Earlier this month I attended the launch of Sakenoteca, a new venture backed by 6 sake brewers, housed in the basement of award winning Italian restaurant, Vasco and Piero’s in Soho, London. An evening of tasting sake paired with Italian food. Who knew that this match would be a delicious one!?
The aim of the Sakenoteca is to bring a modern style of sake bar to the UK. Instead of enjoying sake only with the traditional Japanese cuisine it is associated with, the group wants to introduce consumers to other cuisines, such as Italian, French, British, etc paired with Sake. The Sakenoteca is modelled on tapas bars, serving small plates paired with different sakes.
Sake tasting and pairing at Sakenoteca
On the evening we enjoyed the following small Italian plates, each paired with a sake.
Bruscetta and sake pairing
Bruschetta
Avocado, tomato and mozzarella salad
Paired with the fruity, fresh and elegant premium Hanamikura Kura sake served at room temperature
Smoked mozzarella wrapped in ham
Crostini, chicken liver, ham and marinated mushrooms
Baked Tuscan sausage with pecorino and black truffles wrapped in pancetta
Paired with clear and crisp Kinrei sake served chilled
Risotto and sake pairing
Gnochetti with lamb and peas
Risotto with butter squash and Taleggio cheese
Paired with Kyoto made Iwai sake, slightly sweet, fruity and nutty was served chilled
There were sake sommeliers in attendance who happily explained how each pairing worked. I found this very interesting as it opened up a whole new dimension to sake. I discovered that sake ranges in alcoholic content from 8% to 17% but none of it ever felt heavily alcoholic and it pairs surprisingly well with Italian cheeses. The salty, umami-ish character of the cheese naturally pairing up with the drier sakes.
About Sakenoteca
Mr Masuda Tokubee, a 14th generation Sake brewery owner from Kyoto and one of the founders of Sake & Beyond (the group behind Sakenoteca) said,
“We are very proud to have launched this venture and received such fabulous feedback. One of the key points we heard throughout launch night was people saying that they now understand how sake is supposed to taste!”
Sake is becoming more popular in London but it is often served by people without the experience or background, so to Londoners we’re going to be special because this is not going to be an ordinary sake venue – this is authenticity. We have created a base from which we can educate people as to what sake really is and how they can enjoy it without Japanese food – pairing sake with Italian at Sakenoteca is just the start!”
All in all, I think this is a great way to showcase the versatility of sake. It’s not only just for Japanese cuisine but can also be enjoyed with a variety of non- traditional dishes, such as Italian cuisine. It was a really interesting evening and I will now be looking at sake in a totally different way. I may even open a bottle for my next dinner party.
Sakenoteca at Vasco & Piero
15 Poland street,
Disclosure: I was a guest at this event by Sake & Beyond. All opinions are my own.
