An Education to Japanese Food With HanaZen Restuarant

I confess: I didn’t think the concepts of “Japanese cuisine” and “romantic dinner” are compatible at all. After all, when I think of romance, images of champagne, dinner by the bay, chocolates, and walks underneath the stars come to mind. I mean, romance and raw food? That is definitely a mismatch! What can be remotely romantic about food that has not been cooked, and seafood at that? Well, don’t get me wrong, but that is what Japanese food is all about, right? I was quite sure Japanese food is all about raw seafood, and there is just nothing romantic about it.

So, when my husband told me that we will be having an intimate and romantic dinner at the water front, I got quite excited. And then, he said we are eating at HanaZen, a Japanese restaurant in Pier 39. I have to admit, my excitement, plummeted to subterranean levels, just like that. This would be our first date in so many months, and I have looked forward for a nice, intimate evening of being somewhere with a cozy ambiance and delicious food. Thus, having raw Japanese food for this supposed romantic date was really bugging me.

But since my husband looked so excited about the date and seemed to have planned everything already, I had no choice but to say yes. Alas, we went to HanaZen in Pier 39 on a breezy Saturday night. I have to say, based on the look of the restaurant alone, my initial fears were assuaged very slightly. The furnishings and the views really made for a romantic setting. I have to say the stage has been set quite well, and I hope it would not go downhill after that.

Then, as we sat down and looked through the menus, I could see from the corner of my eye, my hubby smirking while observing me. I know, he thinks of my culinary knowledge as very limited, something I myself have no trouble admitting. I mean, why exert the extra effort of finding exotic food when there’s always the trusty burger and fries?

But to my delight, the menu presented me with a good number of choices, and what added to my initial shock was that a lot of the items are actually cooked! So, Japanese cuisine is not all raw, uncooked seafood. Teriyaki, tempura, unagi don, soba – as I read on, I realized the number of raw dishes pale in comparison to cooked ones. So, Japanese food may have its share of raw fare, but there are definitely a lot of cooked items.

At last, when I saw the drinks menu to add a kick to the romantic evening, I got drawn immediately at the sake-infused cocktails HanaZen offers. I always had the impression local Asian wines like sake feel rural, because they are made of rather agricultural ingredients like rice. With various offerings like sake sangini and sake tsunami to the more standard fare of cosmopolitan and mojito, among others, with a unique kick of sake, I have to say I had a newfound appreciation for Japanese beverages. It also helped a lot that I made these discoveries in HanaZen’s picturesque location.
 I also discovered that HanaZen has a branch smack in the city center, in Union Square. That is definitely perfect for those who want to add a Japanese twist to their business lunches, or a more laid-back casual dining atmosphere for dinner.

After all said and done, I must thank my husband for bringing me to HanaZen. I have finally learned that Japanese food can be romantic, too, and how!