Wine Dine Issue 304 April 2017

April 2017
ISSUE 304
#
The Sake Issue
Celebrating 32 Years
Hiroshima’s Sakes
The art of sake brewing
In Search of
the Best
A blind tasting of
junmai daiginjo
The Sake
Issue Sake’s
New Frontiers
Meet sake brewers
outside of Japan
Just Desserts
Unexpectedly
sweet pairings
with sake
Drink It,
PLUS
Cook It, Love It
NEW ZEALAND’S PINOT NOIRS, Sake-inspired recipes by
CHEF ALYSIA CHAN OF CRACKERJACK Chef Justin Hammond SGD8.50
& TOP RESTAURANTS FOR APRIL of Neon Pigeon

w www.wineanddine.com.sg f Wine and Dine Magazine SG wineanddinesg
14 WINE & DINE
WINE & DINE 15
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April 2017 ISSUE
#
304
EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR JOYCELINE TULLY
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR SIM EE WAUN
CONTRIBUTING WINE EDITOR EDWIN SOON
SENIOR WRITER CHARLENE CHOW
WRITER FOO JIA-EN
SENIOR DESIGNER PEARL LIM
DESIGNER PRISCILLA TAN
CONTRIBUTORS Chai Soong, Joyce Huang, Lin Weiwen, Calvin Tan
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European Organic Food
Chinese-European culinary hybrids

Singapore is famous throughout the world for its rich culinary traditions in a new and innovative manner. The motto of the programme, pre-
originating from many diverse ethnic groups. The inhabitants of Singa- sented in many countries around the world, is “EcoEurope – Quality
pore have perfectly combined the flavours of China, India, Malaysia and and Tradition”, and perfectly reflects the idea of this project. During
Indonesia, creating a diverse and rich offer of exquisite hybrid dishes. the lectures and presentations, producers of organic foods from Eu-
Could this cuisine, with all its exceptional flavours, aromas and variety rope will explain the most important principles and goals they fulfil
of products used, still embrace new possibilities and create new hybrid every day when producing and processing organic food. The outstand-
Chinese-European dishes? The creators of “EcoEurope – Quality and ing flavour, aroma, colour and form of the dishes will be ensured by
Tradition” are sure of it, and they would like to convince Singaporeans chefs working for the best Polish restaurants, specialising in preparing
of these ideas during an interactive conference, which will take place on a range of dishes made of organic products.
the 18th of May 2017. It is worth knowing from the get-go that organic farms in the European
The goal of organic food producers who joined the programme for Union do not use any artificial fertilisers or pesticides in crops, nor do
promoting ecological food from the countries of the European Un- they use antibiotics or growth hormones in the breeding of animals,
ion is to present products from a variety of industries, including meat, while organic food processors never use preservatives and artificial
fruit and vegetables, as well as processed meat, fruit and vegetables, additives with their products. Moreover, organic farmers do not use ge-
netically modified seeds. The high quality of European soil is the result
of applying the method of crop rotation, along with the use of compost
and natural manure.
The process of production in farms and processing plants is constantly
overseen at every stage – from the field to the table – by certification
bodies adhering to the principles and standards of organic farming in
the European Union, symbolised by the Euro-Leaf. The logo of ecolog-
ical Europe, awarded by the European Commission, presents a green
leaf with the symbolic stars of the European Union in the background.
The Euro-Leaf can be found on the packaging of organic food pro-
duced in the Member States and adhering to the relevant Community
standards, thus guaranteeing customers that all products bearing the
logo are of the highest quality and were produced in a natural way, in
accordance with stringent European standards.
The three-year “EcoEurope – Quality and Tradition” programme,
promoting organic food products from the European Union, is being
implemented by the “Polish Ecology” Association of Processors and
Producers of Organic Products in cooperation with scientists from the
finest research facilities with state-of-the-art laboratories and certifi-
cation bodies. The Association also cooperates with the IFOAM (Inter-
national Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) organisation.
The aim of the “Polish Ecology Association” is to promote food prod-
ucts bearing the Organic Agriculture Certificate and the Euro-Leaf,
which are characterised by exceptional flavour and quality that result
from establishing a tradition in farming, adhering to the principles and
standards of organic farming, as well as the high standards of bio-
crops and bio-processing.
You can find out more about the “EcoEurope – Quality and Tradition”
programme at www.eu-organic-food.eu
&$03$,*1 ),1$1&(' :,7+ $,'

FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION
$1'7+(5(38%/,&2)32/$1'
EDITOR’S NOTE
The exact origins of sake may be shrouded in

uncertainty, but this traditional Japanese drink
is going places and winning over the world one
sip at a time.
In recent years, sake has extended its reach
well beyond Japan. Indeed, with its increasingly
diverse styles, sake is finding new audiences
around the world.
But there’s more. The brewing of sake is no
longer restricted to just Japan, neither is it the
sole purview of men as was traditionally the
case. Unconstrained by traditions, sake brewers
outside of Japan are charting new frontiers
by experimenting with new ingredients and
methods (p. 46). In the predominantly male-
run industry, female brewers are few and far
in between. Meet Miho Imada, of Imada Sake
Brewery, who is making the industry sit up with
her pure, lively sakes made with Hattanso sake
rice, an ancient strain of Hiroshima rice with
long giant stalks that are human-height (p.42).
Still in the spirit of breaking with tradition,
we explore unconventional sake pairings with
desserts, local sweets and even cheeses (p.68).
An aged katsuyama with salted caramel and
chocolate tart, or a light sparkling sake with
kueh—don’t take our word for it; go forth and
experiment.
In this issue, we also survey Hiroshima’s
008 sakes that are brewed from soft water and long
fermentations (p.38), and blind-tasted a good
variety of junmai daiginjo, the highest grade of
sake on the market (p.52).
Drink it, love it and cook with it. Last but not
least, check out chef Justin Hammond’s izakaya-
style recipes that are prepared with a good douse
of sake, and made for enjoying with it. Kanpai!
Joyceline Tully
MANAGING EDITOR
Featuring the finest
dining establishments
in the city
Les Amis
Aura Yamazaki
Meta Colony Corner House
19 TH EDITION
OUT IN
STORES NOW!
CONTENTS
The Sake Issue

ISSUE
#
304
38 52
FEATURE TASTING
SOFTLY DOES IT IN FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE
HIROSHIMA A blind tasting of the ultra-premium
The art of sake brewing seen through junmai daiginjo in search of the best
Hiroshima’s soft, sweet lens
60
42 RECIPES
PROFILE SAKE BAR NONE
THE ALCHEMIST Five recipes from chef Justin
Meet Miho Imada of Imada Sake Hammond of Neon Pigeon
Brewery, one ofJapan’s few female
master brewers 68
PAIRING
45 FOR THE SAKE OF
SPOTLIGHT JUST DESSERTS
FLOWER POWER Exploring the gastronomic realm of
Amabuki Brewery and its floral- sweets with sake
scented and flavoured sakes
76
46 WINE GURU
FEATURE PINOT MAGIC
SAKE’S NEW FRONTIERS The untamed beauty of New Zealand’s
Sake brewers outside of Japan are Pinot Noirs
giving the tipple a new identity
PHOTO: PETER WELD
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CONTENTS
Regulars
18 72
TRENDING APERITIFS
A STALL OF ONE’S OWN Drink stops for the thirsty at Ginett,
Young hawkers break sweat and tears Anarchy Wine + Brew Bar and more
for a stall to call their own
78
20 GOURMET TRAVELLER
CALENDAR Delicious stops around the world
Delicious events for your foodie diary for the intrepid gourmet
this April
82
22 WINE & DINE ONLINE
CHEF DU JOUR
IN HER DOMAIN 86
Crackerjack’s head chef Alysia Chan is SUBSCRIPTION
all about comfort food with character
87
24 STOCKISTS
RESTAURANTS
New openings and menus to sink your 88
teeth into: Sushi Kimura, Saint Pierre POSTSCRIPT
and more MELBOURNE’S THE BEST
The world’s top chefs gather in
32 Melbourne for The World’s 50 Best
TO MARKET Restaurants awards
Fabulous finds for the food lover
35
CHEW OVER
A TASTE IN TIME
A beauty not fully savoured until it
was lost
CONTRIBUTORS
EDWIN SOON
is a wine writer, educator,
a qualified oenologist
and the author of Pairing CALVIN TAN
Wine with Asian Food and is a veteran lensman with
several other books. He over 15 years’ experience.
wrote his first articles on He specialises in food
wine in 2002—most of photography and has
which were published by shot for numerous F&B
Wine & Dine. Today, he bigwigs and restaurants in
returns to the magazine Singapore and the region.
as contributing wine Apart from photography,
editor. Outside of the his passion is cycling SIM EE WAUN
wine industry, Edwin is and his bike du jour is a has been a food and travel
also a sensory evaluation custom-made Serotta. journalist for 27 years.
consultant. She started her food
writing career in Wine
& Dine magazine and
eventually became the
magazine’s editor in the JOYCE HUANG
early 1990s. Since then was brought up on a
she has helmed other diet of books and family
titles and has also edited dinner parties. It’s hard to
cookbooks including the ascertain which came first,
classic series, Best of Joyce’s love for words or
Singapore’s Recipes by her infatuation with food.
Mrs Leong Yee Soo. She Luckily, a writing career
recently co-authored that started at a local
The Little Singapore food magazine meant
Book, a children’s book she didn’t have to choose
014 LIN WEIWEN on Singapore’s history, between either. Now as a
has 10 years of experience and now juggles her time freelance food, wine and
on the food and wine between the two genres. travel writer, she can be
beat, He has built an found in various corners
enriching career that of the world digging into
includes reviewing the streetside fare, trawling
latest restaurants, picking museums and practising
the brains of Michelin- hand signals with locals.
starred chefs and top
winemakers, and exploring
high altitude wineries in
Argentina. In 2013, he
picked up the Food Writer
of the Year award at the
World Gourmet Series
Awards of Excellence.
Previously the editor of this
very magazine, he is now
a freelance journalist and
travels to Japan yearly to
satisfy his love for Japanese
food and culture.
ABOUT THE CHEF
Australian chef Justin Hammond of 015

Neon Pigeon served up the sake-inspired
spread featured on our cover this issue.
The 35-year-old chef started his career
in Melbourne, and got his first big break
when he worked for Australian chef Teage
Ezard at Gingerboy Melbourne. He made
a move to Japan to work in 2011, and
accordingly, started a love affair with all
things Japanese, especially on the culinary
front. He lived there for two years and
immersed himself in Japan's cuisine and
culinary culture. At Neon Pigeon, chef
Hammond updates traditional Japanese
flavours along with some influences from
Korea and the West to present a varied
izakaya-style menu.
For our cover, he prepared grilled ribs
PHOTO: CALVIN TAN
doused in sake barbecue sauce, celery

tsukemono to be enjoyed with deep-fried
chicken skin and sake, and dainty miso
clams to wash down with more sake.
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GOES DIGITAL
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DEBRIEF
Artisanal Yeast
of The East
Yet another cherished Katong institution,
Carlton Roast Duck, has gone. Taking over
the space is Firebake, a new restaurant that is
firing up the curiosity of Katong-ites. Owned by
Konstantino Blokbergen, a chef, culinary consultant
and Katong resident, Firebake’s main focus is its
sourdough breads, made using very traditional, obsessively
artisanal European methods. They are baked in two wood-
fired ovens hand-made out of a whopping 37 tonnes of brick,
sand and mortar.
The range of sourdough breads here are hefty, hearty loaves,
which are served alongside a menu of small and sharing plates of
contemporary European cuisine. The cured salmon with dill and the
mussels were excellent, and of course the range of breads—with its
sweetly tangy flavour and soft yet dense texture—which is served with
lightly smoked corn oil and fine butter. The dishes are cooked in two
150-year-old iron stoves using wood and charcoal fire, and the breads
are made from scratch, every ingredient sourced according to exacting
requirements. The decor is equally rustic to complement the rawness
of the breadmaking—expect lots of brick, woods, metal, with vintage
cutlery and flatware on the tables. Serving dinner only for the time
being, plans are afoot to bring in antique grains to be milled on site, and
to give away spent ashes from the oven to green-fingered neighbours
in the area on request.
Level 1, 237 East Coast Road. Tel: 6440 1228
017
PHOTO: JOHN HENG
WORDS SIM EE WAUN
TRENDING
A Stall Of One’s Own

A new breed of hawkers is making
their presence felt, hinting at a street
food revolution that might just be 1 Eunos Bak Chor Mee
picking up momentum
WORDS CHARLENE CHOW AND SIM EE WAUN
018
L
ong hours,
unglamorous
and often
back-breaking
work—the life
of a hawker is all these. But
on a good day, it could be
liberating—being one’s own
boss and feeding off a passion
for food. This new breed of
hawkers is doing just that, but
also bringing a sea change to
our street food scene, and it’s
time to take them seriously.
Wine & Dine talks to four
recipients of the inaugural
Tiger Street Food Support
Fund that was awarded earlier
this year.
3 Yan Ji Seafood Soup
TIGER STREET FOOD 2. Corner Burger 3. Yan Ji Seafood Soup

