Great info as always! Iām glad I was able to try the Masumi Arabashiri considering it was a limited spring release. And itās fascinating to read about what an Arabashiri Sake can be.
And what you surmised worked pretty well with the Grilled Hokke (Atka Mackerel) we had at Wadatsumi. Salted, nicely roasted, the pairing with the aromatic but āwildā Arabashiri was enjoyable.
We might have to try that room temperature test you suggest the next time we go (if the Masumi is still being offered). Thanks!
also Hokke is prone to parasites, particularly Anisakis. The proper way to prep for grilling is to rub it in salt and let it sit for at least an hour if doing shioyaki. Though supposedly one of the better and more classic ways is ichiyaboshi form (brined for some time and air dried overnight before grilling).
This is why sake and shochu is quite well loved with this extra salty fish. The nama works great here as it tempers the flavor with its texture and fruit forward nature on the front palate. Ditto for sakes that are more floral in nature (e.g. Akita prefecture sake).
Donāt ruin the dream! But thanks for the warning on Hokke. Iāll ask next time where they get it from.
Oh one interesting offering that I had never seen before on Wadatsumiās Sake Menu:
Kikusui Junmai Daiginjo
Usually the most common Kikusui found at most places locally is their Junmai Ginjo. Iāve also tried their Organic Junmai Ginjo, but a Junmai Daiginjoā¦ and the bottle looked different.
Thank you. For Soba, no no, thatās good. One of my best friends loves Soba when itās Hosomen (Thin) style. Thereās no right or wrong answer.
Yah, the Rice at Wadatsumi is really fantastic. If you end up trying Wadatsumi definitely order a bowl to see what you think.
For Onigiri: Yes. Sadly, most Onigiri weāve ordered around town have soft / soggy Nori. When you find a place that serves it with crisp Seaweed (and great Rice and ingredients of course ;)), woo! Itās the best.
The same idea can be applied to Handrolls at Sushi bars. I think it was @J_L@Porthos or @PorkyBelly? who had enjoyed Mori Sushiās amazing Handrolls that use top quality, crisped Nori back in the day, and it inspired us to go visit Mori. We were able to try it once and it was so good!
For Flowers celebrating a grand opening? Iāve seen it the most with Japanese and Chinese restaurants I think.
That is brewed with Uonuma Koshikari rice, polished to 23% and is quite luxurious. Retail is $180 to $200 in the US, and is supposedly more fruit forward as it reaches room temperature from someone who I know had tasted it.
The other bottle you saw is likely the Sakamai Junmai Daiginjo
It might be available for purchase at Marukai, and should retail around the $40 to $60 range. Whatās unique about this sake is that it is brewed with an ancestral grain of rice called coincidentally, Kikusui. Itās the parent/father of the sake rice Gohyakumangoku (a common sake rice varietal used around Niigata and Fukui prefecture).
I havenāt tried either of these, but Iām sure they should be good given the high standard of the Kikusui Junmai Ginjo (a perfect entry level sake that is affordable and very consistent quality, and probably the safest sake to order if the variety isnāt quite there at an establishment)
[quote=āChowseeker1999, post:36, topic:5613ā]
For Flowers celebrating a grand opening? Iāve seen it the most with Japanese and Chinese restaurants I think.
[/quote]I meant that rhetorically, like, I donāt think many other cultures practice that nicety. Thanks for clarifying the reason though!
Great info as always, thanks! Wow, they have 2 different Junmai Daiginjo? Yah it wasnāt Kuramitsu, but Iāll be keeping my eyes open for that one if I ever see it. Polished to 23% seems rather rare in general, right?
Iāll probably try the Sakamai next time weāre there. Thanks!
I literally started writing this at the restaurant and I hate to say this but while we enjoyed the food, it was one of the worst service experiences Iāve had in years. Donāt know if they were understaffed but so many small problems that happened throughout the course of the evening. The most egregious were missing dishes that we had to enquire about. In one case, they simply didnāt have the dish available but no one came back to explain that. In another case, Iām fairly certain the server simply forgot to put the order in. (There were other problems too but I donāt want to enumerate every single one of them).
The food was good, Iāll say that much. But a really disappointing service experience.
It was dinner time. They were busy but did not, to me, seemed like they were so slammed or understaffed to have explained things. Mostly, it felt disorganized.
(just realized I started this post then never posted it! I was certain I posted it)
We went for lunch there the other day. Got there around 1:15. The restaurant was packed and there was a list. Seemed a tad disorganized. There were patrons clearly trying to get the wait staffs attention. In spite of there being open seats, it took a bit to get seated. I was worried service might be slow once seated but it was fine.
Online, they had a menu that was much larger than the one in the restaurant. I got over that and we ordered some seasonal sake.
Husband got something he quite liked. We got all the sides on offer, as I had no idea what some were, in spite of the waitressās description of āslimey.ā
The side of roe was my fave, but I could have gotten into the natto beans if they had been on the rice instead of on the side. It was hard to eat on the side, since they leave a gossamer trail.
The sushi rice was the best I can remember ever having eaten.
It dies divide folks, natto! To me, it seems something better eaten at home, like fried chicken or bone-in rib eyes, where you can eat something without worrying how you look!
But so far, the only things I wonāt try again are medium to large fried grasshoppers and fermented fish guts.
Stopped by for lunch on my way back from work on Saturday. Ordered what was titled the āroast beefā bowl on the menu. Man. This is exactly what I have been craving since I got back from Japan earlier this year: good protein, perfect rice, soup, and pickles. Different slices of the beef were cooked to varying temperatures. I kind of liked the inconsistency, having a nice rare bite after another that was more well. This was super delicious. I could do this again and again.
Also made a pit stop at 85Ā°C Bakery around the corner and got this oddly named āCalamari Stickā which was basically a really nice squid ink bread that could have done without the odd square of Swiss cheese at the bottom. All and all, a very nice afternoonā¦
Iām glad I was able to try the Masumi Arabashiri considering it was a limited spring release. And itās fascinating to read about what an Arabashiri Sake can be.
But thanks for the warning on Hokke. Iāll ask next time where they get it from.
