{"id":2697,"date":"2026-05-12T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/news\/nikura-nikkei-saigon\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T04:00:00","slug":"nikura-nikkei-saigon","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/news\/nikura-nikkei-saigon\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese-Peruvian cuisine \"Nikkei\" lands in Saigon for the first time, with Nikura opening at the JW Marriott"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Nikura,\" a restaurant specializing in Japanese-Peruvian \"Nikkei\" cuisine, has opened on the first floor of the JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City. It's drawing attention as the first venue to serve authentic Nikkei cuisine in Ho Chi Minh City.<\/p>\n

The chef de cuisine is Ivan Casusol, from Lima, the capital of Peru. He's a specialist who built his experience at Nikkei restaurants in North America, the Middle East, and Asia. Saigoneer's coverage reports in detail on the history of Nikkei cuisine and Nikura's undertaking.<\/p>\n

What is Nikkei cuisine?<\/h2>\n

On April 3, 1899, a ship carrying 790 Japanese immigrants arrived in Peru. The farmers, who sought a new land out of economic hardship, took on labor at sugar plantations. The Japanese cooking techniques they brought met the rich ingredients of Peru's coast, and in time a unique fusion cuisine was born.<\/p>\n

To Japanese techniques such as sashimi cutting and delicate plating were added Peruvian ingredients like rocoto (chili), aj\u00ed amarillo (yellow chili), lime, corn, and cassava. In the 1980s, Japanese-Peruvian chefs systematized this cuisine, and the name \"Nikkei\" took hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Period<\/th>\nThe history of Nikkei cuisine<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1899<\/td>\n790 Japanese immigrants arrive in Peru<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First half of the 20th century<\/td>\nPlantation workers fuse Japanese food with Peruvian ingredients<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1980s<\/td>\nJapanese-Peruvian chefs establish \"Nikkei\" as a cuisine genre<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1987<\/td>\nChef Nobu Matsuhisa opens Nobu, raising its profile worldwide<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2026<\/td>\nNikura opens in Ho Chi Minh City, a full-scale expansion into Southeast Asia<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Nikura's notable menu<\/h2>\n

The menu created by Ivan Casusol combines the precision of Japanese ingredients with the bold flavors of Peru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Dish<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Concha<\/td>\nSeared Japanese scallops with a creamy lime sauce<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A8 Wagyu steak<\/td>\nA main dish using premium Wagyu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nikura Rice<\/td>\nCured-ham broth, shiitake, poached egg, nut sauce<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There's also a dish reinterpreting ceviche, a Peruvian classic, with Japanese sashimi technique, and cocktails combining Peruvian spices with Japanese fruit are distinctive too.<\/p>\n

The adjacent cocktail bar \"Pisco Hana\" serves modern cocktails combining pisco, Peru's national spirit, with Japanese fruit and flowers. It also offers mocktails and low-alcohol drinks incorporating seasonal Vietnamese ingredients.<\/p>\n

Background: why Saigon now?<\/h2>\n

Ho Chi Minh City's dining market boasts one of the highest growth rates in Southeast Asia, and the entry of international fine dining is accelerating. There are already hundreds of Japanese restaurants in the city, but the category of \"Nikkei\" was a blank.<\/p>\n

The three countries of Japan, Peru, and Vietnam all face the Pacific and have food cultures that make heavy use of seafood. The delicacy of Vietnamese cuisine's nuoc mam (fish sauce) and fresh spring rolls has a high affinity with Nikkei cuisine. In Saigoneer's coverage, Casusol says, \"The diversity and energy of Saigon's food culture make it the ideal place to write a new chapter of Nikkei.\"<\/p>\n

See here for the latest dining information in Ho Chi Minh City<\/a><\/p>\n

Local reactions<\/h2>\n