SUPPORT FUND Silas Lee, 28, a former (Old Airport Road)
AWARDEES bartender at hip drinking holes Former banker Aaron Khoo,
like Ding Dong, is all optimism 32, has always liked to cook..
1. Eunos Bak Chor Mee in the face of the economic He got a chance to take his
After seven years as a corporate downturn. “The recession is interest further when he and
banker, Ler Jie Wei, 31, hung up going to bring on a new wave of his business partner started a
his suit and joined his family’s discerning consumers who are joint venture with Mr Chia Tok
bak chor mee, or minced more cautious about what they Whee of Yan Ji Seafood Soup
meat noodle, business. The spend on and who are attentive (a hawker business first set up 4 Ah Tan Wings
banking sector was facing to the quality of food they get,” in Woodlands in 1984, with a
its own headwinds, and Ler he says. “If we keep our prices branch in Marsiling in 2014).
felt it timely to focus on his within a reasonable range, I Under this new joint venture,
family’s business, started by his believe we can strike a good Khoo set up a third stall at Old
great-great-grandfather as an balance between innovation Airport Road Food Centre.
itinerant hawker in the 1920s in and value.” The three main dishes
the Chai Chee area. His great- His hawker stall Corner Khoo offers are seafood soup,
grandfather, in turn, set up the Burger serves inventive comfort red grouper seafood soup
family’s first permanent stall food with a Southeast Asian and crayfish seafood soup, all
at Changi 10 Mile Road in the touch. Highlights on his menu priced between $6 and $14. He
1950s. include wagyu beef adobo says unlike other soups which
Ler has helped out at his bowl ($9) and furu tonkatsu may be pre-cooked in large okonomiyaki, by night. In the
mum’s stall for the past 10 burger ($8), which makes use of batches, theirs are cooked-to- meantime, they are plying their
years during his spare time. traditional Chinese ingredient order to ensure a better quality. business via a series of pop-ups
When he decided to be a furu (fermented beancurd). “We are considered relatively instead. Upcoming gigs take
full-time hawker, he spent six Plans are afoot to introduce pricey, but we use big prawns place at Artbox at Marina Bay
months training intensively new items like a burger with and a large portion of minced Sands (21-23 April) and Craft
under his mum. He will be century egg, and possibly even meat. We think customers and Gusto Market at Tiong
opening his own stall Famous cocktails that use Southeast will keep coming back if you Bahru Plaza (5-7 May).
Eunos Bak Chor Mee at the Asian ingredients. give them the value they pay Asked why they wanted to
Asian Food Mall food court in He feels a benefit of working for.” He goes through 9am venture into the hawker trade,
Lucky Plaza this month. Ler will in a coffeeshop is rediscovering to 9pm days; between lunch Wee Yang says, “Both of us
be using part of the funds from that kampong spirit. “We and dinner service, he settles really love to eat har cheong kai
the Tiger Street Food Support are learning to co-exist with tasks like washing the dishes and like to cook. Also we feel
Fund to research into ways [our fellow hawkers] and to and preparing ingredients for that there is a market for har 019
his noodles can be delivered respect their years of cooking dinner. Being a hawker is very cheong kai as not many stalls
without turning soggy. experience.” demanding, and he feels that specialise in good local fried
Stall 5, B1-038, Lucky Plaza, Brunners Coffeeshop while younger, new-generation chicken wings.”
304 Orchard Road. 228 East Coast Road. hawkers have more energy, they To get the recipe right, they
Tel: 9827 4562 may also give up more easily. He spent a year perfecting their
observes: “There is a lot we can recipe which uses two different
learn from older hawkers who batters and triple-frying, and
take pride in what they do.” now plan to set up a permanent
#01-12 Old Airport Road Food stall in May. “We think the
Centre, 51 Old Airport Road. hawker-stall concept is a very
good model, and don’t know
4. Ah Tan Wings why more people do not take
Siblings Tan Wee Yang, 25 and the hawker route.” If the food at
Tan Yu Yan, 28, who make up hawker stalls or coffee-shops
Ah Tan Wings still hold their is good, they feel that diners
jobs in sales and accountancy “tend to be more loyal and eat
respectively, but have plans to it as a staple food, whereas
start a stall selling har cheong restaurant-goers tend to be
kai, or prawn paste chicken more fickle”.
2 Corner Burger rice by day and ‘global street Tel: 9173 4250; facebook.
food eats’, like har cheong kai, com/ahtanwings/
CALENDAR
THE FOOD
LOVER’S
GUIDE TO
APRIL
CONNEMARA MUSSEL FESTIVAL

28 to 30 April
Connemara, Ireland
Set amidst the breathtaking landscape and picturesque coastline of County
Galway, this annual spring festival celebrates the region’s native Killary mussels
best known for its distinctive sweet flavour. Now in its 12th year, the festival
promises mussel feasts, talks on seaweed farming and culinary workshops for
children. connemaramusselfestival.com
020
Michelin Guide Street Food Festival

14 to 15 April
Coliseum Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore
AMOY STREET Singapore’s first-ever Michelin Guide street food festival
BLOC PARTY boasts more than 12 Michelin-starred and Bib Gourmand-
23 April recognised establishments. Spanning over two evening
Amoy Street, Singapore sessions on Friday and Saturday, local gourmands will have a
After a wildly successful inaugural edition, the chance to sample critically-acclaimed wanton mee-inspired
Amoy Street Block Party returns for its second ramen from A Noodle Story, Japanese classics from two-star
edition. Join in the revelry as the street comes alive Shoukouwa, and one-star Hong Jong Soya Sauce Chicken
with local music acts, food vendors and signature Rice & Noodle’s signature dishes. Besides that, look out for
cocktails and bites from restaurants like Ding highlights from one-star Song of India, and three-star Joël
Dong, Bochinche, Burger Joint and Maggie Joan’s. Robuchon Restaurant. Prices start at only $2.50.
Facebook.com/amoystblocparty guide.michelin.sg
WORLD GOURMET SUMMIT 2017
Until 16 April
Various venues, Singapore
Singapore’s longest running
gourmet fest continues with
epicurean pop-ups, special dining
experiences and appearances
by masterchefs. Lend your
support for the National Kidney
Foundation at NKF’s Charity Gala
Dinner on 6 April, which features
chef Kirk Westaway of one
Michelin-starred Jaan, and chefs
from our national culinary team
—recently crowned champions 021
in the world culinary Olympics—
as well as the Singapore Junior
Chefs Club.
worldgourmetsummit.com
CHEF DU JOUR
IN HER
DOMAIN
Crackerjack’s head chef Alysia Chan is all about
dishing up comfort food with character
INTERVIEW CHARLENE CHOW
A self-professed bacon-o-phile with ‘meaty’ ingredients are what I strive to emulate and teach
credentials as executive sous chef at Cocotte, chef our team.
de cuisine at now-defunct nose-to-tail restaurant
Wolf, and executive sous chef at Meatsmith, chef I didn’t know I wanted to be a chef till I was 26
Alysia Chan now applies her experience to the fun- years old. I dropped out of an accounting diploma
house world of all-day diner Crackerjack. course in polytechnic and did not do well pursuing
an IT diploma at a private institute. At that time, I
Switching gears towards more vege-centric
was working part-time at a sandwich deli when the
dishes at Crackerjack was a little challenging at
owners decided to sell the business, and my family
first, but on a personal level, I’m also trying to steer
ended up buying it over. I discovered my love for
towards a healthier lifestyle. Crackerjack’s concept
feeding people then, and eventually signed up for
is very different, so the R&D process was quite fun.
I was creating dishes that I would quite happily eat culinary school, worked my ass off, and here I am
and not feel the glaring omission of meat. today!
I started making hummus at home as an I was once rejected for an internship because I was
alternative snack to chips. I wanted to switch female. If I told someone I was a cook, they would
022 it up a bit for the menu at Crackerjack, so we usually assume that I am a pastry chef because I’m
experimented with different types of beans and a woman. In Singapore, a few of us are starting a
recipes. I decided to use black-eyed beans, and to group that supports women in the F&B industry,
soak them overnight in water with baking soda to much like the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs
give them a moist texture. The preserved lemons (WCR) in the U.S. We are calling our group Shefs,
we use for the hummus are made using the spent for now.
lemons from the bar (where they juice fresh lemons
daily). My sous chef Allan and I have been working
together for more than six years now, so we have
I believe that good food doesn’t have to be a pretty awesome synergy. Our sourdough bread
complicated. For instance, at Crackerjack we use
on the menu came about four years ago when I put
sakura chicken and a simple brine of salt and sugar
him in charge of a project in hopes of growing his
to make our whole roasted chicken, which is pretty
passion. The resulting dish was something that we
good. In fact, my ‘last meal’ request would be roasted
are proud to put on the menu. We try to give our
chicken with a really good French baguette and
Isigny Sainte-Mère butter.
team mini R&D projects from time to time. It gives
each team member a sense of ownership when they
My ultimate food hero is Dan Barber, chef and are able to contribute to a final dish.
co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone
Barns, New York. I really love his wastED pop-up I love making desserts like my peanut butter
programme [a pop-up concept where he showcases chocolate tart, mostly because I love eating it. I also
43 Tanjong Pagar Road. ingredients usually dismissed as kitchen waste]. His think any chef worth his or her salt should be able
Tel: 8121 1462 dedication to minimising food waste and respect for to produce some halfway decent desserts.
023
RESTAURANTS
Restaurant Po
At newly opened Po, expect great, creative Singapore food with chef-
owner and father of mod-Sin cuisine Willin Low and executive chef
William Lim in the kitchen. (Lim was part of Violet Oon’s opening
team at National Kitchen.) Together, they are amping up familiar local
favourites from what Grandma used to cook.
Part of The Warehouse Hotel, Po occupies a historic godown by the
Singapore River. A few standouts on the menu are barramundi ($19),
an elevated version of sliced fish salad with porridge using Kuhlbarra
barramundi; and carabinero prawns and konbu noodles ($32), a rift
on prawn mee with prized ingredients like Red Boat fish sauce and ebi
sakura. The cocktail menu ranges from spice-based and complex to flirty
and fun as it traces the hotel’s history at the heart of the spice trade, its
WORDS CHARLENE CHOW,
FOO JIA-EN, SIM EE WAUN godown days as a spirits/distillery street, and later as Warehouse Disco.
& JOYCELINE TULLY We enjoyed Barberella ($21), a refreshing tribute to the disco era by way
of hibiscus gin, elderflower, rhubarb, earl grey tea. –CC & SEW
320 Havelock Road. Tel: 6828 0000
thewarehousehotel.com
024
024
Greenhouse
Located among the refurbished colonial houses
of Rochester Park, Greenhouse offers a rare but
welcome respite from the usual city bustle. Boasting
a cosy, daintily lit al fresco area surrounded by verdant
nature, the 70-seater makes for a perfect sanctuary
for quiet dinners or brunch with friends.
The restaurant serves up an eclectic mix of
globally inspired cuisine. With highlights like grilled
skate wing with sambal breadcrumbs ($26) and
imported Spanish iberico jowl topped with kimchi
apples and coated with a sticky stout glaze ($17),
you’ll find dishes varied enough for any palate. We
especially love their braised beef short rib with
hickory smoked cauliflower ($32); and pan-roasted
barramundi with coconut-tamarind velouté sauce and
taro chips ($28). End the meal with some mango lassi
($10), a delicious spin on the traditional yoghurt drink, 025
here presented as dessert. –FJE
9 Rochester Park. Tel: 9755 5015
nosh.com.sg
Violet Oon
Satay Bar & Grill
The look is elegant Raffles-meets-the-
E&O at culinary doyenne Violet Oon’s new
establishment, Violet Oon Satay Bar & Grill,
at Clarke Quay. Here, refined versions of
traditional satay and grilled dishes, cooked on
a glass-cased charcoal grill, take centrestage.
The range of satays on offer are high
end, featuring pork tenderloin ($16) in the
Hainanese tradition, Angus beef ($17), tiger
prawns ($20) and the less common but no less
traditional tripe ($15). The grilled mains are
creative presentations based on Peranakan
flavours. The garam assam barramundi with
pineapple and ginger flower ($32) is melt-
in-your-mouth with spicy, well-balanced
flavours. There’s also hae bee hiam whole
seabass with chinchalok ($42) and buah
keluak otak ($16). For dessert, don’t miss
the chendol with durian pengat sauce ($15)
served with gula melaka ice. A long communal
table dominating the dining room invites
guests to a traditional tok panjang, while the
bar offers nostalgic concoctions reminiscent
of colonial plantation tipples. –CC & SEW
#01-18 Clarke Quay, 3B River Valley Road.
Tel: 98349935
026 violetoon.com
LE MERIDIEN
SINGAPORE, SENTOSA
T +65 6818 3305

lemeridien.com/
singaporesentosa
TASTE OF DISCOVERY
BUFFET: SEAFOOD AND
SINGAPORE FLAVOURS
Join us as we unveil our latest culinary highlight,
Taste of Discovery - Seafood and Singapore Flavours Buffet.
Indulge in an exciting medley of seafood specialties like Chilli Flower

