boiled egg (I thought mine was perfectly boiled the other day but I've seen a lot of complaints about their overcooked eggs), one tiny square of nori (roasted seaweed), and scallions. There is a charge for extra toppings.

See also: Ittoku Update / Sapporo Ramen coming to Central Square @ H Mart

Ittoku opening this month?

Rumor has it that Ittoku plans to open before the end of the month! I haven't managed to confirm this with Chiki-san or Carlos Garcia yet, but will see what I can find out.

Update 12/12/12: I should have known better than to post this without confirming. Chiki-san told me tonight that although they received approval for the transfer of the Le Petit Robert's liquor license to them, they don't have it in hand yet. He expects they will have it before the end of the month. After that, construction & inspections. They're aiming for a February/March 2013 opening.

Ittoku

Update 11/11/13: Ittoku is finally open! See First Look: Ittoku!

I'm finally able to announce the name and location of the restaurant I mentioned in this post back in September! Ittoku, a joint venture between Carlos Garcia of Café Mami, 2 people Manabu Ito and Taiji Miheo of Sapporo Ramen, and Chiki-san, a sushi chef at Ebi Sushi, hopes to open early next year at 1414 Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton. This location is currently home to Petit Robert Bistro. They were on the schedule for the Boston Licensing Board tonight to transfer the alcohol license from Petit Robert to them.

I'm told that they will be serving the same ramen as Sapporo.

Ramen coming to Central Square?

Some of you may have heard that H Mart, the Korean grocery chain, is coming to Central Square. One of my Japanese friends told me a few days ago that he heard there will be ramen in the food court. No idea if it's true, but just thought I'd mention it. Will update if I hear more.

More yakitori coming to Boston

Update 11/7/12: The name of the new restaurant is Ittoku.
Update 11/11/13: Ittoku is finally open! See First Look: Ittoku!

José Garcia, owner of Ebi Sushi, told me a few weeks ago that one of his sushi chefs, Chiki-san, and his brother, Carlos (owner of Café Mami) were planning to open a yakitori restaurant in Brighton soon.

I caught up with Chiki-san today and he filled me on some of the details. The new restaurant is a joint venture between him, Carlos, and 2 people Manabu Ito and Taiji Mineo of Sapporo Ramen in Porter Square. It will seat 100! They plan to serve yakitori, ramen, sushi, and izakaya-style dishes. I forgot to ask if they'll be serving the same ramen as Sapporo or developing new recipes. I'm told they will serve the same ramen as Sapporo. I suspect the yakitori will be cheaper than Yakitori Zai. Chiki-san said they hope to open in January 2013. No name yet, but I will post as soon as they announce it.

I was going to post the location of the restaurant, but they haven't signed the lease yet and I see that there seems to be a restaurant that is still operating in that space. Presumably the landlord has told the previous tenant that they are planning to rent to someone else, but I don't want to cause any trouble. Can't find any rumors about the restaurant closing. Will post the location after I confirm with Chiki-san that it's okay.