Restaurateur Sarah Gavigan Opens Japanese izakaya Bar Otaku
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Nashville chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Sarah Gavigan has been busy lately. That's because she just opened her newest restaurant, Bar Otaku in The Gulch neighborhood. Bar Otaku is an extension of her ramen-inspired Otaku Ramen restaurant. It is housed in her former Little Octopus eatery. The restaurant (an izakaya) serves dinner and late night meals and specializes in Japanese soul food.
Sarah's diverse background (she used to be a music industry executive who spent almost two decades in Los Angeles) is part of what makes her newest venture so interesting. I asked her about the inspiration behind it and how her upbringing plays a role in what she does. BH: You've been called a ramen geek. Where does your love of ramen come from?
SG: When I lived in Los Angeles, nothing made me happier then discovering new food in global neighborhoods of the city. I discovered ramen through the incredible food critic Jonathan Gold. His column led me to a Japanese grocery store with a food court and I sat by myself on a bad day and ate a bowl of ramen and walked out happy. That emotion stayed with me. To me, ramen = happiness. When my husband and I moved to Nashville in 2010 it was a complete life change. Ramen was nostalgic for me and I wanted to bring it to Nashville. There was nowhere in the city to find it and I wanted to change that. Little did I know that notion would change my life. |
BH: You are an Italian American and were raised in the south. Does your heritage or upbringing play a role in your recipe creations?
SG: Honestly, only sometimes and mostly when I cook at home these days. The dishes I grew up with like manicotti and other popular Italian American dishes are about blasting your palate. Japanese food is about balance. That took me some time to learn. I fell in love with the science of umami and the power of umami-driven foods; then I started to cook Japanese food. Tomato paste has incredible umami…but the cuisines are literally worlds apart. I feel that the ramen shop is about making and serving “American Ramen.” What I mean by that is I am not trying to compete with Japanese ramen. I felt it was important to make the dish with American palates in mind. At Bar Otaku I wanted to share classic izakaya dishes with Nashville. There is very little of my personal interpretation on the menu.
SG: Honestly, only sometimes and mostly when I cook at home these days. The dishes I grew up with like manicotti and other popular Italian American dishes are about blasting your palate. Japanese food is about balance. That took me some time to learn. I fell in love with the science of umami and the power of umami-driven foods; then I started to cook Japanese food. Tomato paste has incredible umami…but the cuisines are literally worlds apart. I feel that the ramen shop is about making and serving “American Ramen.” What I mean by that is I am not trying to compete with Japanese ramen. I felt it was important to make the dish with American palates in mind. At Bar Otaku I wanted to share classic izakaya dishes with Nashville. There is very little of my personal interpretation on the menu.
BH: How does one go from being a music industry executive to writing a ramen recipes cookbook?
SG: Obsession. You have to love something deeply and without explanation to make a change like this. The thousands of hours working are never counted simply because it is time that I am doing what I love, which is sharing Japanese cuisine with others in hopes they too will love it as much as I do. In hope that it will bring them as much joy as it brings me.
BH: Did you always enjoy cooking and experimenting with food? Are you a self-taught ramen making master?
SG: Cooking became my hobby in my early twenties. All my extra time outside work and family was dedicated to experimental cooking. In 2003, when I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband built me an adobe wood-fired oven. We had no idea what to do with it but we figured it out and began having amazing parties where we cooked wood-fire dinners. We continued to build one at every house we have lived in since. My husband and I love to cook and entertain. Ramen experimenting happened when I arrived in Nashville and literally had nowhere to eat it. At that moment in 2012, learning to make ramen was the mother of necessity for me. It was the only way I was going to get it, and I had to have it. I spent the first year teaching myself and then I began my studies with a ramen master in New York. Ramen is about constant improvement and my studies continue.
BH: How is Bar Otaku different from Little Octopus?
SG: Little Octopus was centered around our opening chef’s cuisine: Latin and what we called “fresh, clean, vibrant” food. I loved that food but I could not replicate it, so I decided it was time to show Nashville the style and vibe of izakaya that my husband and I spent countless nights eating when we lived in L.A. Little did I know, the space was perfect for it.
SG: Obsession. You have to love something deeply and without explanation to make a change like this. The thousands of hours working are never counted simply because it is time that I am doing what I love, which is sharing Japanese cuisine with others in hopes they too will love it as much as I do. In hope that it will bring them as much joy as it brings me.
BH: Did you always enjoy cooking and experimenting with food? Are you a self-taught ramen making master?
SG: Cooking became my hobby in my early twenties. All my extra time outside work and family was dedicated to experimental cooking. In 2003, when I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband built me an adobe wood-fired oven. We had no idea what to do with it but we figured it out and began having amazing parties where we cooked wood-fire dinners. We continued to build one at every house we have lived in since. My husband and I love to cook and entertain. Ramen experimenting happened when I arrived in Nashville and literally had nowhere to eat it. At that moment in 2012, learning to make ramen was the mother of necessity for me. It was the only way I was going to get it, and I had to have it. I spent the first year teaching myself and then I began my studies with a ramen master in New York. Ramen is about constant improvement and my studies continue.
BH: How is Bar Otaku different from Little Octopus?
SG: Little Octopus was centered around our opening chef’s cuisine: Latin and what we called “fresh, clean, vibrant” food. I loved that food but I could not replicate it, so I decided it was time to show Nashville the style and vibe of izakaya that my husband and I spent countless nights eating when we lived in L.A. Little did I know, the space was perfect for it.
So what can customers find on the menu at Bar Otaku? Japanese soul food. Shared plates include otsumani (snacks), yasai (greens), gohan (rice), yakimono (broiled), agemono (fried), sakana (raw fish), and yakitori and kushiyaki (grilled) items, with plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options.
The drinks menu is a reflection of Japanese bar culture, offering beer, sake, and soju. The bar features Japanese and domestic beers, cup and large format sake and a distinct Japanese whiskey collection. Seasonal cocktails are also featured alongside drink specials throughout the week.
The drinks menu is a reflection of Japanese bar culture, offering beer, sake, and soju. The bar features Japanese and domestic beers, cup and large format sake and a distinct Japanese whiskey collection. Seasonal cocktails are also featured alongside drink specials throughout the week.
Learn more about Sarah and buy a copy of her cookbook, "Otaku Ramen: Mastering Ramen at Home" here.
photos courtesy of Polished Pig Media
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