As the winter solstice approaches, the season’s arrival feels ever more present. The crisp, clear air brings a comforting sense of serenity, highlighting the natural beauty around us. In the chill of morning and evening, breath rises in white clouds, and stars can be spotted glittering in the winter night sky. The sight of leaves falling from the trees carries a certain dignified elegance.
During the daytime, when warm sunlight streams through, there is a gentle kindness hidden within the cold. Hot meals and drinks offer us special moments that warm both body and soul.
Our “Early Winter Course,” designed to savor the unique tastes and sensations of the cold season, has begun.
According to the 24 solar terms, we have now entered “Sōkō” (Frost Descent). This is the time when the cold of the mornings and evenings intensifies, and frost begins to appear. The next solar term will bring “Rittō” (the start of winter). In Tokyo, there are still occasional surprises with days that feel like summer, but on October 10th, the first frost of the year was observed in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, marking the sure progression of the season toward winter, especially in northern regions and mountain areas.
As autumn deepens, the grasses along rivers and in meadows begin to turn red and gold, and we find ourselves breathless at their beauty swaying in the wind. The broad-leaved trees’ leaves take on vibrant hues of red, yellow, and orange, and the mountains become like a bright tapestry. Guo Xi, a painter of China’s Northern Song dynasty, once described such scenes by saying, “The autumn mountains are bright and pure, as if dressed in finery.”
Many creatures are entering their season of harvest, and as we approach winter, the flavors of food grow richer and more complex. Both warm sakes and meals seep deep into the body, bringing comfort.
We have now begun offering the “Late autumn seasonal course,” a seasonal experience designed to delight all five senses, featuring the vivid colors and deep flavors of this bountiful time of year.
On Saturday, February 23, 2024, we held a special sake pairing event with ”SAKE-BAN” Masaki Tada at Medetashi. The first event was held in December 2023, and this would be its second.
Although there were still occasional cold days, the event was held in the late winter when the footsteps of spring could be heard gradually.
This is a report on a pairing course of nine dishes and eight types of sake that evoke the arrival of spring.
■Venison and Log-Grown Shiitake Mushrooms with XO JANG SAKE : Tamagawa Omachi Junmai Ginjo 2018BY (Kyotango, Kyoto Prefecture)
As we move into the latter half of the course, we slow down a bit to savor the flavors more leisurely.
The fifth course is a roast of Japanese venison from Akitakata City in Hiroshima Prefecture and log-grown shiitake mushrooms from Ome City in Tokyo, coated in an original XO sauce.
Akitakata City is a lush, green area surrounded by beautiful mountains, with about 80% of its area covered by forests rich in diverse plant life. The deer thrive on a natural diet of branches and bark from cedar and cypress trees, buds, young grass, acorns, chestnuts, and mushrooms. Skilled hunters quickly and properly process the deer, resulting in delicious meat that is free of gaminess and full of flavor. This “Premium Deer from Akitakata” is tenderly roasted. The thick, springtime log-grown shiitake mushrooms are grilled to a juicy perfection, enhancing their rich aroma and flavor. The chef, with experience in Hong Kong, created an XO sauce specifically for this dish, making oyster sauce from fresh oysters, chili oil from sautéed spices, and scallion oil from scallions, and using scallops, sakura shrimp, and prosciutto.
To pair with this earthy and flavorful dish, we chose the Junmai Ginjo sake made from Omachi rice by Tamagawa, which was also used as the marinade for the botan shrimp in the second course. This aged sake was slightly softened by adding about 5% water, then quickly warmed to 50°C in a titanium chirori. The sake, warmed with a variation in intensity, released a pleasant aroma and complex flavors that complemented the rich, umami-packed XO sauce, filling your mouth with the robust flavors of venison and shiitake mushrooms.
The sixth dish is a simple combination of spring delicacies from the sea and mountains.
