The End of The Era

Akiko Hoashi

Yoichi Hoashi's decision to close the Ayumi-Ya restaurant in Blackrock, County Dublin, and to concentrate on expanding his AYA chain in Dublin city centre is a poignant decision. "In many ways this represents the end of an era", writes Mr Hoashi, and indeed it does.

It is poignant because Mr Hoashi's mother, the late Akiko Hoashi, had the nerve and the strength to open the capital's first Japanese restaurant back in 1983, a decision which, in retrospect, seems brave almost to the point of foolhardiness. The economy was almost defunct, eating out was the preserve of folk who wanted to swank, and ethnic food meant Chinese takeaways.

But Mrs Hoashi made the Ayumi-Ya prosper, through sheer determination, and great cooking. She educated us all in the ways of one of the world's great cuisines, a task her son has continued with stunning success.

Mrs Hoashi died in 1996, and her pioneering work and untimely death has been echoed by another unique Japanese cook. Kei Pilz, of Ahakista's Shiro Japanese Dinner House, died several months back after a brief illness. Kei had created one of the country's most remarkable restaurant, famous for having ­ for most of its life ­ two tables and a staff of two, Kei and her husband, Werner. Eating there was quite unforgettable. In our age of (relative) plenty, it is easy to forget just how much we owe to the foresight and courage of these remarkable women. They were not just pioneers, but educators, and we are all the richer for their great work.

Website: www.aya.ie