Crab with Mantou and local flavours like Black Pepper Char Kway Teow. SPG® MEMBERS
GET TO ENJOY 20%
Enjoy a taste of discovery with a selection of either specialty, the OFF TOTAL FOOD BILL
Baked Boston Lobster with Hollandaise Sauce or Pan-fried French Duck
Foie Gras with Dark Cherry Compote. What’s more, receive a special
one-time serving of the Hong Kong-style Steamed Sea Bass!
For more information, visit lemeridiensingaporesentosa.com,

e-mail latestrecipe.singaporesentosa@lemeridien.com
or call +65 6818 3305.
N 01° 15’ E 103° 50’ Follow us on:

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028
The Disgruntled
Brasserie
Under newly appointed chef de cuisine Desmond
Goh, communal fine dining restaurant The
Disgruntled Brasserie has refreshed their menu.
Be sure to pop by this 40-seater Ann Siang Hill
brasserie with friends and family—their small and
large plates menu is best enjoyed in groups.
A must-try: the pan-roasted barramundi with
seaweed potato hash ($24), chef Goh’s modern
take on the classic fish and chips. Other highlights
include the gruyere cheese soufflé ($16); carbonara
taglierini with three types of bacon and a
Parmigiano Reggiano encrusted egg ($24); and for
dessert, Bailey’s Crème caramel with Remy Martin
compote and Kahlua ice cream ($18). –FJE
28 Ann Siang Road. Tel: 6808 2184
Sushi Kimura
More than just a new fine dining sushi-ya, Sushi Kimura
is the philosophical vision of master chef Tomoo Kimura,
who had spent over 20 years honing his craft. Formerly
of award-winning Ginza Sushi Ichi, chef Kimura serves
up deeply seasonal edomae-style delicacies in a range
of omakase menus (from $120) at his new 22-seat
restaurant in Palais Renaissance.
Bespoke ingredients feature—premium grade nori
from the first harvest hauled out of the Ariake sea,
artisanal organic vinegar from a small-batch Kyoto
brewery, and Hokkaido spring water for cooking. Bag
a seat at the 150-year-old Hinoki wood sushi counter,
enjoy his affable service, and tuck into his sashimi,
Bafun uni rice with ikura and onsen egg. Look out for
chef’s personal touches, such as the noren cut from his
great-grandmother’s kimono, and a ceremonial tea set
hand-painted by his master, and artfully arranged motifs
that represent the seasons. –CC & SEW
#01-07, Palais Renaissance. Tel: 67343520 / 84280073
sushikimura.com.sg
029
AD
Saint Pierre
In a town where lists are all-important,
Saint Pierre is not on a list. It has no
Michelin stars, and it was not vaunted
at the recent Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants
awards. But what’s in a list? For the food
lover, the proof is in the flavours on the
plate, and Saint Pierre scores top marks
on that front. That, and the fact that this
17-year-old stalwart offers incredibly
good value as fine dining restaurants
go—in the quality of the ingredients
used and the skill of chef Emmanuel
Stroobant.
The set lunch ($58) comprising
cured wild-caught Alsakan salmon
spiked with wasabi cream, followed by
a choice of barbecued duck breast with
organic carrots or steamed Atlantic
cod with rich oxtail consommé, and
ending with Tanariva-Manjari mousse
with vanilla cremeux or the Sarawak
pineapple confit with lemongrass,
coconut ice cream and a welcome dash
of rum is an absolute steal.
From the six-course Discovery menu
($188), the Anjou pigeon roasted on
the bone, paired with beetroot, laced
with barest hint of coffee and served
030 with pigeon jus was one of the best we
have tasted—beautifully tender, rich
but not overly gamey. Other highlights
of our meal: the fat almond-crusted
scallop that sat pristine on avocado
cream and a tom yam-inspired coconut
emulsion, and the gorgeous composition
of lotus with parsnip, salsify, jerusalam
artichoke and skirret root that may well
make a veggie lover of you yet. –JT
#02-02B One Fullerton, 1 Fullerton
Road. Tel: 6438 0887
saintpierre.com.sg
SPECIAL FEATURE
RICE & ALL THINGS NICE

After more than a decade in the
Japanese restaurant scene, Rakuzen
continues to charm
With its wide-ranging menus, al fresco dining

options and spacious interiors—more than 100
seats, including eight private rooms for four to 24
people—Rakuzen’s still our catch-all dining venue
of choice.
3. Fresh seafood, such
Here are five things we love most about the as maguro otoro (fatty tuna belly),
restaurant: kanpachi (amberjack) and tako (octopus), and
shellfish like geoduck clam and razor clams, are
1. Handmade sauces are the norm here, individually sourced from Tsukiji market in Tokyo. Only the
prepared and adjusted according to the dish. For best of the season are chosen. Other premium
instance, for the dashi stock, apart from bonito and ingredients are obtained from different prefectures,
kombu, additional ingredients like saba bonito are such as wagyu from Kagoshima and Uchibori sushi
added to give another dimension of flavour. vinegar from Gifu.
2. Reasonably priced sets. There are no slim 4. Nice rice is an understatement because they
pickings when it comes to generous sets you can use koshihikari rice, the premium rice that is a
have for a business lunch or a casual dinner out. little sticky, sweet and good enough to eat on its
We recommend the Rakuzen Maru Bento ($45), a own. The restaurant sources their koshihikari from
mini kaiseki meal with sashimi, sushi, sunomono Nagano prefecture, and mills brown rice into white
(pickled), nimono (braised), unagi kabayaki (grilled rice in-house to ensure maximum freshness. For
eel) and tempura dishes. They also have a special the health-conscious, brown rice is a good option
10th anniversary chirashi set ($18) where you get to that goes well with the grilled or
choose eight fish toppings—such as tobikko (flying braised dishes.
fish roe), ikura (salmon roe), hamachi (yellowtail)
or ni hotate (cooked scallop)—atop a bed of sushi 5. The affable chef here augments
rice, to go with chawanmushi, miso soup and a small your dining experience, especially
appetiser. if you choose to sit at the sushi
counter.
He will
pepper your meal
with trivia about the art
of sushi making, such
as, “It may look simple,
but few understand how
difficult it is to make
sushi. It could be the
same tuna, same rice,
but it’s very different
when it is made by
different chefs. Even
how much air you leave
#01-16/19 Time2
in each sushi makes a Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles
difference—the more air, Boulevard.
the more sweetness.” Tel: 6333 1171
TO MARKET
WORDS FOO JIA-EN
032
1. Breakfast à la Paris
Parisian patisserie Antoinette has refreshed its
viennoiserie offerings. In addition to the ever-
popular salted yolk lava croissant, you’ll find sweet
and savoury favourites like matcha, four-cheese,
salted caramel, chilli crab, and chocolate in new
palm-sized portions. Don’t forget to try their newly
launched croissant à la creme, an airy, crispy pastry
filled with crème chantilly.
From $2.50, Antoinette
4
2. Sci-Fi
Brews
The Iikone Mk1
coffee brewer is most
certainly a sight to 3. Full Steam
behold—inspired by Ahead 3
reach. It’s self-cleaning
science-fiction comics, Modelled after Chinese too: just add water and
its spider-like structure steam baskets, Jia some detergent.
makes it a standout Inc’s Steamer Set is 5. Wonder $2,320, Thermomix
in any kitchen. And perfect for the modern Gadget 033
that’s not all: it is the household. Not only 4. Small Do away with 6. Italian
first-ever pour-over is it microwave-safe, Plate, Big kitchen clutter with
Cures
coffee brewer with an it can be used on Plate Thermomix. From
For a touch of
unobstructed filter— open flame gas hobs Use Comme Home’s authenticity in your
blending, chopping
the entire filtering and conventional marble boards to home-made pastas, try
and weighing, to
surface is used to its ovens. Instead of the showcase your cheese Italian trattoria &Sons’s
kneading, steaming and
optimal utility, making traditional bamboo selection or even as Guanciale dry-aged
emulsifying, this device
the resultant brew less base, terracotta is used a decorative feature. bacon. Made from pork
combines 12 different
bitter than other pour- to keep your food moist Lightly veined with jowl and cured in-
over brewers on the during steaming. And
kitchen appliances into house with salt, pepper
unique shading and
market today. Designed with its beautiful design fissures, no two pieces one compact, all-in- and spices, this high
and manufactured in that pays homage of this naturally- one gadget. Simply quality cured meat goes
Poland, this open filter to ancient Chinese occurring stone are put the ingredients best with carbonara
is made from medical tradition, it works great alike. Take your pick into the appropriate and amatriciana pasta
grade stainless steel as a serving plate—just of various shapes— compartment and press sauces. Keep it for up to
and is compatible with pop it off the stove and rectangular, round the relevant buttons. six months, and pull it
popular six- to 10-cup onto the dining table. and hexagonal—and With recipe ‘chips’ to out for a quick addition
round and rectangular Choose from three two colours, black guide you, even the to any party platter.
paper filters. sizes: personal, large and white. kitchen novice will find Approx $59.40 per
USD$699 (around and extra large. From $49, recipes like chicken rice kilogramme, naiise.com
S$990), iikone.com From $138, bibliotek.co commehome.com or mayonnaise within or &Sons
11
10
7. Healthy
Home Eats
8
Cook more healthily
with LG’s Neochef
034 Microwave ovens. It
boasts a special healthy 9. Veal(ly) 11. Clear The
fry feature that cooks 8. Bespoke Delicious 10. Straight Air
using less oil and fat Picnics The French Grocer’s Into The Keep your cooking area
whilst preserving the Pick up Hediard’s Le house brand Carne Bloodstream odour-free with Bosch’s
flavour of each dish. It’s Pique Nique Chic meatballs are 100 Packed into IV drip- downdraft stainless
great for fermenting picnic basket and head per cent natural, with inspired packets, steel hood. It emerges
too—the oven makes to a picturesque spot in no protein fillers, caffeine drip drinks from behind your stove
lactobacilli-infused the park or beach for artificial colouring from locally based pop- to extract cooking
yoghurt faster than a romantic date night. or flavourings. Each up brand Straw x Coffee fumes and odours, and
most yoghurt makers It’s got all the bites and meatball is made are a tongue-in-cheek retracts discreetly into
on the market today. bubbly you need to set locally, using only the take on our caffeine the countertop when
What’s more, its the mood. Each wicker freshest premium addiction. They come not in use. It comes
interior anti-bacterial basket comes with a meats from all over the in 12 flavours, with with integrated energy-
easy-clean coating 75cl bottle of Grand Cru world for maximum caffeine and without, efficient LED-lighting
promises to do as its champagne, foie gras, flavour. Choose from which include hot and four speed settings
says. According to LG, rose cordial, scallop six varieties: pork, favourites dark rose including an option for
it only takes three rillettes, mini toasts, Australian beef, latte, salted caramel a quick, intensive six-
wipes to clean the oven fruit jellies, and even a chicken, lamb, wagyu, latte, Thai yuan yang minute burst to clear
thoroughly! cotton towel in case of and pork & veal. and Americano. the stronger odours
From $299, LG any messy spills. From $21.35 per kg, From $4.50, quickly.
authorised retailers $399, Hediard thefrenchgrocer.com strawxcoffee.sg $4,699, Bosch
CHEW OVER
A Taste In Time
A fleeting dalliance with oats, its beauty not fully
savoured until it was lost
WORDS SIM EE WAUN
W
e all have a piquant moment or two in strong and smelt unpleasant. Though I tried to keep it on, it soon
our lives, ensnared in the memory of a became quite unbearable, and I washed it off secretly. That meant
scent, a song, an ambient moment, a taste that I was left to hang around out of sight of the grandmother so I
on the tongue. For many of us, it could be was not found out.
a huge event in our lives, like a wedding, That was when Yee Por, her servant, came out with a small
a birth, or graduation, but there are those seemingly ordinary, bowl of midmorning snack. Sitting at the coffee table in the living
passing moments that can make an impact too, for whatever room, I tucked into this little bowl of what looked like porridge,
reason or none at all. Life changing or not, it is a moment we but was not. It was nothing I had tasted before. Bouncy, chewy,
carry with us for a lifetime. For me, it is the taste of a dish whose substantial, rice-like yet not, with flavours well integrated of
recipe and name have eluded me all this time. soy, meat, a spot of ginger perhaps, piping hot, sublime and
The dish in question is a small rice bowl of brown, soy- comforting umami. Despite the painful jaw, I wanted another
infused savoury oats, topped with a dainty sprinkling of finely bowl. To my dismay, she said there was no more, as she didn't
chopped spring onions. Not a full bowl, just about three-quarters think a sickly child would have much appetite.
full. I can still see it sitting on the wooden polished tabletop, a Yee Por never made that dish again. As it turned out, it was
Chinese soup spoon next to it waiting for me. And I can still taste a fleeting, ephemeral dalliance with oats, its beauty not fully
it. The entire morning leading up to this encounter has been savoured and appreciated until it was lost—like a great romance.
indelibly etched in my mind, all these past 40-plus years. It has haunted my palate off and on ever since. As an adult,
I tasted it once and only once when I was five years old. I was I tried replicating it a few times, but the recipe has remained
down with the mumps and could not go to kindergarten that day. elusive. The two old ladies have since gone and I did not have the
My jaw was sore and my cheeks were swollen and painful. Mum foresight to ask them—but I was still a child when they bade their
and Dad had to go to work, my siblings were in school and the final goodbyes.
only thing to do was to be deposited at my grandmother's house Perhaps I will try to make it again one of these days. Or I
for the morning. may be very lucky and chance upon a recipe for it. For sure it is a
On my arrival, my grandmother—following Chinese medical traditional Chinese one, most likely from the village of Kaiping
traditions to which she very much subscribed—prepared a bowl where she came from. It was the only sort of food Yee Por would
of deep blue liquid and with her finger, painted the Chinese word have made. 035
虎 for tiger on both my swollen cheeks. Then she released me to
play in the garden.
My mother told me years later that the blue liquid was indigo,
and TCM practices believed it to be effective in treating mumps.
(The word 'tiger' was significant, because it was believed that
the symbolic tiger would eat away the affliction that was causing
mumps.)
Anyway, back to that morning in the early 1970s...I soon
realised that the blue liquid on my cheek, now dried up, was very
ILLUSTRATION: PRISCILLA TAN
Akita - Among
Ishikawa - This the largest
peninsula which sake producers
juts into the sea in Japan with
is a cold climate more than 38
area. Sake styles Niigata - A large breweries and
here have evolved producer, this its own Institute
from rich and prefecture is of Brewing
sweet to dry famous for its
dry sake made by
highly regarded
master brewers
Yamagata
Fukui - Known - Known for
for reputable its small but
brewers with traditional
personal styles breweries
of sake
Gunma - One
Fukuoka - A
of the closest
large producer
prefectures
Kyoto - Some of to Tokyo
the oldest and
Saga - Many
most traditional
are unaware
breweries are
that besides
found here
beef, sake is Miyagi
another jewel - Specialises in
of Saga dry-style sakes,
often made
from ‘food’ rice
rather than
036
‘sake’ type rice
Ibaraki - Famous for