From the spring sea, we have firefly squid from Toyama Prefecture. Each part of the squid is carefully prepared to enhance its flavor, and we created a “firefly squid miso” with a cacao aroma using Tatsumi miso, a natural barley miso from Kajita Shoten in Ehime Prefecture, and CACAO JANG, a cacao soy sauce from Yuasa Soy Sauce in Wakayama Prefecture.
From the spring mountains, we have freshly harvested bamboo shoots from Omba, Kitakyushu City. These small, tender, juicy bamboo shoots have a beautiful aroma and sweetness. They are quickly fried in rice bran oil to enhance their fragrance and sweetness.
Paired with this dish is “Akishika Omachi Junmai Unfiltered Namagenshu 2022BY,” a sake that reveals beautiful cacao nuances when warmed. It was heated to about 55 degrees Celsius in a tin chirori to bring out its sweet and fragrant flavors, then quickly cooled before serving.
The simplest things should be of the highest quality.
■ Beltfish and Canola Blossoms SAKE : Hanagaki Junmai Daiginjo 2022BY (Ono City, Fukui Prefecture)
The seventh dish is very colorful.
The sauce made from the slightly bitter canola blossoms and mandarin oranges evokes the image of a spring meadow. The refreshing sweetness and acidity of the mandarins are like a breeze gently blowing through the fields. The canola blossoms are roasted with oil, giving them a fragrant finish. The magnificent 3.5 kg beltfish, rich in fat, is tender and elegant.
This dish combines fragrant and sweet elements with a slightly bitter and refreshing sauce.
Paired with this elegant and refreshing dish is “Hanagaki Junmai Daiginjo 2022BY,” made with rice polished to 45% and fermented slowly at low temperatures. This sake has a fresh fragrance and acidity, and a refreshing gentleness. When warmed to around 42 degrees Celsius in a glass flask, it reveals a refreshing sweetness.
■ Iwachu Pork and Butterbur Sprouts SAKE : Shinkame Senshuraku Junmai 2002BY (Hasuda City, Saitama Prefecture)
Finally, the eighth dish, the last pairing.
Iwachu pork, known for its fine texture and beautiful fat due to meticulous hygiene management, a relaxed breeding environment, and nutrient-rich feed, is braised to extreme tenderness using only junmai sake, soy sauce, star anise, and honey, with no water. The dish is complemented by a confit of butterbur sprouts. The softened aroma and sweet bitterness of the butterbur sprouts in confit form enhance the sweetness of the rich pork belly.
This dish is powerful yet gentle, rich in fat yet not heavy, simple yet complex. For this elusive and impressive dish, Mr. Tada selected “Shinkame Senshuraku Junmai 2002BY.” Brewed by former master brewer Shoji Hara in his final brewing year (2002BY), this junmai sake was tank-stored and released in 2019 after 16 years, making it a very precious sake.
This sake is like exploring the depths of a lake with such high transparency that you can’t gauge the distance. It has a captivatingly beautiful aroma and layers of clear flavors. This sake, likely to taste great at any temperature, was warmed to 48 degrees Celsius in a titanium chirori.
The third edition of this event will be held over two nights, Saturday and Sunday, July 20-21, 2024.
Next theme is “herbs”. Lemon thyme, cinnamon basil, sweet basil, rosemary rex, fennel, various mints, salad burnet, lemongrass, anise hyssop, curry plant, stevia, and more will be featured in the new menu, which is filled with the energy of herbs that are full of vitality despite the extreme heat.
By utilizing herbs as ideas for Italian, French, Asian, and various other culinary genres, summer ingredients have been given a new delicious flavor. The wide range of possibilities of sake will add an even more dramatic dimension to the menu. Please come and enjoy the new taste of sake pairing!
Date & Time : Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 18:00, Sunday, July 21, 2024 at 17:30 Fee : 25,000 yen (including meal, sake, and tax) Capacity: Maximum 11 seats per section (7 seats at the counter and 4 seats at the tables) Application Please specify “July 20, 2024” or “July 21, 2024” on our reservation form, select the menu “7/20-21 酒番 多田正樹@めでたし”, and fill in the necessary information.
