Sake and Sushi Pairing

Early next week, I am taking part in a sake and sushi dinner at a local sushi restaurant. The restaurant is a high end sushi establishment and the owner gets fresh fish daily. The sake person is supposedly very knowledgeable and will be bringing some sakes that are not yet available in the US.

I know there are some sake experts here. I was wondering what types of pairings I should be expecting at a dinner like this? Is there anything I should do to prep myself for this that is different from how I’d prep for a beer or wine dinner?

I have never tasted sake for rating it but you are in for a treat. Please savor each moment and tell us everything. Sake will knock you on your ass. It’s so hard to find good sake even in the liquor store. Some the draft sakes are ok but some are crap. Usually when you go out, you are stuck with your ignorance and whatever is offered. I’ve never rated a sake but I will.

I don’t think you need to do anything to prepare, just have an open mind. Sushi and sake generally pair very well. Let us know what you think.

might also want to put this in the japan forum.living in osaka,i get to go to "sake and sushi"places quite often,but do not know much.your "prep" should probably be similar to how you usually prep for white wine and fish meal.

So how was it? Which kinds of sake should we look for? Were you a lot drunker than you expected? I find sake to be delicate and deceptive.

I would be interested in the pairing aspect. I mean, I can imagine different types of sake going better with different types of sushi, but have never seen anything like that. It could be very interesting. Daiginjo with a subtle thing like...yellowtail? Genshu with eel, What with squid? ginjo? Interesting concept.

Personally, if I were pairing, I would leave out the rice and just do sashimi, but maybe I’m old school.

Can we get a report here?

Originally posted by pinkie
So how was it? Which kinds of sake should we look for? Were you a lot drunker than you expected? I find sake to be delicate and deceptive.

Originally posted by KyotoLefty
Can we get a report here?

The sushi side was phenomenal, but the sake pairing was a big letdown as most of it was just a bunch of Ozeki products.

On the food end, there was live uni, live giant clam, striped bass, fluke, toro, jellyfish, live scallop, botan ebi (all sashimi), wagyu beef, some fusion dishes, a few hand rolls, some signature rolls, tom yum soup, edamame, some others I’m forgetting.

On the sake side, there was a sake served hot, 3 served cool, 1 served almost frozen, 2 fortified sakes, but they were all served randomly and not really paired.

Was there even some attempt to match the temperature of the sake with the dish?

I’m not surprised about no real attempt at pairing. I’ve never seen that done on such a level. One thing I do see a lot is genshu paired with game, since it is stronger. Too bad it was Ozeki. It’s crap.

That reminds me of a Pairing thing put on by a local supermarket in my home town in Canada. They were pairing all these rather good cheeses with Corona, Heineken, Coor and a couple other fancy "imported" beers. My friends and me saw the advertising for the event and laughed our asses off.