its roots in Samurai
Hiroshima culture and sake
- Famous for Shizuoka with water sources
using soft - Upcoming sake from no less than
water for producing region five rivers
brewing
Nagano - Boasts
Kochi - Produces
Hyogo - It is numerous
unique, light, dry
thought the breweries, small
and eminently
mineral water and large, and its
drinkable sake
ILLUSTRATION: PRISCILLA TAN
and abundant own rice called

rice gives this Miyama Nishiki
prefecture its
distinctive style
The
Sake Issue
037
PHOTO: CALVIN TAN
The Sake Issue FEATURE
Softly Does It
in Hiroshima
With soft water and long fermentations, Hiroshima’s
sakes stand apart in a class of their own
WORDS CHARLENE CHOW
J
038 ust after dawn, clouds of steam gently billow out from a grey rooftop.
Set against white façades and the blinding light of winter, the
movement is ethereal. It is the height of sake brewing season in Saijo,
a 30-minute train ride from Hiroshima city. At Kamotsuru Sake, the
largest of eight breweries here, master brewer Kouichiro Okinaga
spreads a clump of freshly steamed rice into a circle and checks its
texture. He explains that steamed rice should be “hard on the outside and
soft on the inside”. This variety is Yamada-nishiki, a prized specimen. But the
brewery also uses other types of rice like Hattan and Senbon-nishiki which they
mill in-house.
Some of the steamed rice will be brought to a hot, humid room to make
koji—steamed rice cultivated with koji mould. This step is considered the
most important in any sake brewer’s craft. In the fermentation process, koji
mould converts starch to sugar, which yeast simultaneously converts to alcohol.
But because Hiroshima’s soft water has less minerals to aid the fermentation
process, Okinaga would need to make strong, well-matured koji, and brew his
sake longer than in other sake-brewing regions, and at lower temperatures.
A signature Kamotsuru brew is Daiginjo Tokusei Gold, a premium sake with
PHOTO: KAMOTSURU
gold flakes floating within. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe served it to
former US President Barack Obama during the latter’s visit in 2014. With its
Above soft, rich taste and sweet aroma, it could be called a quintessential example of
Kamotsuru brewery Hiroshima sake.
A BIT OF HISTORY Because of these reasons, brewers here refer to
Hiroshima was not a natural sake-brewing locale Hiroshima as the birthplace of ginjo, or premium
due to its soft water. That changed in the late 19th grade sake made using rice milled to at least 60
century when Senzaburo Miura, a sake brewer per cent, often requiring longer brewing at lower
from Akitsu, Hiroshima, felt he was not making temperatures. Now, Hiroshima is probably the
very good sake and decided to go to Nada, the hub eighth largest production area by volume, with
of sake-brewing expertise, to learn techniques that its 54 breweries producing two per cent of the
could be adapted to Hiroshima’s soft water. He came country’s sake. It is also home to the industry
back and pioneered the Hiroshima-style technique, Annual Sake Awards co-run by the National
which involves brewing at low temperatures for Research Institute of Brewing (also based in
longer periods of time. Hiroshima) and the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers
One advantage Hiroshima brewers had, Association.
though, was being exposed early to rice milling
technologies, as rice-milling revolutionary Satake DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS
Corporation was based in Hiroshima. In fact, they “Hiroshima sake boasts a solid umami and full
made Japan’s very first power-driven rice milling mouth-feel and is generally characterised as soft,
machine which they sold to Kamotsuru in 1896. rich and sweet. This is a result of good, strong koji
Other prefectures started sitting up and taking needed due to the soft, slow-fermenting water”,
notice when Hiroshima won the top two awards explains John Gauntner, author of sake books like
in the First National Refined Sake Competition in Sake Confidential: A Beyond-the-basics Guide to
1907. Since then, Hiroshima breweries have been Understanding, Tasting, Selection, and Enjoyment. The
winning their fair share of national awards. cuisine of the region influences the sake’s style as
well. According to him, the “unique white-fleshed
fish of the Seto Inland Sea which the prefecture
borders and Hiroshima’s famous oysters” also
account for the gentle flavours of the region’s sake.
While this is the general Hiroshima sake
profile, brewers here, like their counterparts in
other prefectures, each have their own points of
uniqueness, making tweaks to one or some of the
variables of sake-making, such as rice, koji, and
Clockwise from yeast, or perhaps finding a niche by focusing on
right Saijo, a sake a certain brewing technique. Two breweries, both
town with eight based in the heritage city of Takehara, Hiroshima,
breweries; Kouichiro for instance, brew with soft water and the slow 039
Okinaga, master
brewer of Kamotsuru
fermentation that is required of it, but produce very
brewery; Koji-making at different expressions of Hiroshima-esque sake.
Kamotsuru brewery
PHOTOS: SAIJO TOURISM ASSOCAITION, KAMOTSURU
Clockwise from right Removing freshly
steamed rice from rice steamer at Fujii
brewery; Ryusei sakes made by Fujii brewery;
President Tsuyoshi Nakao of Nakao Sake
Brewery walking us through the fermentation
process; Norihiro Fujii (third from left) and
team at Fujii brewery
Fujii Shuzou, owned by fifth generation

Yoshifumi Fujii, is a boutique brewery located along
Honmachi Street in the conservation district of
Takehara, lined with houses and shops adorned by
040 traditional lattice wood. Under the brand Ryusei,
Fujii makes only junmai (brewed with rice, water
and koji with no alcohol added), 10 per cent of it
made using the original ‘kimoto’ method of making
a yeast starter, and using naturally occurring yeast.
This style of sake tends to be heavier, gamier and
more robust.
Norihiro Fujii, Senior Managing Director and
son of fifth generation owner Yoshifumi Fujii says,
“I would describe our sakes as soft, dry and bold.”
He adds that they continue to use the long-drawn
kimoto method because it gives the sake more
complexity. It is also a reflection of their local
atmosphere as the yeast influencing their sake may
PHOTOS: PETER WELD, CHARLENE CHOW
change every year, depending on the types of yeast

living in their brewery, and factors such as weather
and humidity. In their tasting room, Fujii senior
shares that their kimoto-style sake made with 100
per cent Bizen Omachi rice won first place in the
First National Refined Sake Competition in 1907.
Some kimoto-style sake is even better drunk warm,
he says. He heats his Ryusei Gold Kimoto Junmai
Daiginjo to about 55 to 60 degrees Celsius, and asks manager and sake sommelier of Boruto, Kamotsuru
us to try it. Indeed, it deepened the flavours of an Itteki Nyukon Junmai Ginjo is her Hiroshima sake
already complex, rich brew with refreshing acidity. of choice. “It has a light body with a fresh, smooth
A short distance away, Nakao Sake Brewery’s taste. This sake is easy to pair with our food and the
clinical, factory-like exterior couldn’t look more price is very affordable. Drinkers who prefer a mild
different. Says its president Tsuyoshi Nakao, “Sake and smooth taste will like Hiroshima sake.”
produced in Hiroshima is often referred to as
‘feminine sake’ because it is soft and well rounded.
In addition to being Hiroshima style sake, our
sake gives clarity and sharpness.” One of their
trademarks is a proprietary apple yeast that the
brewery uses to make about 20 per cent of its sake. A few places
Only 3,000 bottles of their coveted Maboroshi
Kurobako junmai daiginjo made with apple yeast
where you can try
are available each year and has to be ordered a year Hiroshima sake:
in advance. The sample we tasted at the brewery
was refreshing, with a fresh fruity aroma and long Where: Akanoya Robatayaki, #01-01 Orchard
finish. Parade Hotel, 1 Tanglin Rd. Tel: 6732 1866;
While maintaining the heritage of his akanoya.com.sg
forefathers, Nakao tweaks his brewing method Brand and Brewery: Fukucho (Imada Sake
in pursuit of the perfect brew. This year, he tried Brewery)
tweaking the koji. “Usually, 20 per cent of the
total volume of rice used is koji. We brewed with Where: Bar Ippudo, #04-23, Shaw Centre,
less koji volume to give the sake more flavour and 1 Scotts Road. Tel: 6235 2547; barippudo.com
aroma, and a good, quick finish,” he says. To do this, Brand and Brewery: Ryusei (Fujii Shuzou),
the brewery spent much effort in R&D, analysing Suishin (Suishin Yamane Honten), Hakuko
the characteristics of koji, right down to the level (Morikawa Shuzo), Honshuichi (Umeda-
of how much enzymes certain types of koji can Shuzou)
produce. “We went in search for ways to maximise
the power of koji. Since our koji is robust, we can Where: Boruto, #01-01 Golden Castle
reduce its volume.” Building, 80 South Bridge Rd. Tel: 6532 0418;
boruto.com.sg
LOOKING OUTWARDS Brand and Brewery: Ugo No Tsuki (Aihara
While only about three per cent of Japan’s total Shuzo), Hanahato (Enoki Shuzo Brewery),
sake production is exported, it is steadily rising, Kamotsuru (Kamotsuru Sake)
increasing about 1.6 times in the last five years from 041
8.5 billion yen worth in 2010 to 14 billion yen in Where: Ki-Sho and Kakure Sake Bar,
2015. Among Hiroshima breweries, over 40 per cent 29 Scotts Road. Tel: 6733 5251; ki-sho.com.sg
of them export their sake to countries such as USA, Brand and Brewery: Kamotsuru
Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. (Kamotsuru Sake)
Back in Singapore, a straw poll among major
sake importers shows that Hiroshima sake’s Where: Orihara Shoten, Robertson Walk.
presence in the market is at a nascent stage. Tel: 6836 5680; sg.oriharashoten.jp
Says Cherul Natalia, product manager and sake Brand and Brewery: Seikyo, Maboroshi
sommelier of Whistler Wine and Spirits Pte Ltd, (Nakao Sake Brewery), Kamotsuru
“Singapore is still a very young market as far as (Kamotsuru Sake)
sake is concerned. It is an unsettled market where
consumers here are experiencing sakes from all Where: Rebel Chefs SG, #01-12,
over Japan and new labels just keep coming. From 88 East Coast Road. Tel: 9823 8882
what we see, Hiroshima sake sales isn’t as big as Brand and Brewery: Kamoizumi
from other regions like Niigata or Fukui.” (Kamoizumi Shuzo)
But there are enough experts here who know the
wonders of Hiroshima sake and are happy to have Where: Ginza Sushi Ichi, Singapore Marriott
it on their drinks menu. Tomomi Ukaji, restaurant Tang Plaza Hotel, 320 Orchard Road.
manager and sommelier at Ginza Sushi Ichi, for Tel: 6235 5514; ginza-sushiichi.jp/english
instance, shares that Aihara Shuzo in Hiroshima is Brand and Brewery: Ugo No Tsuki
one of his favourite sake breweries. For Ellice Teo, (Aihara Shuzo), Kamotsuru (Kamotsuru Sake)
PHOTO: PETER WELD
The Sake Issue PROFILE
The Alchemist
Like the sake she makes, Miho Imada, master brewer of Imada Sake
Brewery, Hiroshima, is one who pushes the boundaries
WORDS CHARLENE CHOW
In late January, Miho Imada’s brewery in the port

