But this ingredient isn’t new. It’s been used in Asian cooking for years. Some believe it to be healthy and curative. Websites from Asia promote it for “recovery from prostate disease”, “good for diabetic and hypertensive patient,” and “ageing effectively.”

Black garlic is the common term for fermented whole heads of garlic. The difference is that black garlic doesn’t have the harsh, burn-y flavor of raw garlic, nor the pungent, (sometimes) bitter taste of roasted garlic. The result of the fermentation process are creamy smooth, spreadable cloves that, like soy sauce and fish sauce, are rich in free glutamates, otherwise known as savory goodness. It’s also got a sweet edge, like well-aged balsamic vinegar, so it pairs well with everything from chicken to vegetables to dessert. Yes, garlic for dessert.

I’ve seen it on menus at Starbelly in San Francisco’s Castro, Bix in North Beach, and Ubuntu in Napa. Want to play with it in your own kitchen? Visit the black garlic store.

2130 Center St.
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 665-1969
www.ippukuberkeley.com

With its vast shochu menu and amazing array of chicken skewers, Ippuku may be the most authentic izakaya in the Bay Area. Order the house-made tsunomono when you sit down in your semi-private nook to snack on while you peruse the menu. It includes a meaty smoked and pickled daikon root, kelp, and carrots.

There are over 50 kinds of shochu on the drink menu, including those distilled from barley, short or long grain rice, udon, sesame, and even carrots! The grapefruit chu hai includes a glass of shochu on the rocks and a half of a fresh grapefruit for you to squeeze into your drink.

Start the parade of all things chicken (pasture-raised Gleason Ranch or Soul Food Farms) with the karaage, juicy chunks of fried chicken thighs. Move on to the skin, chicken oyster, thigh and leek, and heart skewers from the robata. Adventurous eaters should not pass up the spicy chicken tartare. Chef Christian Geideman quickly blanches the meat in boiling water to reduce the risk of bacteria on the surface of the chicken. The coarsely chopped meat is then dressed with an addictive mix of soy, chili oil, daikon sprouts, and topped with a raw egg yolk. Far more tender than expected, the texture is akin to tuna tartare with a fresh clean flavor.

Shishito peppers, king oyster mushrooms, tempura, and agedashi tofu will give your palate a break from the chicken parade. Dessert includes soft serve toped with tenkasu (crunchy tempura bits), mochi balls, and red bean paste.

by Candice Lin