@PorkyBelly I love your shirt! Yeah that simple idea has really shaped my growth over the last few years.
Glad the notion brings you peace as well!
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FYI to future bento picker-upers, a more full (entire?) sake list should be available, so the real question is which one to pairs best with the bentos? @beefnoguy, any suggestions for a complete sake noob besides the ones you’ve recommended on your Hayato thread? [didn’t include the prices since I didn’t ask Chef Go if he was okay with me posting the list]
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Thanks for sharing the list. I think the first question I should also ask you is if you have experience with drinking wine, wine pairings and what your preferences are (examples if you have any would help), and if you have a particular budget/price range. Or if you do enjoy wine do you prefer Premier Cru or higher, or village level wines? And any other experiences with drinking sake prior (or have you had any sake at Hayato dine in?)
The other thing to consider is that it’s freakin hot these days (my car measured 104 in NorCal around 5 pm, reminiscent of Coachella 2004), so something perhaps on the lighter/refreshing side?
Let me know and I can target some choices better. There are a number of food friendly choices, and some that are very enjoyable to sip and savor by itself or in between bites of food (they each serve their own purpose).
I have not had the pleasure of having his weekend bento, but have dined in once. So whatever recommendation I can make will be based on best guess and experience. At least I’ve tasted 30 of those sake before over the past 4 years (some of them my memory could be fuzzy or the data is a bit dated).
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I don’t drink wine or sake enough to really know my preferences. I know…not really helpful.
Based on some quick searching and description reading, I’m wondering if the Kokuryu “Ryu” would be a good choice to kind of match whatever it might paired with?
[edit: price range…up to $175-200.]
[edit2: It probably doesn’t help, but I usually only drink sake at Raku and Hayato, and even then it was a single glass and they were mostly fine for me. There wasn’t really too much thought put into the choices because I don’t know enough. Previous glasses at Hayato: Dassai 39, Mizubasho Ginjo, Kokuryu Junmai. Previous glasses at Raku: Shimehari Pure June, Dewazakura Cherry Bouquet, Kokuryu Black Dragon, Tedorigawa Kinka, Fukuju Junmai (did not like). I’m not too discerning yet when it comes to sake, so a super nuanced rec might be lost on me. But I’d love to start learning, and also want to support Hayato in any way I can.]
You can start with these, look them up further for tasting notes to give you a better idea, and then make your decision. If you score additional bentos down the road you can always return to pick out a different bottle in a future visit. There’s really no substitute for diving in and tasting/experiencing the pairing for yourself.
I feel this is a good selection narrowed down.
Nishida Denshu Tokubetsu Junmai
Tedorigawa Tsuyusanzen Nama Daiginjo
Sohomare Junmai Ginjo
Sohomare Karakuchi Junmai
Shimeharitsuru Jun Junmai Ginjo
Shimeharitsuru Kin Daiginjo
Masumi Nanago Junmai Daiginjo
Daishichi Minowamon Junmai Daiginjo
Dewazakura Yukimanman Daiginjo (I really like this one personally, it’s quite luxurious and good enough to drink and savor by itself as well)
Dewazakura Daiginjo (another lovely one by Dewazakura)
Enjoy, and thanks for supporting Hayato and sake!
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Went with the Yukimanman (thanks for the rec, @beefnoguy) to pair with the bento. Definitely picked up on the richness of the sake, but I won’t even pretend that I understood how it paired with the bento. I went through the bento too fast to give the sake any chance to warm up, and it was probably too cold to start with. Darn…I guess I’ll just have to get another bento and try again. 
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Thanks for the report back!
Hope you took home the remainder of the sake, refrigerated it and enjoy it with other things. Really good with sushi, uni, ankimo (especially, although might have to wait until winter when it gets fattier), and sashimi (of course) but don’t be afraid to try it with savory fare in general as well, including smoked fish and cured meats, cheese plates (think Italian charcuterie), and maybe that herring in cream sauce from Langer’s might even be fun, or vinegar cured fish without cream. The importer recommends trying it with Mediterranean style light tapas. If you have wine glasses at home, give it a spin in that too for better aromas.
During my heyday of going crazy with this sake I probably went through 8 to 10 bottles over 3 years.
Something about drinking ice cold sake r (or super chilled acidic Chardonnay like a Chablis) in this crazy arse heat wave that’s refreshing, even if the complexities are locked down from the lower temperature, instant gratification.
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“There is absolutely no plan B,” Go said. “Which, in a way, makes it easy to keep moving forward. Everything I have is invested in the restaurant. I can never walk away. So I may have to keep borrowing and go deep into debt to continue, but the only way forward to make the money back is doing it in this restaurant. If I give up and try to get a job somewhere else, there is zero chance to completely recoup the losses of building a restaurant that I had to abandon. The only way out is through.”
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kuri kinton, mentaiko or kazunoko?
