Wednesday, January 1, 2020

A Konnyaku Tasting at INN ANN (Japan House LA)

INN ANN was the Japanese restaurant run by Japan House at Hollywood and Highland with acclaimed sushi chef Mori Onodera. INN ANN closed on December 31 to be reconfigured into a culinary incubator of sorts, so that reminded me to catch up on my posts ... A while back (because I'm so behind) I attended a special lunch featuring konjac or konnyaku.

Konnyaku is a chewy "cake" made from konjac yam. It has a texture like gelatin and has made a name in the Western world for being a zero-calorie food. The lunch gathered three chefs from the LA area to showcase the different ways konnyaku can be prepared.

We started with a Konjac and mushroom shabu shabu from INN ANN's chef Mori Onodera.
Konjac at Japan House
We started with the shabu shabu to showcase the konnyaku in its pure form.
Konjac at Japan House
Next up: "Spring tidal pool" with uni and coastal herbs from Joseph Geiskopf (he was at Triniti at the time) with konnyaku and vegetables.
Konjac at Japan House
This was a beautiful bowl, both in appearance and taste. The broth was flavorful yet clean.


Hoya with fresh nori. This wasn't a konjac dish but it was a special treat. Hoya is sea pineapple or sea squirt (Koreans call it meongge) and it's quite hard to find in LA, but chef Mori managed to get some.
Konjac at Japan House

Homemade konjac with beef and kombu tsukudani
Konjac at Japan House

"Mac and cheese" made using tofu shirataki noodles (made of tofu and konjac) in a tofu and yeast cheese based sauce. This was a fun and delicious dish from Joseph Geiskopf. It didn't taste like "cheese" per se but it was creamy and rich in umami flavor.
Konjac at Japan House

Uni wrapped in Miyazaki beef from Shibumi's chef David Schlosser. Also not a konjac dish but how can I not talk about uni wrapped in Miyazaki beef, really?
Konjac at Japan House

INN ANN will be missed, but Japan House's culinary program will continue on in 2020 and I can't wait to see what's next!

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