Konnichiwa! Watashi no namae wa Moriin desu. Doozo yoroshiku! Or in Hirigana (one of Japan’s two phonetic alphabets): こんいち わ。 わたし の なまえ わ もりいん です。 どおぞ よろしく。

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with Japan: the culture, the language, the fashion, the history, anime, manga and, of course, the food. It seems like Baltimore has no shortage of delicious Japanese food, with a strong ramen scene. But today, we will be venturing out for Sushi.

I love Hamden for its eclectic nature that speaks to my inner hipster. It is somehow an area where you both get the starving-hipster-artist vibe, while also getting the middle-aged-anitque-shopper vibe. It has the sleepy, residential feel, while also having the regional draw with events like Honfest and the 34th Street Christmas lights. Hampden speaks to me.

We started our Hampden adventure at Wymann Park, the green space that separates Hopkins University from Hampden. The main drag has a vibrant mix of restaurants, dessert places, shopping spots, and places to grab a drink. After perusing the selection of Carole King CDs, we decided it was time for a drink.

We stopped at The Food Market, which is a great little bar with beautiful atmosphere and great food and drinks. Brian got a watermelon and gin drink, that was spiced with chilies for that sweet and spicy flavor. I went for my usual of a refreshing glass of bubbly prosecco. Surprisingly, we have never actually had food at The Food Market, because they have such great drinks, and we enjoy moving from place to place for food and drinks.

The Food Market also seems to be the place to spot the self-appointed Mayor of Hampden, with his sunglasses, shorts in the winter, man bun, and his tricycle.

Seeing as the weather was nice, afterward we went for a walk to do some sightseeing. Hampden is known as the quintessential “Baltimore” beehive neighborhood, famous for the “Hon Fest” a very “Baltimorean” tradition featuring the “Hons” and their famous beehive hair. And during Christmas time, be sure to (if you haven’t already) check out 34th street and their amazing Christmas lights complete with hot chocolate or cider. My favorite thing about Hampden is that it’s quirky and unapologetically “Baltimore”.

There is nothing special about the arcitecture in Hampden, as it was originally developed as housing for workers at the mills down on the Jones Falls River. Baltimore has some spectacular architecture, but Hampden shines despite its modest bones. Murals, like the one shown to the left, show the heart that Hampden has. While the neighborhood is currently trading dive bars like Dimitri’s for upscale, exclusive ones like the Bluebird Cocktail Room, the neighborhood still has that “rough around the edges” feel that you just don’t get outside of Hampden, Remington, and Station North.

After our share of seeing the sights of the quirky downtown, we made our way to Yama Sushi restaurant. Technically, we are across the street from Hampden, in the tiny neighborhood of Hoes Heights, which was a farm established by freed slave Grandison Hoe.

Yama Sushi is a Japanese restaurant tucked in an unassuming strip mall next to Giant Food and across from an Auto Repair shop. It sets your expectations low, and then blows you away. We sat at the bar so that we could watch the artists at work.

Its a cozy little restaurant that probably can hold about 50 people. The decor added to the experience, but having the sushi chiefs out in front always is an indication that you are at a good spot.

While we waited, we enjoyed a Japanese Beer from Kiuchi Brewery, which is a lightly sweet beer that has a certain flavor of sake in the background. The one we had was a twist on a Hefeweizen and had a light orange spice flavor to it.

There are few pictures we have had on this blog that better express the beauty of a meal. It almost made us feel bad about digging in, except that we were pretty hungry. Tuna. Salmon. Yellow Tail. And it was all so well done. For the sushi, they did a great job of picking high quality ingredients and letting them do what they do. For the rolls, there was a great variety of flavors, textures, and sauces that made this boat really a culinary journey.

In it’s most basic form, sushi is quite a simple dish of sticky rice, seaweed, fresh seafood, vegetables or eggs. However, this blank canvas, while beautiful in its simplicity, has all sorts of potential to create delicious variety.

The meal was accompanied by traditional side dishes of Miso soup, a soup made of fermented soy paste, seaweed, onions and tofu and a simply dressed cucumber and fruit salad.

This was a fun excuse to get back into my love of Japanese culture. One example is the custom before eating, they say “Lets eat!” and afterwards you say “Thank you for the food” (in Japanese, obviously). It was also a great chance to head up to Hampden to enjoy one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. For now, I will say Sayoonara (さようなら, goodbye) and Itadakimasu (いただきます! Let’s eat!)!