town of Akitsu, Hiroshima, is abuzz with the vigour of
sake-brewing season. With just eight workers, family
members included, Imada Sake Brewery of the Fukucho
brand of sake has a production run of around 108,000
litres a year making premium grade sake. It includes
two of her bestsellers, Junmai Ginjo Yamada Nishiki
and Junmai Daiginjo Hattanso 50. “Financially, it is
best if our production is around 180,000 litres a year,”
says Imada. “We need to invest in equipment and good
people. It will take time, but I am working towards
reaching that number.”
A brewery of such modest scale is not uncommon in
Japan. What’s more special is that Imada is one of only
20-odd female tojis, or master brewers, in the country.
Does she see herself as one who has broken the glass 043
ceiling? She says it is not an issue for her—maybe in
other prefectures, lady tojis might face glances askance,
but not in Hiroshima, which is rather liberal. “In the
past, the work was more physically demanding, and it
may have been hard for women. Today, the work in the
brewery is much improved,” she adds.
A more significant point for her though, is the
Hattanso sake rice she uses. She shows us a stalk of
this ancient strain of Hiroshima rice: it is almost her
height. Hers is the only brewery to use it, and it comes
with a fair share of challenges. Dating back to 1875, the
rice has long stalks which do not line up at the same
height, making it hard to farm. It also produces low
Opposite page
yields. The rice grain itself is hard, making it difficult
Miho Imada for koji—the mould that converts starch to sugar
during sake-making—to penetrate the centre of the
From top Rice grain where most of the starch is. Because of these
PHOTOS: PETER WELD
steamer; Scooping difficulties, cultivating this strain in its original form

freshly steamed rice for
use in the next stages
fell out of favour. But in 2001, Imada made the effort
of the sake-brewing to revive the cultivation of Hattanso rice. It took about
process five years working with four rice farmers to grow it
breakfast and hearing them sing before going to
school.” But she never thought she would end up
taking over the family business or becoming a toji.
The eldest in her family, she went to university
in Tokyo, then stayed on to work there, first at a
department store, then in the production of Noh
theatre. “Once, I was in Tokyo out drinking sake,
and happened to drink my brewery’s sake—it was
not good. That was when I decided to do something
about it.” That, the bursting of the economic bubble
in the late 1980’s and the fact that none of her
siblings wanted to take over brought her back to the
brewery.
Imada went straight to work as an apprentice
to the previous toji, before she assumed the role
herself 15 years ago. What attracts her most about
being toji? “It is very fun, interesting and creative.
It’s about the combination of the right koji with
the right yeast to make a well-balanced sake. We
adjust our methods year by year, always using our
experience and knowledge to make a better sake
successfully to make sake. Now, about 40 per cent than the one we did before.”
of her premium sake is made with Hattanso—an Says her father and president of the brewery
effort that was well worth it. “Hattanso is the Yukinao Imada, “I never asked my daughter to
original. It is indigenous and gives the authentic become the next toji. But she wanted to make sake,
flavour of Hiroshima,” she says. so I let her do it.” He tasted the new sake brewed
In the brewery, she climbs the wooden staircase this season just a month ago, and told her that it
to her fermentation tanks, coloured a cheerful apple was completely different from the ones they used to
green. Fanning the air above an open vat to let us make. Perhaps this is a recognition that the changes
get a whiff of the light, fresh aroma of her sake Imada has made since she became toji has helped to
coming into being, she explains that she matures evolve Fukucho’s brand and style.
her sake in bottles, rather than in tanks, to preserve For Imada, the brewing process is its own reward.
044 their natural aroma. “Sake is pressed, then in a She says, “My sake teaches me. I am happy that I now
week or so, it is bottled. On the day of bottling, it is have a skill to make other people happy.”
pasteurised. Then it is left to mature in the bottle.
I want to achieve a fresh aroma and soft texture in
my sake,” she explains. “To do that, I do not want
any oxidation. By bottling right after the pressing,
it does not go through extra time in the tank, and
keeps the fresh aroma and soft textures that I
want.”
At her family home next to the brewery, we
are seated on tatami mats in the living room and
served lightly battered Hiroshima oysters prepared
by Imada’s mother. With it, we try eight of their
premium sakes including Junmai Daiginjo Hattanso
Clockwise from
50 and Junmai Ginjo Hattanso Muroka Nama
top left Miho Imada Genshu. The latter was our favourite: light, smooth
with a stalk of Hattanso and lively, almost dancing on the palate.
rice; Fukucho sake at a The thought of how to make a better brew is
sake bar in Shinagawa
PHOTO: PETER WELD
never far from Imada’s mind. In fact, it runs in

station, Tokyo; Tasting
sake at Imada’s
her blood as her family has been in this business
residence; Members of since 1868. “In the old days, brewery workers used
Imada Sake Brewery to sing a song during brewing. I remember having
The Sake Issue SPOTLIGHT
Flower
Power
L
ocated in Saga Prefecture, Amabuki brewery is one of only a few
sake producers in Japan that uses yeast cultivated off flowers to
make their wines. At a recent tasting at Lewin Terrace organised
by the brewery, a handful of Amabuki sakes showcased how
different flower yeasts can imbue unique elements into each wine.
Of note, the Yamahai Junmai Omachi uses yeast from marigold flowers.
The traditional yamahai brewing method helps amplify the marigold aroma
and flavours, which are immediately noticeable. Similarly, the Amabuki
Junmai Ginjo Ichigo presents a distinct fruity sweetness, characteristic of the
strawberry flower yeast used. Diners at Lewin Terrace can sample the Junmai
Daiginjo Ringo, made with apple flower yeast ($26); Daiginjo 40, made with
abelia yeast ($18); and Yamaha Junmai Omachi ($28) by the 100ml glass. Or opt
for a sake flight featuring 50ml each of the three sakes for $35.
The sakes can also be purchased at forgoodnessake.sg.
Lewin Terrace, 21 Lewin Terrace. Tel: 6333 9905
The Sake Issue FEATURE
Sake’s
New Frontiers
Japanese rice wine production is not impervious
to globalisation. A growing breed of sake brewers
outside of Japan are giving the tipple a new identity
WORDS LIN WEIWEN
046
Australia’s New South

Wales is home to Sun
Masamune, a sake
brewery
J
ust an hour’s drive from Sydney lies Noble’s sake journey in Australia is more than
Penrith, a suburban town where beer rules two decades long: in 1988, Sun Masamune began
the bars and breweries spring forth. Brewer working with the Rice Growers Co-operative to
Allan Noble is somewhat of an oddity in experiment making sake from Australian rice in
this fraternity, but he is quietly making a facility in Leeton, New South Wales. In 1998, the
history in this corner of New South brewery was built at its current location, and is now
Wales. Noble manages Sun Masamune, a sake owned by Konishi Brewing, the oldest sake producer
brewery. Indeed, he is Australia’s first and only in Japan. During those years, two other sake
sake producer. breweries came and went, leaving Noble’s outfit as
“Our sakes listen to the bell birds in our the Alamo of sake production in Down Under.
backyard as they mature [in the cellar],” quips But Noble has company in other parts of the
Noble, who is of Australian-Japanese parentage world. Sun Masamune is one of a growing number
and grew up in Japan before moving to Australia. of sake breweries emerging outside of Japan.
Sun Masamune brewery sits on the bank of the Like whisky production, which was privy to the
Nepean River facing the Blue Mountains. It makes Scots until the Japanese and Taiwanese decided
over 100,000 bottles a year, and exports 80 per cent to crash in on the party, sake making is turning
of its production. Its sakes, such as the premium global. SakeOne Brewery in the U.S., Nøgne Ø Sake
junmai go-shu, can be found at top Sydney eateries Brewery in Norway, and Arran Brewery in Scotland
like Azuma and Quay Restaurant. are just some of the international brewers who are
giving a new face to the traditional Japanese spirit.
047
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
048
Clockwise
from top left
Brock Bennett, toji of
Nøgne Ø Sake Brewery;
Sun Masamune makes
over 100,000 bottles a
year; Allan Noble of Sun
Masamune (left) shows
visitors around his
brewery; Nøgne Ø Sake
Brewery in Grimstad,
Norway
RICE MATTERS them to create their own original sake taste and
Sake making in Japan is a ritualistic dance with the character,” says Maria Satoh, a sake specialist and
seasons, water and rice. Rice harvested in autumn senior sales and marketing manager of Orihara, a
is milled to various kernel sizes to match different sake bar and importer in Singapore.
sake grades. (A ginjo tells you that 40 per cent of Other sake breweries think ‘glocal’, using
the grain has been removed, while a daiginjo means Japanese grains planted on their own land instead.
at least 50 per cent of the kernel has been polished Sun Masamune’s history of working with Aussie
away, resulting in cleaner flavours as the shinpaku, rice farmers has paid off: today, they use Australian
or starch nucleus, becomes more exposed). In medium grain Japonica rice. The brewery also mills
winter, the rice is soaked, steamed and mixed its own rice on-site.
with koji—rice cultivated with mould—before Over in Oregon, SakeOne Brewery—which
undergoing fermentation, pressing and ageing. As was built in 1997 under the guidance of Japan’s
spring arrives, production wraps up. Momokawa Brewery—uses organic and non-
Climatic differences mean that foreign sake organic Calrose rice from California. “Calrose is a
breweries don’t necessarily have to follow such a medium grain hybrid rice created from Californian
schedule. Nøgne Ø Sake Brewery, which began as a long grain and Japonica short grain,” explains Greg
beer producer before taking on sake-making duties Lorenz, sake master of SakeOne Brewery. “It is
in 2010, is located in Grimstad, southern Norway, also used by most of the American sake breweries,
where winter is protracted, and summer is mild including those which are satellite breweries of
and short. Sake brewing occurs throughout the year, Japanese sake companies like Takara and Ozeki.”
thanks to a temperature-controlled fermentation SakeOne Brewery receives rice with 10 per cent
room that ensures crucial requirements—such as of the grain already removed, before polishing it
humidity for koji to develop—are met. It also helps down to ginjo grades with the facility’s own milling
that Nøgne Ø Sake Brewery imports Ginpu rice, machine.
already milled, from Hokkaido. The jewel in SakeOne’s range of sakes is the
“Ginpu is a great rice as it has relatively high G Fifty, a genshu-style (undiluted) spirit with
solubility. Its large, well-defined shinpaku suits the a seimaibuai of 50 per cent, qualifying it as a
rich and full-bodied style of sake we make, which daiginjo. It is minerally and minty, and the brewery
pairs well with European and Nordic cuisines,” says recommends pairing it with fish and salads.
Brock Bennett, the toji or head brewer of Nøgne
Ø Sake Brewery. Bennett adds that their Ginpu is THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS
polished to 68 per cent seimaibuai (a Japanese term SakeOne Brewery complements its line-up of 049
for polishing ratio), which means 32 per cent of the American rice ambrosias with Japanese sakes
grain has been removed. “With our relatively small from breweries like Kibo and Kasumi Tsuru. “The
production level of 7,500 litres per year, the high
cost of having our own rice-polishing technology
does not make economic sense,” he adds. “We
keep our rice in cold storage until it is needed for
brewing.”
Using quality Japanese rice is a great option,
but Nøgne Ø Sake Brewery is aware that regional
provenance shapes sake identity, a sort of terroir
in a cup, if you will. That is why they have recently
made a sake using Carnaroli rice from Italy—grains
commonly used for risotto. Bennett says this is
“part of our long term plan to make some of our
sakes 100 per cent European”.
Nøgne Ø Sake Brewery’s innovative approach
to grain-sourcing highlights one of the advantages
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
of making sake abroad: foreign toji, unlike their

