Getting the Real Deal from Hana Zen

As a discerning lover of Japanese food, I have to make sure that when I visit a restaurant that advertises itself as ‘Japanese,’ I won’t feel cheated or short-changed. Call me a snob or hoity-toity, but I just believe in getting my money’s worth. Besides, Japanese food can only be truly enjoyed in the right atmosphere, and of course, when it is prepared by the right people. 

My expectations of a Japanese restaurant in San Francisco are doubly heightened compared to anywhere else in the US. After all, San Francisco boasts of a sizable Asian population. Of course, the most obvious reason is the city's wealth of aquatic resources, assuring customers of Japanese restaurants that all the ingredients not sourced from Japan itself must be fresh. So, I am very particular about what to look for in a Japanese restaurant located in San Francisco.

One thing I am weary of when I am in a place that brands itself 'Japanese' is if it is really concentrated on Japanese cuisine. A lot of restaurants nowadays, to cater to a wider audience, make themselves a sort of pan-East Asia place, so they brand themselves as not only Japanese restaurants, but also Chinese and Korean. I have nothing against Chinese or Korean cuisine; in fact, I am also a fan of them. But as an old adage goes, if something is trying to be a Jack of all trades, the chances of it being a master of one particular trade is close to none. This is what exactly happens to those pan-East Asian restaurants. Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cuisines each have their own eccentricities, even if they share common threads.

For example, mian in Chinese cuisine, ramen in Japanese cuisine, and jajangmyeon in Korean cuisine may all be noodles, but the methods of preparation and accompanying ingredients are different from each other. I do feel that restaurants that clamp the three cuisines together disrespect all three cultures, which is why I go by restaurants that only concentrate on one cuisine. Japanese food is already intricate enough, and difficult to master itself. Thus, when I want authenticity in my food, then I know I could only find this in restaurants that serve Japanese food, nothing more, nothing less. Fusion cuisine is a while other story, but authentic Japanese food must be served only in restaurants that serve only Japanese food.

This is what impressed me with Hana Zen Restaurant and its two locations in San Francisco. Whether its casual dining I want a rustic dinner at the water front, I could count on them to serve authentic Japanese fare, not some copy cat food made to look Japanese, without the real Japanese preparation and flavor. Both the taste of the food and the ambiance of the place is very simple, yet sophisticated, not fake or put on. A late romantic dinner in the middle of the city can be arranged at Hana Zen Union Square, while dinner at the bay is perfect at the restaurant's Pier 39 location. Alas, I wouldn't have to think about eating What's supposed to be Japanese food prepared Korean style or my sushi with a Chinese feel to it. Japanese food in Hana Zen stays authentically Japanese, just the way I like it.