Hi @beefnoguy,
Those Tatsuriki bottles look amazing. At the recent Tatsuriki event, were you able to try any of these? Or only Nihon no Sakura?
Tasted the Kimoto Tokubetsu Junmai, Kome No Sasayaki, and Nihon No Sakura 3 nights in a row.
Tasted the Kinkan and Kami Tojo on the 3rd night (and last year at a trade show).
Jingu, I had a taste of it recently from a friend.
All great stuff, just do yourself a favor and try them all.
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Public service announcement that Chef Yoshi is back at Mori, but on Thursday nights only for now.
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That is what I heard as well from Yoshi.
In fact, I am going tonight and have my reservation at the sushi bar in front of Yoshi.
Will report back.
Oh nice. I was considering going tonight as well. Maybe Iâll see you there, unless of course youâve already grabbed all the seats in front of Yoshi-san 
Only 2 seats for me.
that would be a miniature FTC meet-up!
Boss Maru-san isnât working there?
I think he is working but Yoshi is moonlighting there on Thursdays.
Perhaps Maru-san takes the day off, will report after tonight.
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Yoroshiku onegashimasu.
Last night the place was manned by Maru-san and Yoshi-san.
When we walked in Maru-san joked that is was like time travel.
I suspect Maru had to be somewhat peeved that we had made our reservation with Yoshi, so I felt compelled to share some champagne with him.
We had a spectacular dinner with Yoshi-san.
Will try to post photos over the weekend
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Is he trying to open his own place? Wasnât he at Ginza Onodera or did he leave?
Supposedly sometime this year.
He has been talking about it for years. Meanwhile he is freelancing around a lot. Thursday at Mori, Friday or Saturday at Ginza Onodera, other days at Wadatsumi Torrance, also making potter for new future restaurant, newborn baby, etc.
He thinks he will open his own place towards the end of the year. I believe it when I see it.
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Anyone have Sake suggestions or current knowledge of the list?
These are sakes that stuck out to me after reading through the thread.
Tatsuriki Kounotori
Nihon no Sakura (I have no need to order a sake like this just so Maru-san might acknowledge that it came from his hometown, if that makes sense. But reading about Mr Honda and his sourcing of rice and water + super flat rice polishing technique interests me.)
Koshi no kanbai - Kinmuku (Milky Way)
Gasanryu Gokugetsu
Aikitabare Suirakuten
Dewazakura Dewasansan
These are some production methods that stood out to me
genshu (undiluted)
Shizuku (drip sake)
Namazume (single pasteurized)
Yamahai Method
Thank you!!
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Maru san is the head chef and current owner of Mori Sushi.
First of all not all of the sake you mentioned are carried by Mori Sushi. He has quite a few Tatsuriki sake but not all of them.
How many people are drinking sake in your party? What are your preferences when it comes to sake youâve had before (if so please name some examples) profiles etc? Is there a budget as to how much is the upper limit for sake? Do you want something thatâs easy to drink or do you prefer something more structured that matches the food depending on what you are eating?
Are you allowed to pick the sake?
How you answer these will determine the recommendations. If you have no budget or upper limit I can recommend some very nice high end bottles. Otherwise I can pick others that would work.
As far as gifts, gifting a nice bottle of wine always works, though I donât know Maru sanâs preferences. Thought that counts in the end.
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I prefer soft, dry sakes that have more expressive mouthfeels. Effervescence and cream. Maybe something like that to end the meal.
And a zippier! floral sake to open the evening. Coastal and salty. Candied lemon peel.
Definitely structured sake that matches the food.
Thank you!!
Without having been back there in a while, itâs a bit tough to gauge what he currently has, so this is just from best guess and knowing one of the portfolios he carries and distributor he uses:
Effervescence is almost non existent in Mori Sushiâs general sake offerings. You could ask in case he has something along those lines.