Right The maritime
peers in Japan, aren’t tied down by any brewing
town of Grimstad, tradition. “Some foreign breweries may not have
Norway the supervision of a Japanese toji, but this allows
Sake makers
outside of Japan
Sun Masamune
The brewery uses Japanese medium grain
rice grown on Aussie soil. It also sells Ume-
shu (plum wine) at its cellar door.
sun-masamune.com.au
Arran Brewery
The Scotland-based beer producer is
currently setting up its sake production and
aims to become Britain’s first sake maker.
arranbrewery.co.uk
Artisan SakeMaker
Located on Granville Island, Vancouver, the
brewery makes sake from Japanese and
bulk of our sake sales are in the U.S., although we
American rice.
do distribute to Canada, Latin America and the
artisansakemaker.com
Caribbean Islands,” says Valerie Fayette, marketing
director of SakeOne. “America comprises a mix
Cedar River Brewing Company
of ethnicities and cultures, and sake enthusiasts
The Seattle-based brewery is known for its
represent this multicultural diversity.” Fayette
small batch sake production. Water from the
notes that there are about a dozen other craft sake
pristine Cedar River is used for brewing.
brewers in America, such as Moto-I in Minnesota
cedarriverbrewing.com
and Cedar River Brewing Company in Washington,
and she expects this figure to grow over the next
Nøgne Ø Sake Brewery
few years.
Norway’s only sake producer makes five types
You wouldn’t bet against Fayette’s prediction.
of sake, including a sparkling sake and a nigori
Among the sake producing countries outside
(cloudy, unfiltered sake).
of Japan, the U.S. is shaping up to be a fertile
nogne-o.com
ground for homegrown sake breweries. Sake is
hip in America today. The increase of sake bars in
SakeOne Brewery
050 New York and Los Angeles means that premium
Based in Oregon, the brewery imported
imported sakes, once accessible to only snazzy
its brewing machines from Japan, and also
diners in pricey Japanese restaurants, now have a
boasts a traditional cedar-lined room for
wider platform to court and educate the masses.
cultivating koji.
“In Australia, the popularity of Japanese
sakeone.com
cuisine has opened up more opportunities for sake
[appreciation],” remarks Noble. But he notes that it
is still a challenging landscape for sake breweries to
set up as infrastructure supporting sake brewing is
very basic. “The scale of investment and projected
return will be a key question for any new starter
here,” he adds.
Satoh, who was impressed by the Yamahai
Junmai from Nøgne Ø Sake Brewery, thinks it
will be some time before the quality of foreign
sakes hits parity with their Japanese counterparts.
Perhaps for now, these non-Japanese ambrosias
can count on their English labels as a distinct
Top Nøgne Ø Sake communication advantage. “There wouldn’t be
Brewery makes a range
of sakes including
any issue with indecipherable Japanese kanji
sparkling and aged descriptions,” opines Satoh. “Their products will be
tipples easier to market.”
Clockwise from
left SakeOne
Brewery’s sake master
Greg Lorenz (right)
and his assistant
Juan Hernandez;
SakeOne Brewery’s
range of organic sakes;
Spreading the koji at
SakeOne Brewery;
Tasting at SakeOne
Brewery
051
052
For Heaven’s Sake
A blind tasting of the ultra-premium junmai daiginjo in search of the best
WORDS JOYCELINE TULLY
Sake’s origin is unclear but The Kojiki, Japan’s first written history compiled in
712 AD already acknowledged sake’s existence then. Originally, Japanese rice
wine was produced communally. All members of a village would gather to chew
rice, chestnuts and millet, which they would then expel into a tub to ferment.
Starches in the rice mixture, thanks to saliva, would be converted to sugar, and
so the brewing (or fermentation) process began soon after the tub was filled.
These days, short-grain pearl rice is husked and polished, washed, soaked,
steamed and cooled. Then koji, the fungus-covered rice that helps fermentation,
yeast and pure spring water are added to the rice, and the mixture is then
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
fermented for about four weeks. The fermented wine is filtered, skimmed,
pasteurised and bottled.
As for what differentiates the finest of sakes from the run of the mill, sake
cognoscenti are known to seek out any sake that bears the Japanese word ‘ginjo’.
TASTING
Ginjo is short for ginjo-shu, meaning premium. used yeasts from flowers to bestow their sake with
But there is more. The highest subclass of ginjo is unique floral tones.
daiginjo. Indeed, ginjo-shu at the daiginjo level has
been deemed to have the most complex yet delicate TASTING SAKE
flavour profiles that span from the fruit to the floral Scientists on analysing sake found it to contain 400
and herbal. It all hinges on rice milling. congeners (flavour agents). As such, knowledgeable
tasters have developed hundreds of terms to
ALL IN THE RICE describe aroma and taste.
Of the 200 or so types of rice, only 30 varieties are A sake can be described as kunshu (fresh,
deemed suitable for sake. And yet, it’s not the rice, fragrant and refreshing); koshu (light clean aromas
but the milling that determines a sake’s premium and brisk flavour); jukushu (aged and mellow with
status. Unlike lower grades of sake, the rice used deep flavour) and junshu (rich with full flavour).
in brewing ginjo-shu is milled heavily so that Compared to honjozo (basic level) sake, junmai
much of the outer grain is removed. The fats and daiginjo sakes are texturally richer, and the overall
proteins lurking in the outer part of the kernels impact tends to be more powerful.
are discarded, so the starches concentrated in the Additionally, a sake can taste amai (sweet),
centre of the grain can easily ferment. karai (dry), nigai (bitter), suppai (tart) and shibui
For basic sake, only 30 per cent is milled away. (astringent). The finest sakes will have a multi-
For ginjo-shu quality, at least 40 per cent of the dimensional taste. They will also seem to linger and
grain must be removed. You can thus surmise that hang out (with the finish or tail called kire), with
brewing with 50 per cent of the grain results in either a puckering acidity or stubborn sweetness
the ultra-premium junmai daiginjo sake. At these that stays to be savoured for minutes afterwards.
levels, it takes at least 30 to 40 per cent more rice Even an untutored and untrained palate can
to produce the same amount of premium sake quickly learn to distinguish a fine sake from a
compared to basic sake. mediocre one. A sake master once said: “On tasting
sake, enjoy the aroma, the flavour, and how much
THE IMPORTANCE OF YEAST the sake’s flavours linger after swallowing. The best
Yeast is one of the most important factors have flavours of rice, are balanced between the dry
influencing the flavour and aroma of sake. Lately, and sweet, and have a fragrance reminiscent of
dozens of new yeast strains have been developed for flowers. You’ll never get bored with drinking such
sake. Just like in the making of grape wines, unique sakes.”
yeast strains will give rise to an array of unique
chemical compounds, such as esters, alcohols SAKE DECODER 053
and acids that affect the nuances of fragrance Enjoy sake but can’t figure out the labels?
and flavour in a sake. Some breweries, including Differentiate amongst the various grades of sake
Amabuki Shuzo Co. Ltd, have even extracted and with the table below.
GRADING CLASSIFICATION
Premium
Junmai Honjozo (with added alcohol)
(at least 30 per cent husk milled away)
Premium
(between 30 to 40 per cent husk milled away; Tokubetsu Junmai Tokubetsu Honjozo (with added alcohol)
or use of special sake rice)
Super Premium
Junmai Ginjo Ginjo (with added alcohol)
Ultra Premium
Junmai Daiginjo Daiginjo (with added alcohol)
descriptors to describe the sensory qualities of
wine. He also co-developed the Asian Wine Lexicon,
a project to help new wine consumers in Asia
describe wines in their own context.
Eric Eu
Eric Eu was formerly a sommelier at Raffles Hotel
Singapore, working under wine director Stephan
Soret. He was also part of the opening team at Park
Hotel Alexandra. He is now a restaurant manager at
Mo’mor Izakaya, and oversees business operations
and the beverage list.
Daisuke Kawai
Daisuke Kawai is the award-winning sommelier at
La Terre. He has over 20 years of experience in the
industry, specialising in wines, sake and whisky.
He was crowned Best Sommelier of the Year 2013
in the the Singapore World Gourmet Series Awards
of Excellence. He has also won numerous other
awards, including those by the Japan Sommelier
Association, Academy of Wines of Portugal and
Society of Wine Educators.
Edwin Soon
Edwin Soon is a trained oenologist, a veteran wine
journalist, wine speaker, author and a co-founder
of the Asian Wine Lexicon. He is also Wine & Dine’s
contributing wine editor.
054
OUR VENUE
Mo’mor Izakaya is a contemporary izakaya tucked
away on the fringes of Orchard Road. Helmed by
award-winning industry veteran, chef Martin Woo,
the menu comprises well-priced tapas and grill
THE TASTING items such as charcoal grilled whole Japanese squid
Most sake in Japan are consumed warm; yet it is spiked with fermented chilli bean paste ($19) and
universally acknowledged that the finest brews skewered Matsusaka A4 wagyu beef ($28) paired
produced in the last few decades have been those with a rich goma dressing. For a more extravagant
that are served slightly chilled. spread, tuck into mains like grilled Iberico poirk
With more than 6,000 brands of sake in Japan, collar ($30) and rock lobster ($11 per 100g) with
Wine & Dine throws the spotlight on ultra-premium creamy mentaiko hollandaise.
junmai daiginjo available in Singapore. These sakes The izakaya prides itself on its unfiltered and
were all tasted blind. unpasteurised draft sake that’s air-flown from
Hyogo prefecture in Japan. It also offers a specially
The judging panellists consisted of: curated sake list that covers diverse sake styles at a
Daniel Chia good range of prices. Enjoy your choice of tipple al
Daniel Chia is a senior wine lecturer at Temasek fresco, or indoors in air-conditioned comfort.
Polytechnic. In his former life, he was at times #B1-01 Tanglin Post Office (Opposite Tanglin
Above Our tasting a sommelier and a restaurant and bar manager. Mall), 56 Tanglin Road. Tel: 6463 8080
venue, Mo’mor Izakaya Daniel was one of the pioneers to use local flavour momor.com.sg
TASTING NOTES
Kita no Nishiki, Hideyoshi Junmai Yamamoto Junmai Yukinobosha Junmai Akaeboshi, Yamagata
Hokkaido Daiginjo, Akita Daiginjo, Akita Daiginjou, Akita Wakka Singapore
Wakka Singapore Inter Rice Asia Epicurean Nomads Orihara Dominating rice
With hints of melon, Delicate aromas with Subtle aromas of Forward nose, but aromas, and very clean
this sake comes across flowers, white peaches, citrus fruit, banana lightly fragrant with with a hint of spice.
fruity with medium persimmon and a touch and tropical fruit. pure rice aromas. Light Alcohol and a fruity
intensity. It has a of spice. Balanced on Flavoursome, delicate in body, texture and palate make this a
velvety texture and is the sweet side, lightly and refined texture, alcohol, and beautifully powerful sake.
dense, voluminous, warm and refreshing uncomplicated, balanced between the
chunky and will pair well with a smoky, flinty tail. medium acidity, pure. dry and the sweet.
with meat dishes.
055
Gasanryu Junmai Miyakanbai Junmai Hakkaisan Kongoshin Musashino Wakimizu with Golden
Daiginjou Gokugetsu, Daiginjyo, Miyagi Junmai Daiginjyo, Kasugayama Ten To Leaf, Niigata
Yamagata Epicurean Nomads Niigata Chi Junmai Daiginjo, Wakka Singapore
Orihara Yeasty on the nose and Whistler Wine & Spirits Niigata Fruity and floral, but
Moderate strength. fruity on the palate. Panellists were Inter Rice Asia clean on the nose.
A melange of floral Rich, smooth texture, undecided if they liked Unique. Yeasty-soy Medium texture and
and green apple notes spicy overtones leading its oxidative style, but notes with nuances of body, refreshing palate
PRODUCT SHOTS: CHAI SOONG
giving way to rice. up to malt and sweaty this powerful alcoholic green plums led the with notes of banana
Moderate strength and notes. A sharp, dry, sake with aromas of way. Robust on the and walnut. Good
incredibly smooth with pure style. This is a uncooked rice grains, a palate, heavy, dense balance of dryness and
none of the alcohol favourite of Daisuke. hint of sweetness and and fruity even with bitterness.
sweetness or burn. refreshing palate won sweet rice with husks.
them over eventually.
Kirinzan Junmai Mizubasho PURE Masumi Nanago Kita Alps Junmai Fukugen Nama Junmai
Daiginjou, Niigata Junmai Daiginjo, Junmai Daiginjyo, Daiginjo, Nagano Daiginjo, Nagano
Orihara Gunma Nagano Leigh Atelier Leigh Atelier
Delicate nose with a Epicurean Nomads Whistler Wine & Spirits Yeastiness on the The epitome of an easy
hint of rice and melon; Sparkling style, dry, Tropical nuances of ripe nose with some bright drinking style. Brilliant
moderate density with lightly effervescent starfruit. Deep yellow floral-fruity flavours. silver colour with fresh
a pure, simple, clear, and lively. Melon and in colour. Yeasty nose, Balanced, lengthy and subtle fruit, balance and
smooth style. Quite rice overtones, and quite mature; Japanese pure with a clean finish. a long, long tail (finish).
enjoyable. a clean finish with a pickles. Vibrant with
light bitterness. Eric fruit nose, good
counts this amongst his balance. Nice balance of
favourites. acidity and bitterness.
056
Wataribune Junmai Jyokigen Junmai Tedorigawa Junmai Hanagaki Okutaru JDG Wakatake Onna
Daiginjo, Ibaraki Daiginjyo Kiss of Fire, Daiginjou Honryu, (GB), Fukui Nakase (Crying Lady),
Epicurean Nomads Ishikawa Ishikawa Whistler Wine & Spirits Shizuoka
Apples and grapefruit Whistler Wine & Spirits Orihara A departure from Tanesei Trading
allied with savoury Shiny lemon yellow A moderate, smooth what is expected Clean, pure, round
notes. This is quite colour. Savoury with sake, this is rich of sake. Closer to a and smooth, with
complex with a dry and green banana hints. and pleasing. To be Chardonnay, this sake persimmon flavours.
sharp texture, likened Milky texture, clean rice savoured for its purity is yellow gold, oaky and Texture is milky, and
to that of acidity in notes and freshness. and balance. astringent from wood one senses some heat
yoghurt and a bitter Medium-plus weight aging, with big flavours at the end. Lingering
aftertaste. Memorable. and round finish. of pineapple, toast, vanilla and nut flavours.
nuts and evocative of Another favourite of
Christmas spice cake. Daisuke.
Other Sake Styles
Kijoshu Rich, sweet and port-like
Happo Seishu Sparkling sake
Nigori Milky white ‘cloudy’ sake. 057
Koshu Matured or aged in stainless steel

tanks from three to seven years
Tarusake Sake aged for a shorter time

and in cedar or wine casks
The Sake Meter

Value (SMV)
The SMV system measures the density of a
sake. Negative numbers on the scale (as low
as -5 or so) are the sweetest. Sakes with a
PHOTOS: CHAI SOONG
+10 SMV are considered dry, or karakuchi,

while sakes with a +15 SMV are considered
extra dry, or cho-karakuchi.
Clockwise from
right Our tasting
panellists Daniel and
Eric; Edwin, our wine
058 editor; Award-winning
sommelier Daisuke
Kawai; Senior wine
lecturer Daniel Chia
PHOTOS: CHAI SOONG
Kitagawa Tomioh Gin Sawanotsuru Minume Sawanotsuru Junmai Ryusei Bekkakuhin Suigei Junmai Daiginjo
No Tsukasa Junmai Kimoto Daiginyo Sake, Daiginjyo Zuicho, Kimoto Junmai Yamadanishik, Kochi
Daiginjyo, Kyoto Hyogo Hyogo Daiginjo, Hiroshima Ippudo Singapore
Whistler Wine & Spirits Kirei Food Kirei Food Ippudo Singapore Clear silver. Grapefruit,
Light yellow. Melon Medium yellow. Intense Clean rice aroma and Yellow colour. Yeasty, citrus notes with a
yoghurt pie aromas. nose of bananas with flavours. Comes across with a hint of fruitiness, pleasant balance. The
Yes, it is yeasty, but it is wood and pine nuances. as a pleasant everyday Japanese pickles, acidity does give way to
also easy drinking given Fruity palate, big round drinking sake. Harmony rice and sauce notes; heavy viscosity in the
its moderate acidity finish. Flavours of of bitterness and some age detected but texture.
and sweet finish. newly harvested rice acidity. A unanimous otherwise, clean and
with complexity and two- star rating for complex with a long tail.
delicacy. this sake.
a last word from

our panellists...
Daniel
“I am happy to see so many Japanese sake 059
importers and range of sakes compared to 10
years ago.”
Eric
“Quite a number of prefectures were
represented with diverse styles and all
showed well. I loved the sparkling sake.”
Bijoufu Junmai Yama No Kotobuki Nabeshima Junmai Daisuke

