This chef-driven restaurant brings to Houston the unique flavors, philosophy and techniques of Nikkei cuisine, a unique food evolved from a successful integration of cultures – Japan’s and Peru’s – that goes back 124 years. It is a cuisine characterized by its use of the wide variety of ingredients available in Peru that are incorporated into traditional Japanese dishes, and one that has significantly contributed to the gastronomic wealth of the country. The encounter between these rich cultures has given rise to a delicious culinary expression that Peruvian-born Executive Chef/Co-Owner Masaru Fukuda is now sharing with the world.
About Pacha Nikkei Restaurant
The restaurant’s comfortable interior with its natural wood finishes and blue accents pays tribute to the chef’s heritage through colorful murals, curated by Chef Fukuda, that depict the emigration from Japan to Peru in the late 1800s into the early 20th century. On one wall is a stylized dragon with costumed folk dancers performing as they do at traditional festivals held in Peru. Another mural depicts the nighttime skyline of Lima, the chef’s birthplace, and next to that is a photo of a young woman in a blue kimono, the chef’s cousin. Central to the story behind the restaurant is an image on one wall a young man surrounded by his family. This depicts Fukuda’s great-grandfather, the man who first emigrated from Japan to Peru in the 1920s.