大ぶりの新鮮なボタン海老を、京都の「玉川」2017 BY の山廃純米無濾過生原酒を、2018 年の夏に常温（＝灼熱？）で夏越しさせたお酒と、八角などのスパイスとで作った漬け液で数日漬け込みました。あまりにも魅惑的な香りとその姿に、店内のあちこちからため息が聞こえました。 食しているのは自分なのに、まるで自分が飲み込まれてしまっているかのような、極上のねっとりとした複雑な濃醇さが口中を騒がせます。
On Saturday, February 23, 2024, we held a special sake pairing event with ”SAKE-BAN” Masaki Tada at Medetashi. The first event was held in December 2023, and this would be its second.
Although there were still occasional cold days, the event was held in the late winter when the footsteps of spring could be heard gradually.
This is a report on a pairing course of nine dishes and eight types of sake that evoke the arrival of spring.
The first dish features youthful beans, which are also “seeds” that sprout and grow into new life as the weather warms up. The fresh green pea sauce is emulsified with rice bran oil and seasoned only with salt to bring out its sweetness and aroma. Snap peas with their crisp texture and fava beans are added to the sauce, making a total of three types of beans. The tender and bouncy scallops and the crunchy ark shell, each with their distinct texture, sweetness, and flavor, blend lightly with the green sweetness of the beans.
The sake is “Yamaishi Junmai Ginjo Limited Direct Bottling Unfiltered Namagenshu Usunigori” 2023BY from Ishikawa Brewery in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. This sake, bottled directly after pressing, has a sparkling freshness, the refreshing quality of usunigori, and a pleasant ginjo aroma. It is already delicious on its own when it’s cold. By carefully warming it to about 40 degrees Celsius in a glass flask, the hidden flavors of the rice in this sake are brought out.
Without compromising the delicacy of the ingredients, gently warming it enhances the flavors of the beans and shellfish, opening the course with a harmonious pairing of fresh dishes and fresh sake.
■ Botan Shrimp Marinated in “Tamagawa Stored Over the Summer” SAKE : Furousen Kame-no-o Yamahai Junmai Ginjo Unfiltered Namagenshu 2023BY (Takashima, Shiga Prefecture)
After a refreshing start, it’s time for something impactful.
Large, fresh botan shrimp are marinated for several days in a marinade made with spices like star anise and sake – Tamagawa’s 2017 BY Yamahai Junmai Unfiltered Namagenshu, which had been stored at “room temperature” (scorching heat?) over the summer of 2018. The shrimp’s enchanting aroma and appearance elicited sighs from everywhere in the restaurant.
Though you are the one eating, it feels as if you are being consumed, as the exquisite, rich, and complex flavors envelop your mouth.
A gentle sake would not stand a chance.
The representative full-bodied sake from Uehara Brewery in Shiga Prefecture, “Furousen Kame-no-o Yamahai Junmai Ginjo Unfiltered Namagenshu 2023BY,” is clear and rich without any aged flavors, boasting a perfect balance of acidity and a robust body. It was warmed to about 60 degrees Celsius in a tin chirori to bring out its full flavor and aroma, then allowed to cool before being served in a flat sake cup.
The union of rich, powerful food and sake in your mouth is a moment of decadent delight.
■ Abalone and Comté Cheese Risotto using Kame-no-o Rice SAKE : Shinrai Blue Label Senbon Nishiki Tokubetsu Junmai 2022BY (Jinseki District, Hiroshima Prefecture)
The third dish, intended to carry you from the rich aftertaste of botan shrimp and Furousen to the next allure, is a vibrant dish with powerful flavors – Abalone and Comté Cheese Risotto using Kame-no-o Rice.