Daiginjou Mai, Kochi BaSaRa Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama, Saga “Lots of characterful sakes... I am excited to
Orihara Daiginjo, Fukuoka Epicurean Nomads return to world of sake, thanks to this tasting
Subtle with red fruit, Ippudo Singapore Aromas of melon, fruit of junmai daiginjo!”
wheat and ripe banana Bright yellow. Very and yoghurt. Lively
on the palate. Clear and sweet nose, followed by on the palate, given Edwin
smooth watery texture a palate that is sweet its refreshing acidity. “After the reveal, it would seem that in general
with an intriguing fruit, and rich with flavours of Makes for a great sake prices do reflect quality (or rather my
floral nose. sour plums, Japanese aperitif. preferences), which makes shopping a breeze
pickles and apple-like since I am label-challenged.”
acidity with a certain
steely minerality. Pure
and refreshing.
SAKE
060
BAR
NONE
Cook it, drink it and love it—sake
is the inspiration behind these five
moreish recipes by chef Justin
Hammond of Neon Pigeon. And the
best way to enjoy them is, of course,
with some sake to hand
WORDS JOYCELINE TULLY ART DIRECTION PEARL LIM STYLING PRISCILLA TAN PHOTOGRAPHY CALVIN TAN
The Sake Issue RECIPES
Miso clams Dainty

nibbles that are big on
flavour and a cinch to
pull together
061
Miso Clams Unagi Rice 3. In a heavy-based saucepan, toast the rice
Serves 4 Serves 4 in 2 tbsp oil for 6 mins. Gradually add the
This dish is gorgeous in its simplicity, and This is classic Japanese unagi don—well, miso and onion mixture, 1 cup at a time,
was inspired by a dish chef Hammond almost. Chef Hammond uses paella rice until all liquid is absorbed into the rice,
sampled in Bali. It is a cinch to prepare, instead of Japanese rice for more bite. He stirring continuously. Keep cooking and
and works well as a starter or simply as a also adds a sprinkle of nori tempura for stirring until a crust forms at the bottom
snack to go with beer, wine and yes, sake. added crunch. of the pan. The rice should be al dente;
add a little bit of water if it’s undercooked.
12 venus clams 1 fillet Japanese barbecued eel, about 4. Make a little well in the centre of the rice
1 sprig Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly 200g, roughly chopped and place the egg yolk in. Arrange the eel
chopped, to garnish 2 large yellow onions, sliced and top with spring onions, snap peas
1 tbsp unsalted butter and crispy tempura nori. Sprinkle vinegar
For the miso glaze 1 + 2 tbsp oil over rice. Serve hot in pan at the table and
20ml mirin 1.2L water mix well.
20ml sake 50g white miso
25g red miso 400g paella rice
25g white miso 6 sugar snap peas, blanched and cut
in half
1. Prepare the miso glaze. Place mirin and 2 stalks spring onions, finely sliced
sake in a saucepan and cook over medium 1 egg yolk
fire until all the alcohol is burnt off. Take 1 tsp white vinegar
off heat, and add in both miso pastes.
Mix until smooth. For the nori tempura
2. Grill the clams over charcoal fire until just 1 nori sheet, about A4 size
opened. Remove the top shells and spoon 120g plain flour
about 1½ tsp of miso glaze on each 1 tsp cornstarch
clam. Place the clams back over charcoal 355ml sparkling water
fire and grill until the edges are slightly Pinch of salt
blackened. (Alternatively bake in the oven 1L vegetable oil, for frying
at 180°C for about 3 mins till the clams
open, spoon on the glaze, then return to 1. Prepare the nori tempura. Using scissors,
the oven for another 3 to 4 mins.) Transfer cut the nori sheet into 1-cm squares.
to a plate, sprinkle the parsley and serve Make the tempura batter by combining
immediately. the flour, cornstarch, water and salt in a
062 bowl. Stir well to ensure that there are
no lumps. Heat the oil in a frying pan to
180°C. Meanwhile, dip the nori squares
into the tempura batter and fry in small
batches until crispy. Drain excess oil and
set aside for later.
2. Sauté the onions over low heat in a
heavy-based saucepan with the unsalted
butter and 1 tbsp oil. Stir constantly until
the onions are caramelised. Remove
the onions from heat, cool slightly, then
transfer to a food processor and blend
until smooth. Mix the onion mixture with
1.2L water and white miso. Whisk until
smooth.
Unagi rice A classic
spiked up for
maximum impact
063
Grilled ribs with
sake barbecue sauce
064 Classic American-style
ribs with a moreish
Japanese twist
065
Celery tsukemono
Serve with crispy
deep-fried chicken skin
and chilled sake for
maximum indulgence
Grilled Ribs with Sake Barbecue Celery Tsukemono with Crispy Herb-Crusted Tuna Tataki with
Sauce Chicken Skin Glass Noodles
Serves 2 to 4 Serves 4 Serves 2 to 4
Think classic American smoked ribs Tsukemono literally means pickled Classic tataki gets a fresh herby twist in
with a Japanese twist. The moreish miso vegetables. Here, chef Hammond has chef Hammond’s iteration. He also added
barbecue sauce is very versatile and goes opted for an unusual vegetable to pickle— deep-fried glass noodles for added texture
well with fish and meats. celery. The result is quite moreish, and and a lovely pea purée to perk it up.
with crispy chicken skin thrown in for
1 rack pork ribs, about 1.3kg good measure, goes down extremely well 400g tuna fillet, sashimi grade
Fine table salt, to taste with drinks. 20g chervil, finely chopped
100g shichimi togarashi* 20g parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon, to serve 10 stalks celery, washed and trimmed 20g dill, finely chopped
1 tsp salt 20g chives, finely chopped
For the miso barbecue sauce 50ml vegetable oil
150ml mirin For the tsukemono dressing 300g peas
150ml sake 6 tbsp rice vinegar 1 clove garlic
200g red miso 3 tbsp sugar 10g mint
200g white miso ½ tsp salt 10g glass noodles
1 tsp sesame oil Oil, for frying
1. Prepare the sake barbecue sauce. Place 4 tsp toasted sesame seeds
the mirin and sake in a saucepan and cook For the soy sesame dressing
over medium fire until all the alcohol is For the crispy chicken skin 100ml olive oil
burnt off. Take off heat, and add in both 60g chicken skin 1 tsp wasabi powder
miso pastes. Mix until smooth. (The sauce Vegetable oil, for frying 8g minced ginger
can be made ahead and stored in the Salt, to taste 30ml rice vinegar
fridge for up to 1 month.) 10ml sesame oil
2. Season the ribs generously with salt, 1. Finely slice the celery stalks and place in 10ml soy sauce
then coat the ribs in togarashi. Cover and a bowl with the salt. Mix thoroughly and 1 tsp salt
marinate overnight in the fridge. set aside for 5 mins. Use a paper towel to 1 tsp pepper
3. Pre-heat oven to 110°C. Smother the squeeze any excess water from the celery.
ribs quite liberally in the sauce, front and 2. Prepare the tsukemono dressing. Add 1. Combine the chervil, parsley, dill and
back, making sure to set aside some rice vinegar, sugar, salt, sesame oil and chives on a plate. In a frying pan, sear
sauce for serving. Cook in the hot oven sesame seeds in a bowl, and whisk until the tuna on all sides without cooking it
for 1.5 hours until the meat is falling off sugar dissolves. (The dressing can keep in through, about 1 min on each side. Lightly
066 from the bone. Serve immediately with the fridge for up to 1 month.) rub the tuna with the vegetable oil, then
fresh lemon on the side. (Alternatively, 3. Prepare the crispy chicken skin. Use roll it in the mixed herbs. Wrap the tuna
for added oomph and smokiness, cool a paper towel to dry the chicken skin. tightly in cling film and chill it in the fridge.
the meat, then slice between each rib Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan 2. Blend the peas, garlic and mint in a food
bone. Grill each rib over charcoal fire until to 180°C. Fry the chicken skin in small processor until smooth. Set aside. (This
caramelised. Brush over remaining sauce batches until crispy and drain excess oil can be made ahead and keeps in the
and serve with fresh lemon.) on paper towel. Season to taste with salt. fridge for up to 2 days. Use it as a dip, fold
4. Toss the celery in the tsukemono through risotto or serve with steak.)
* Shichimi togarashi is the popular Japanese spice 3. Prepare the soy sesame dressing.
mix made of mainly chilli pepper and various other dressing. Serve with the crispy chicken
ingredients such as pepper, seaweed and skin on the side. Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
sesame seed. 4. Heat the oil in a saucepan to 180°C. Fry the
glass noodles in the hot oil. Remove once
noodles are puffed and season with salt.
5. To serve, spoon some pea purée on
serving dish. Slice the tuna finely and
arrange the slices on the pea purée.
Spoon some dressing over and top with
crispy glass noodles.
Herb-crusted tuna
tataki A lovely dish that
does double duty as a
starter or a light main
067
The Sake Issue PAIRING
For The Sake

of Just Desserts
Sweets with sake is a gastronomic realm yet to be fully explored.
Follow these guidelines and you may discover your just desserts
WORDS SIM EE WAUN
Not everyone enjoys the cloying sweetness of to offer up loads of aromas, flavours and nuances
dessert wines, no matter the pedigree. And tea from where you are bound to find matches with the
may be too mellow for those in search of an gamut of the world’s desserts.
added zing to accompany the last course of their It is easier to consider sake pairings from the
meal. Hitting nicely perspective of sake styles. There are four types of
in the middle is sake, styles: aromatic sake, refreshing sake, rich sake
“In general, aged the Japanese rice wine and aged sake. “In general, aged sake or koshu, is
which is seeing a rise in suitable as a digestif, which means it also pairs well
068 sake or koshu, interest as adventurous with desserts,” says sake sommelier and educator
is suitable as a eaters begin to explore Taeko Tsukada, of Taste Navigator, which conducts
its versatility. Pairing sake and shochu training for the industry here.
digestif, which desserts with sake is Like using wines, pairings with sake can
means it also still in its relatively early
days. It is only recently
be based on like-and-like, or complementary,
meaning it enhances either the food or the drink.
pairs well with that the idea of pairing Alternatively, one can seek a contrast in the match
sake with non-Japanese by pairing a deep, complex sake with a light dessert.
desserts.” cuisines has gained some Says Tsukada: “There are two basic principles for
— Taeko Tsukada, momentum—a case paring sake and food: harmony and marriage. For
Taste Navigator in point being BAM!, good combinations of harmony, sake and food share
a brilliant restaurant similar elements. On the other hand, marriage—a
in Tras Street focused concept originated in French cuisine—means a
on pairing Spanish food with Japanese rice wine. pairing of wine and food of differing flavours which
The exploration of sake’s versatility has not quite create a new flavour as a result.”
reached the realm of desserts yet, but it is nipping Gwendolyn Lim, head pastry chef and owner of
at its toes. Patisserie G in Millennia Walk was among the first
Like wines, there are many kinds of sake, from in Singapore to venture into pairing French cakes
junmai, nigori, koshu to honjozo and ginjo. Flavours and confections with sake. A graduate in pastry at
range from sweet to dry, fruity, floral, elegant, Le Cordon Bleu and an advanced professional sake
earthy, herbal and more. With twice as many course in Tokyo, Lim straddles both genres nicely
aromatic esters as wine, it also has the potential and integrates the two in her bijou cafe. “It’s easier
069
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
Clockwise from
Tsukada’s right Sweet dango
made of rice balls;
Suggestions Choose from the wide
range of sake available
• Pair mixed fruits (e.g. banana, apple, on the market: Some
local kueh have similar
strawberry, melon) with an aromatic ginjo-
flavours and textures as
type sake, or sparkling sake Japanese confections:
• Blue cheeses with a sweet, aged sake Katsuyama Gen
• Japanese sweets (e.g. youkan-sweet jellied Sapphire pairs with the
red bean paste) with junmaishu G Spot, made of dark
chocolate mousse and
• Cheese soufflé with kimoto-type
chocolate hazelnut
junmaishu praline crunch, from
Patisserie G
070
PHOTOS: ISTOCKPHOTO
PHOTO: PATISSERIE G
to pair sakes with desserts as sake is cleaner on the
palate,” she says.
Chef Lim suggests matching a sweet, light and
floral sake with fruity desserts—an Amabuki Ichigo
made with strawberry flower lees with a strawberry
cheesecake. Or you could have stronger, aged sake
with lots of savoury notes like a Katsuyama with
a strong, umami-laced dessert like salted caramel
and chocolate tart. You could also reach for a deep,
strong sake like a Fukugen kita alps junmaishu,
a sake from Nagano, which will stand up to the
tricky tanginess of a lemon tart. “Sake’s low acidity
is the main thing that lends itself to pairing with
desserts,” she says. “It’s rice-based too, which makes
it clean-tasting.”
Our local kueh can also find happy matches
with sake. Chef Lim feels that as most kueh and
Japanese wagashi (traditional Japanese confections)
are both bean-based, whatever works for the
latter should work for our local desserts, generally
speaking. So her choice would be something lightly
sweet or a sparkling sake, such as Fukumimi
from Fukugen, which would take the edge off the
kueh’s sweetness. For coconut-based desserts, try a
Katsuyama lei Sapphire, or Tamagawa kimoto stork
label.
Finally, a word about cheese. Cheese is often
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO
breathed in together with the dessert course. Sake

