Sublime

Shobashi comes alive at night. From appearances, it’s a dump. And from sundown to sun-up, on the third floor of a building throbbing with karaoke reverb, you’ll find the bar where Makiko works, five nights a week, from seven until around midnight.

• 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, split


• 2 shallots, split


• 1 garlic bulb, split


• 11⁄2 cups sake


• 1⁄3 cup maple syrup


• 1⁄3 cup soy sauce


• 1 cup chicken stock


• 1 4x6inch piece of kombu


• 2 lbs skinless pork belly


• 1 Tbsp cornstarch


• 2 tsp water


• 2 tsp rice vinegar


• Sliced scallions, for serving


• Maple furikake, for ser

Makiko was a hostess, but that can mean all kinds of different things. Some good, some not so good. Osaka is rife with drinking spots, but an address is enough to tell you what you should expect, in terms of clientele and atmosphere and hostesses. She worked in Shobashi, the neighborhood the three of us worked in for years after we ran off that nig