The rice is “Kame-no-o” rice, grown with great care and without pesticides or fertilizers by momoG Farm in Nagano Prefecture. Though often recognized as a sake rice, it was originally popular as a table rice. Discovered and cultivated in 1983 (Meiji era), its deliciousness was highly praised, becoming the progenitor of various brand-name rices in the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions. This deeply flavorful rice is made into risotto with seafood broth and French Comté cheese. Softly steamed abalone and abalone liver sauce shine in this dish. The abalone, with its elegant and fragrant taste, is not what you might expect from its appearance. Each element—the Kame-no-o rice, Comté cheese, and abalone—contributes its own robust flavor.
The dish is harmonized by “Shinrai” Blue Label, a junmai sake made with “Senbon Nishiki” rice from Hiroshima Prefecture. Warming this sake slowly to about 57 degrees Celsius brings out the rice flavor and an elegant, rich aroma reminiscent of red grapes.
Whether served cold or warm, Shinrai sake has a unique refreshing quality, making even the most exuberant dishes surprisingly calming.
■Spear Squid, Peetan(Century Egg), Wild Vegetables SAKE : Kaze no Mori Mirai Yosouzu(Future Prospects) II – The World of High-Temperature Fermentation Unfiltered Water-Added Namagenshu Junmai 2023BY (Gose, Nara Prefecture)
Wild vegetables peeking out from the thawing mountains herald the arrival of spring.
For the fourth dish, enjoy wild vegetables and seasonal spear squid with a sauce made from Taiwanese century egg. Finely chopping the century egg eliminates its sharp odor, leaving only its delicious essence. The combination of fermented century egg and shio-koji creates a rich dip reminiscent of “crab miso + mayonnaise.” The bitterness of wild vegetables—kogomi and tara no me—and the sweet, crunchy texture of the spear squid create an addictive combination.
This unique dish was paired with an equally unique sake.
“Kaze no Mori Mirai Yosouzu(Future Prospects) II – The World of High-Temperature Fermentation Unfiltered Water-Added Namagenshu Junmai 2023BY” is made from Nara Prefecture’s “Akitssuho” rice, polished to 90%, and brewed at high temperatures, contrary to the typical “low-temperature fermentation” of winter. This style, reminiscent of pre-Edo period summer brewing at temperatures close to 30°C, might represent a future revival, hence the name “Future Vision.” The sake, with its signature fresh fruit aroma, natural effervescence, and profound rice flavor, is decanted to fully showcase its complexity.
Dish 5 and beyond will follow in the second half of the report.
The third edition of this event will be held over two nights, Saturday and Sunday, July 20-21, 2024.
Next theme is “herbs”. Lemon thyme, cinnamon basil, sweet basil, rosemary rex, fennel, various mints, salad burnet, lemongrass, anise hyssop, curry plant, stevia, and more will be featured in the new menu, which is filled with the energy of herbs that are full of vitality despite the extreme heat.
By utilizing herbs as ideas for Italian, French, Asian, and various other culinary genres, summer ingredients have been given a new delicious flavor. The wide range of possibilities of sake will add an even more dramatic dimension to the menu. Please come and enjoy the new taste of sake pairing!
Date & Time : Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 18:00, Sunday, July 21, 2024 at 17:30 Fee : 25,000 yen (including meal, sake, and tax) Capacity: Maximum 11 seats per section (7 seats at the counter and 4 seats at the tables) Application Please specify “July 20, 2024” or “July 21, 2024” on our reservation form, select the menu “7/20-21 酒番 多田正樹@めでたし”, and fill in the necessary information.
After the cherry blossoms have fallen, fresh green leaves have emerged. It elongates with each rainfall, so the landscape has become completely enveloped in fresh greenery.
This is the season when all things are clean and lively.
Colorful flowers are blooming, butterflies are dancing, the sky is clear blue, and a fresh breeze is blowing as we begin our spring course. This course will be offered for about one month until mid-May.