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i think the one on the right is uni
From the Hayato sake menu:
Hakkaisan Kowagura Junmai Daiginjo
I totally forgot the very first time I had this, was at Brandon’s mentor’s restaurant, Goryu Kubo in Tokyo maybe 3+ years back and was one of the more impressionable sake that evening. And I think I had a carafe around the time of the wagyu course. Out of the higher end Hakkaisan lineup, this is very impressive. There is a Hakkaisan Daiginjo that’s a bit more elusive, but also a very good one. Hakkaisan Yukimuro Junmai Ginjo is a more affordable option as well.
From the article (thanks for sharing this PB!):
“The roughly 80 bentos Hayato makes each weekend showcase the techniques that cultivated his loyal fanbase. Go, for example, grills miso cod, scallops and two kinds of tamago (rolled omelet). He fries ebi shinjo (shrimp cakes) and fava beans. He steams crab tofu, chrysanthemum greens and shimeji mushrooms. He simmers vegetables, including carrots that are cut into the shape of a Japanese plum flower and infused with the flavors of umeboshi (pickled plums), and stores them in stock for one to two days. The effect is like having a sauce inside the vegetables.”
I think the key to successfully pair sake with the bento (and Hayato’s food even dine in) are with the umami components in the shellfish, mushrooms, and dashi that is used throughout (especially the rice), and having good umami, structure, acidity, and balance in the sake itself to elevate the taste of both the sake and the food (or at the very least to make the sake taste better). Some of it is also subjective and based entirely on preference and your sensitivities. More importantly as long as you feel good from eating food and drinking sake whether together or in between bites, is a win already. And it’s a fantastic way to study sake pairing (hands on) with food that is non sushi washoku, made with high level technical execution/precision, that you would likely not be able to do so elsewhere as easily.
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Two Michelin star Kaiseki in Tokyo, Ginza Shinonara (super hard AF to book), someone just posted their sake pairing (they tend to pour from magnum bottles).
Shimeharitsuru “Jun” Junmai Ginjo. Very food friendly and delicious.
Hayato carries this 
in standard 720 mL size bottle. In Japan the bottle is brown, but it is green here.
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Jun is such a great sake. Reasonably priced, expertly balanced.
One of my favorite from the MTC/NA Sales book.
Edit:
Also, pretty easy to identify on a shelf.
Just don’t mistake it for Okunomatsu.
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Is there a sake list and method of ordering for the Bento pickup?
Might not be a bad idea to reach out to the restaurant first to make sure that sake you desire is in stock first, and inquire what are the payment options prior to pickup (and even consider pre-paying in advance after confirming your existing bento order) which would make things more efficient for everyone.
Unclear if during pickup day they only put a shorter sake list at the tables for ease of choosing, or if those sake are in excess in the inventory / deemed easier choices.
In scouting the sake pictures of various kaiseki restaurants in Tokyo (ie the McChelin ones), Denshu is pretty popular, as are Kokuryu (their labels differ a bit). Sohomare Junmai Daiginjo was also spotted at one respectable kaiseki counter place, so that one I’m also a bit intrigued by, and since it is a kimoto style Junmai Daiginjo, it might have a bit more acidity and texture/mouthfeel. And yes these sake are on Hayato’s list too.
For those who like floral nose and notes in their sake, Yamato Shizuku and Yuki No Bosha are both Akita prefecture sake which has that characteristic, and perhaps something the ladies would appreciate more.
https://www.mtcsake.com/sake-2/shimeharitsuru-jun-junmai-ginjo
Food Pairings: Seafood dishes
Tasting Notes: Gohyakumangoku rice is polished down to 50%, and fermented very slowly at low temperatures, which enhances the natural umami of the rice, and produces a subtle aroma, and a round clean flavor. The most popular Junmai Ginjo sake amongst professionals in Japan for the past 2 decades.
Awards: National Sake Appraisal
2005 Gold
2006 Gold
2007 Gold
2009 Silver
2012 Silver
2014 Gold
Should Hayato ever have a grilled wild unagi course, the “Jun” would be a beast to pair with, or even with nodoguro with that crispy senbei like aromatic grilled lotus root that I loved so much.
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At USD 1.00, it’s a steal!
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#SakeClickbait
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In case you forgot what chef go’s legendary bento looks like, here are a few more pictures. @TheCookie, @Chowseeker1999, @moonboy403, @NYCtoLA, @attran99, @hppzz, @butteredwaffles, @Starchtrade, @foodshutterbug
wild mexican white shrimp shinjo
grilled hokkaido scallop shioyaki
black cod saikyo yaki
snow crab claw sunomono
seared duck breast
dashimaki tamago
honshimeji mushroom ohitashi
snow crab tofu
dried shiitake nimono
japanese cucumber (slinky) with sesame and salt
carrot nimono
baby kabu (japanese turnip)
pickled daikon
datemaki tamago
agedashi eggplant
chrysanthemum greens with sudachi citrus
satsuma sweet potato mitsu-ni
winter melon in ginger dashi
koshihikari rice with root vegetables
fin
can i get an ftc bat signal please?
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That chrysanthemum was one of our favorite bites. We love it raw., boiled, but this blanched with citrus zest was genius
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