This Pub Specializes in Sake

Shortly after Kazuhiro Kono arrived in America, he noticed an article in The Times predicting that Japanese cuisine would be the next big food craze. So he apprenticed at Hama Sushi in Little Tokyo, one of the establishments featured in that 1978 article, to learn the trade. Eight years and a dozen restaurant jobs later, Kono opened his own place, Fukuhime, in Gardena.

Fukuhime is an ikaza-ya , a traditional Japanese pub serving a large variety of sakes. Something like a Spanish tapa bar, it offers 24 different sakes to accompany nearly 50 appetizers.

There may be a sense of intrigue as one enters Fukuhime through the strands of rope that dangle from the doorway. In the center of the softly lit room is a colorful tangle of marine artifacts, including hanging abalone shells and dried fish. The walls are a curious mixture: classical Japanese prints, Kirin beer posters and removable slats, written in Japanese calligraphy, listing the dishes the restaurant offers. (There’s also a menu printed in English.)

A popular selection is yakitori ($2): two sticks of chicken, marinated in soy, ginger, garlic, sake and sugar, then grilled. Another good choice is the shimeji ($3.80), often called oyster mushrooms, which are simply cooked with soy sauce and butter. Chinese cabbage ($3.80) is sauteed with bacon and served with a light oyster sauce. Garlic lovers might try the green garlic sprout cooked with sliced beef ($3.80).

Complete dinners, which include miso soup and rice, are also available. For instance, a combination of beef teriyaki and shrimp tempura ($10.50).

For a more traditional Japanese taste, consider a dish billed as “stamina tofu” ($3.80), a purportedly energy-inducing concoction of fermented soybeans, sea urchins, and mashed yams mixed into broth and topped with a quail egg. Perhaps the Raiders should stock up on this before Sunday’s big game.

Fukuhime is at 17905 S. Western Ave., Gardena. 324-7077. Open Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. to midnight, Saturday and Sunday 5:30 to 11 p.m.