Asian Food Journal
vol.1 September, 2004


In New York's East Village, the izakaya scene is very much alive at Kasadela, a breezy, laid-back sake bar run by Yujen Pan and his girlfriend Keika Kan. Together, Pan and Kan have created a classic menu of izakaya standards paired with quality sake.
Nothing on the small menu is over $10, and the food and presentation are simple. Kasadela imports its black edamame (salted, boiled soy beans) from Japan, and it is the perfect finger food to accompany a mug of beer. Off the grill, they serve skewers of chicken and beef, and torikawa, crispy chicken skin. The broiled Japanese eggplant with miso paste is light and refreshing, and the goma tofu, a creamy sesame flavored tofu, is a sweet, cool palate cleanser. Kasadela's eclectic sake menu includes several varieties of nama sake - a delicate brew with live yeast, which gives it a tart flavor.
The décor of Kasadela is low-key, with exposed brick behind the bar, an open, glass-walled front, and a pale-toned dining room, and the service is updated Japanese style. Sake is served in glass flutes set in metal bowls rather than in the traditional wooden box. "I didn't want to build something that looked like a temple," says Pan. "I want people to feel less intimidated than they would walking into a foreign place."