The term "fusion" often means "confusion" in my book. When a distinct type of food becomes intentionally confused with something else, those distinct elements are muddled until they disappear. Shalom Japan may appear to be a "fusion" concept on its face. Nevertheless, we schlepped from the Upper West Side to an intimate South Williamsburg space to decide for ourselves.

Upon first taste, I instead viewed it as a marriage of two worlds, soul food of the Jewish and Japanese, highlighting the distinctions of each culture and joining them in a comprehensible way.
Chefs Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi characterize their food as “authentically inauthentic.” To the snooty-sophisticated diner, maybe so. Leaving aside the question of what the real Jewish and real Japanese grandmas are cooking in their kitchens, I found the menu approachable, hosting a manageable list of a dozen-plus dishes I, for the most part, understood and felt excited about.
We began our meal like a proper Shabbat dinner – by breaking bread. Fresh, braided challah with raisin butter, both elements light and sweet. Now, it takes chutzpah to serve challah, and even more to charge diners for it as a standalone menu item. But the kitchen knows what it’s doing, and this was no ordinary dinner roll.
Chefs Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi characterize their food as “authentically inauthentic.” To the snooty-sophisticated diner, maybe so. Leaving aside the question of what the real Jewish and real Japanese grandmas are cooking in their kitchens, I found the menu approachable, hosting a manageable list of a dozen-plus dishes I, for the most part, understood and felt excited about.
We began our meal like a proper Shabbat dinner – by breaking bread. Fresh, braided challah with raisin butter, both elements light and sweet. Now, it takes chutzpah to serve challah, and even more to charge diners for it as a standalone menu item. But the kitchen knows what it’s doing, and this was no ordinary dinner roll.