In terms of softer dry sakes you can choose from these that he carries:
Akitabare Suirakuten: World Sake Imports
Masumi Yumedono: World Sake Imports
Koshi No Kanbai Kinmuku: World Sake Imports
Kokuryu Ryu: World Sake Imports
Each will run approximately $200 plus or minus over there (or close to it)
You can also inquire about sake not on the menu. I would highly recommend if he has it: Kokuryu Shizuku Daiginjo (super smooth) and last I remember it was about $240 (could be a bit higher). Itâs a limited release. He may also have Kokuryu 88 Daiginjo which is a bit more robust and bold. I have no idea how much he will charge if he has it, but there are two even more limited edition Kokuryu Daiginjo: Nizaemon (red label/bottle) and Ishidaya (blue bottle), Ishidaya I believe is low temperature aged 3 years and is really good stuffâŚbut Iâm guessing itâs at least $500. The limited edition Kokuryuâs I would save those for last before you get into the sushi, or save some with sushi if you like as they are more bold and robust (but also truly excellent sake).
Otherwise, consider Tatsuriki Yokawa Yoneda Junmai Daiginjo, itâs wonderful for sushi, or Tatsuriki Nihon No Sakura Junmai Daiginjo. You could also consider Tatsuriki Kome No Sasayaki Daiginjo (I think he only sells 300 mL bottles) and is more ricey, bold, powerful (yet aromatic/fruity on the nose and initial attack).
What I would do is start with Daiginjo, and have a few bottles of those across the appetizers and kaiseki-esque platter. Chat with the sommelier to pick the Daiginjo, one bottle youâll get maybe a glass and a half each across your entire party. Progress the Daiginjo bottles from light bodied to stronger more masculine.
When you get to the sushi course, perhaps consider the Tatsuriki Yokawa Yoneda (this could be $300 to $400). But it is also perfectly fine to do either a Junmai Ginjo or Junmai. For me I prefer dryer sake with sushi, so Sohomare has a very dry one that finishes clean, although I personally like Nishida Denshu Tokubetsu Junmai as it has quite a bit of umami in it. And Junmai / Junmai Ginjo tend to be cheaper as well.
Last but not least, ask the sommelier about Kimura / Fukukomachi sake from Akita prefecture. I know they carry one or two bottles, so check in with them about the tasting notes/description before you make your final decision. Akita sake tend to be more floral, so if you start with a nice Kimura Junmai Daiginjo or Akitabare Suirakuten, thatâs a great way to set the tone for the evening. Or start with Akitabare Suirakuten (it will disappear very fast as it is wonderfully smooth), and then for sushi start with Kimura/Fukuomachi then progress to another Junmai Daiginjo.
Your suggestion to start with a floral sake is an excellent idea. Take these suggestions, work with the house sommelier (or Maru san), focus on what you like + what they recommend in terms of pairing/pacing with the food, and have them inform which sake are light to heavy in progression and follow that for best results.
Enjoy and please report back with photos when you are able!
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Wow! Iâve woken up to read such a thoughtful post!! Thank you for offering me so much knowledge.
I will research your post more when Iâve got some down time at work and condense my thoughts. I will definitely ask the sommelier for their thoughts as well!
And yes this is one dinner I really want to remember for a number of reasons. If the mood is appropriate I will take pictures but I will definitely report back!
Hi @butteredwaffles,
Sounds like youâre getting a wonderful Christmas present via your company. Yes, Maru-san is the owner. Weâve seen him get gifts from other diners before (a bottle of some type of spirit).
If you were hoping for some Sake with effervescence the only recent ones weâve tried that had that were the really fun, wild, wonderful-tasting Muroka Nama Genshu releases such as the Shichida Spring Limited Edition release.
Also the Kaze no Mori Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu (Nara, Japan) was also a surprising Winter time effervescent release. However, note that both of these might be too overpowering for Maru-sanâs sushi. They are fantastic drinking on their own, or with some Izakaya dishes IMHO.
But I defer to our Sake sensei, @beefnoguyâs thoughful posts, he has you covered!
Hope you have a good meal and please report back.
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