Sushi Zanmai Is Not Halal?

"Dear Zuriani, thank you very much for your enquiry about halal status of our restaurant. Please be informed that our restaurant is not halal due to sake serving. Other than that, all of our meat based products are from halal certified supplier and we are pork free. However, some of our cook dishes did contain mirin for taste purpose. Generally, during the cooking process, the mirin will evaporate. Hope the above helps. Thank you very much!"

Some of my friends said you can still eat there because not all the food served there is haram and contained alcohol.

Apart from haram things there is also a 'grey area' called mushbooh. Mushbooh is an Arabic term which means suspected. If one does not know the Halal or Harm status of a particular food or drink, such a food or drink is doubtful. A practicing Muslims prevents him/herself from consuming doubtful things.

In the picture above, Sushi Zanmai stated that the alcohol is evaporated during the cooking process. However, it is not permissible to eat dishes cooked with alcohol, as ALL the alcohol is not evaporated with cooking or heat.

Refer to the following, quoted from the famous Mayo Clinic:

“Many people believe that because alcohol is sensitive to heat, it is eliminated with cooking. However, not all the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks is removed with heat; it depends on the type and time of cooking. For instance if you add beer or wine to boiling liquid, then immediately remove it from the heat, 85 per cent of the alcohol content will remain. If you light the alcohol, as in flambé dishes, 75 per cent will remain. Even after simmering the dish for one and a half hours, it will still have 20 per cent of the original alcohol content. It is only if you simmer the mixture for two or more hours, (as you would with a wine-based beef casserole), that as little as five to 10 per cent of the original alcohol content remain."

And sometimes I wonder is it ok to eat at a restaurant where alcohol is served? Well, the truth is, if it is possible to eat elsewhere then it is not permissible to eat at these places, because that involves cooperating with them in sin and transgression, which Allah has forbidden. If it is not possible to eat elsewhere then it is permissible to eat there in cases of necessity.

Maybe before dine in, you can check with the staff which dishes contained mirin first. I believe not all dishes involved mirin during the preparation.

If only Sushi Zanmai's menu is Muslim friendly like Italiannies *sigh*