Izakaya Style Cooking Class

Izakaya-style dining simply means going to a pub-style restaurant and ordering food that can be enjoyed with beer or sake. This 3-hour cooking class teaches you some typical dishes whipped up by izakaya chefs. Make your way to the cooking studio and then follow master chefs as they instruct you in the art of izakaya-style cooking. After some demonstrations, learn with a chef by your side how to make five or six dishes.

While the origins of izakaya are uncertain, historians believe it began in the late 18th century. The name is derived from the Japanese words for ‘stay’ and ‘sake shop.’ The theory is that salary-men or laborers felt more at ease in a casual setting in which they were able to stand or sit while drinking after work. But now things are different as there are many upscale Izakaya-style restaurants all over Japan and in cities like New York and Bangkok.

Make your way to the cooking studio, located in a beautiful old traditional house, and learn about Japanese seasonings and cooking techniques from professional, English-speaking chefs. Watch demonstrations and listen to instructions, but in this hands-on class, you become a chef.

Depending on the number of participants, you’ll either be involved in all the processes or share some work with the other participants. Practice making dashi, Japanese soup stock. In addition, you might prepare dishes such as spinach with sesame sauce, mixed vegetable and mushroom tempura, teriyaki yellowtail, Japanese vegetable chowder, and rice with vegetables, mushrooms and soy sauce. (This is a sample menu only; the menu changes every three months, and always includes seasonal ingredients.)

After all the cooking, eat what you’ve made, and then leave the comfortable cooking studio with the recipes to make when you get home.

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