Izakaya or Pops

Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook

Author: Mark Robinson

Japanese pubs, called izakaya, are attracting growing attention in Japan and overseas. As a matter of fact, a recent article in The New York Times claimed that the izakaya is starting to shove the sushi bar off its pedestal. While Japan has many guidebooks and cookbooks, this is the first publication in English to delve into every aspect of a unique and vital cornerstone of Japanese food culture.
A venue for socializing and an increasingly innovative culinary influence, the izakaya serves mouth-watering and inexpensive small-plate cooking, along with free-flowing drinks. Readers of this essential book will be guided through the different styles of establishments and recipes that make izakaya such relaxing and appealing destinations. At the same time, they will learn to cook many delicious standards and specialties, and discover how to design a meal as the evening progresses.
Eight Tokyo pubs are introduced, ranging from those that serve the traditional Japanese comfort foods such as yakitori (barbequed chicken), to those offering highly innovative creations. Some of them have long histories; some are more recent players on the scene. All are quite familiar to the author, who has chosen them for the variety they represent: from the most venerated downtown pub to the new-style standing bar with French-influenced menu. Mark Robinson includes knowledgeable text on the social and cultural etiquette of visiting izakaya, so the book can used as a guide to entering the potentially daunting world of the pub. Besides the 60 detailed recipes, he also offers descriptions of Japanese ingredients and spices, a guide to the wide varieties of sake and other alcoholic drinksthat are served, how-to advice on menu ordering, and much more.
For the home chef, the hungry gourmet, the food professional, this is more than a cookbook. It is a unique peek at an important and exciting dining and cultural phenomenon.

The New York Times - Sam Sifton

Robinson's book is more a paean to the vibrant and complicated izakaya culture than a definitive cooking guide (one of the Tokyo joints he writes about has a name that translates as Laughing Drunk), but the recipes, more than 60 of them, are the sort you wish more neighborhood restaurant chefs in New York would read. Certainly they're adaptable to a casual, if work-intensive, Saturday night home meal.

Judith Sutton - Library Journal

Robinson, a journalist who writes about food and culture, grew up in Australia but was born in Tokyo, and he has lived there for the last 20 years. He believes that izakaya, casual neighborhood spots that are something of a cross between a tapas bar and a pub, are poised to become as popular in the West as sushi bars are now, and his first book is an appreciative introduction to the world of izakaya. He profiles eight of Tokyo's izakaya, each distinctive in its own way, and includes 60 recipes that demonstrate the range of food served in these establishments. There are also sidebars on culinary traditions, ingredients, and related topics, and color and black-and-white photographs show off the izakaya and the dishes. A unique work, recommended for most collections.

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Pops!: Icy Treats for Everyone

Author:

Pops! introduces a whole new Popsicle one that's fashionable as well as fun. This first-ever ice pop compendium includes more than 100 recipes for pops with unique tastes and flavor combinations, such as Sour Plum, Sweet Martini, Thai Iced Coffee, and Blueberry Cheesecake cool treats today's grown-up kids will be proud to serve at their birthday gatherings, barbecues, and cocktail parties.

And for those whose creative interests stretch beyond the kitchen and into the DIY realm, Pops! offers innovative techniques for making ice molds from found objects and even small toys. With more than 30 full-color photographs and tons of quirky sidebars, Pops! features frosty indulgences for every occasion.