can offer a match made in heaven with cheeses,
for two reasons: it has loads of umami which lend 071
itself nicely with savoury cheeses; it does not
have tannins and does not overwhelm saltier and
long-aged cheeses. The smoothness and clean taste
of the sake also cuts through the creaminess and
sometimes, strong flavours of the cheeses, to leave
the palate refreshed and cleansed for more. Try
these pairings:
For the Pantry
If the urge for dessert hits or unexpected
• A strong roquefort with a fruity, aromatic, guests drop in, reach for these three sakes
smooth daiginjo that generally pair well with a wide range of
• Camembert with its rich saltiness and soft desserts:
texture with a mild tokubetsu junmai sake
• Pungent creamy epoisses with a mature • Junmai-ginjo Jozenmizunogotoshi
mellow sake with a fruity dessert
• Chevre with a refreshing, sparkling sake • Amanoto Umashine Tokubetsu Junmai
• Comte with junmaishu, or a comte extra with (warmed to around 40 degrees Celsius)
an mature aged sake. with kueh
Last courses with sake are still a match yet to be • Katsuyama Gen Sapphire for a general
fully explored, and the best advice from Tsukuda is go-to sake that would match most
Above The touch of
to explore and taste to find the blend you like best. umami in sake makes common desserts
Keep your mind and palate open to adventures, and it a great pairing with
you will eventually find your just desserts. cheeses
APERITIFS
072
FRENCH FLAIR
Ginett is the buzzy Parisian-style bistro and wine bar on Hotel G’s ground
floor along Middle Road. You’ll recognise it straightaway by its impressive
U-shaped bar, and the four-tier wine glass rack hanging imposingly
above it. Here, it’s happy hour prices all day as their list of over 70 French
wines sport wallet-friendly prices, from $6 per glass and $30 a bottle. The
restaurant imports directly from the wineries to maintain such affordable
prices. Ginett’s a la carte food menu sees hearty salads, pastas and
sandwiches, as well as premium meats like Australian Angus beef (from
$40), and Kurobuta pork ($24) fired up on a grill of apple wood charcoal.
200 Middle Road. Tel: 6809 7989; hotelgsingapore.com
Anarchy Wine + Brew Bar
An extension of the popular cafe Montana at PoMo Mall, Anarchy Wine + Brew
WORDS JOYCE HUANG Bar is a cafe by day and a cosy wine bar by night. Taking up part of Montana cafe’s
second floor space as well as an intimate
nook on the ground floor, Anarchy sits
up to 50 guests.
Anarchy encourages wine drinkers to
be adventurous, offering a curated list of
natural, organic and biodynamic wines.
TASTING NOTES Wines by the glass are categorised
under classic white styles, complex
Kenzo Estate Rindo 2013 reds and unconventional skin-contact
Kenzo Tsujimoto made a fortune as CEO of the natural wines. A further 40-over wine
Capcom video game company in Japan and acquired labels are offered by the bottle. For the
3,800 acres of undeveloped land in the southeastern undecided, the staff usually asks guests
mountains of Napa Valley in 1990. After spending three questions to determine their taste
close to two decades creating the vineyards, Kenzo preferences before recommending
Estate released its first wines in 2008. The 2013 a drink. Healthy rice bowl options like
vintage of the flagship wine Rindo is a Bordeaux truffle ribeye beef ($18) and sesame
blend of 57 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 per teriyaki salmon ($17), and bites such
cent Merlot, 11 per cent Petit Verdot, and two per as pearled barley salad ($12) and
cent Malbec. This purple-tinged beauty offers a cauliflower fritters ($9) are available.
concentrated bouquet of ripe dark berries with hints #01-02, 1 Selegie Road. Tel: 6334 3137
of allspice and wood. Velvety on the palate, the
wine’s full body is balanced with good acidity and a
persistent finish.
$180, from Vinum Fine Wines
David Duband Nuits St Georges 1er Aux Thorey 073

2014
When Burgundy vigneron David Duband started out
in 1991, he only had 1.5 ha of vines to work with,
inherited from his father. In the 2000s, he teamed
up with a Parisian investor Francois Feuillet, and
acquired vineyards and expanded his portfolio. Today,
Duband manages 17 ha of vineyards, but it is Nuits
St Georges 1er Aux Thorey, one of the first vineyards
he started out with, that remains closest to his heart.
Made from vines over 60 years old, the 2014 vintage
exudes wild berries and dried flowers on the nose,
well-integrated tannins and black fruits, with a hint of
mint on the palate.
$86, from WEA Wines
Double Oaked
Ambrosia
Recently launched, the Jim Beam Double Oak is a
new take on Kentucky Straight Bourbon by maturing
its signature whiskey in two American oak barrels.
First the ambrosia is matured for a minimum of four
years in newly charred American white oak barrels,
then transferred to a second charred oak barrel for
further ageing. This twice-barrelled process gives the
whiskey greater contact with wood, and hence more
nuanced flavours.
Jim Beam Double Oak starts on the nose with
notes of vanilla and toasted wood before developing
deep char and oak aromas with hints of rich caramel
and toffee. On the palate, the finish is exceptionally
balanced, with a lingering spiced oakiness.
From $220, available at bottle shops, restaurants
and bars
BY THE
GLASS
If variety is the spice
of life, seek out Wine
on Tap, a new wine
bar and bistro located
in Kampong Glam.
NEIGHBOURHOOD
074 On offer here is an
exceptional selection
of over 80 labels of
wine by the glass (from GROWLER
$9), thanks to the The recent opening of Growlers Craft Beer &
magic of the Coravin Bistro sees the craft beer trend moving into
Wine System, which the heartlands. Located in Potong Pasir, this
lets you pour a glass of neighbourhood gastrobar is run by the same
wine without removing folks behind local Hospoda Microbrewery,
the cork, hence so no surprises that the beers on tap feature
keeping the wine in the Hospoda favourites like the Bohemian Pilsner
bottle always fresh. and Dark Lager, and specialty brews The Pursuit
Maps of wine regions of Hoppiness IPA and Working People’s Golden
and wine books are IPA. All the beers can be taken home in special
displayed, and a small two-litre growlers (from $50). The bistro also
selection of bar nibbles serves trusty pub grub like crispy chicken wings
like pizzas, sausages, ($11), beer battered fish and chips ($16) and
chicken wings, and salted egg yolk chicken burger ($16) to go with
corn chips with nachos their ambrosias.
are served. 37 Tai Thong Crescent. Tel: 8118 4677
#02-01, 11 Bussorah
Street. Tel: 6291 8884
thrown me into this area. We have very good vineyard
sites in Hochheim that allow me to make great wines
that can be stored for a long time. While I believe in
organic growth and we do not use herbicides, we
are not 100 per cent organic as per the standard
definition. This is because organic viticulture allows
for the use of copper against mildew, and I don’t think
it is wise to raise the level of copper, a heavy metal, in
the soil.
Hochheim’s microclimate is very special. We sit

in the confluence of the Main and Rhein rivers, and
our vineyard slopes are all south-facing. The area
actually gets really warm. This allows our Riesling
grapes to achieve phenological ripeness more easily
and get body in our wines. Another unique factor of
Winemaker
Hochheim is the diversity of soil type amongst the
vineyards. Each vineyard is completely different from
the other. Each has something unique to show, hence
our decision to only produce single-vineyard wines at
Gunter Künstler, Weingut Künstler.
Weingut Künstler, Growing vines and making wines from grape

varietals other than Riesling keeps my job as a
Rheingau, Germany winemaker challenging, as I am constantly learning
new things. We grow 80 per cent Riesling, 15 per
cent Pinot Noir and the remaining five per cent is
made up of other varieties such as Chardonnay
The wine-growing tradition of the Künstler family and Sauvignon Blanc. In 1995, I decided to plant
dates back to 1648 in Untertannovitz, South Chardonnay—a varietal uncommon in the Rheingau
Moravia, in present day’s Czech Republic. After region—in this special vineyard called Herrnbeg as
the Second World War, Franz Künstler re-settled its soil composition consists almost exclusively of
in Rheingau, Germany. In 1965, he founded limestone shingle. Unlike Riesling that can thrive in 075
Weingut Künstler and built up one of the most various soil types, Chardonnay insists on limestone.
successful family-owned companies there. His Now we produce about 7,000 to 8,000 bottles
son Gunter Künstler took over the estate in 1992, of Chardonnay a year, most sold domestically.
continuing the tradition of coaxing outstanding Lufthansa Airlines just picked our Chardonnay to be
dry, elegant Rieslings with age-ability, from old served as the first domestic Chardonnay on their
vines. One of Germany’s top winemakers, Gunter business class this year.
was in Singapore and spoke to Wine & Dine.
A 1896 catalogue from Berry Bros. and Rudd
My earliest memories of growing up in the winery listed as its oldest bottle, a 34-year-old Riesling
was how busy and impressive harvest time always from Rheingau, a regular bottle of which was more
was. My father would ask all of our relatives to come expensive than a 16-year old magnum of Chateau
and help out during this period. I have memories Lafitte. This shows the ageing potential of Rheingau
watching my father working in the cellars when I was Riesling. Throughout the past 25 years I’ve made
only four years old. When you are young, the mind is wine, that’s what I’ve been trying to put across to
so open to receiving new things, so essentially I have the consumers. I hope that I’ve been able to achieve
been learning winemaking since I was four years old. that same ageing potential with my wines. The oldest
It is in my blood. bottle of Riesling we have in our cellars is a 1959
vintage, which was still very drinkable when I last
Rheingau has the highest density of Riesling tasted it 15 years ago. To me, young Rieslings are
grapes in the world: 80 per cent of the vineyards able to turn on a wine drinker, but it is a well-aged one
are planted with it. I am thankful that my kismet has that is the medicine for the heart and soul.
WINE GURU
Pinot Magic U
nlike other grapes, Pinot Noir has
many expressions. The cognoscenti
explain that this noble grape
076 transmits terroir superbly. While
Thanks to sustainable grape growing and Pinot Noir generally exhibits
sensitive winemaking, New Zealand’s Pinot cherry flavours, each Pinot Noir is different too,
depending on the wine region it comes from. It may
Noirs are a beautiful expression of the display anything from darker, brighter or lighter
country’s varied terroirs berry flavours, with nuances of scorched earth, to
bacon, farmyard, mushroom, wet leaves, meat and
more. Given proper growing conditions and careful
WORDS EDWIN SOON winemaking, the grape can tell the story of where it
is grown and its vintage in a profound way.
Pinot Noir loves cool climates and accordingly,
thrives in New Zealand. What’s more, the grape
expresses terroir well there because the subtleties
of taste are not masked by unsympathetic
grape growers or careless winemakers. Farming
sustainably is in the blood of the Maoris, the
original settlers of New Zealand. The Maori
PHOTO: NEW ZEALAND WINE
concept of kaitiakitanga, or ‘guardianship’, is a

sensitive, respectful approach to the land. This
legacy is evident in the fact that an impressive 94
per cent of vineyards in New Zealand are farmed
sustainably.
Tasting a range of 2014 Pinot Noirs from Next up, an organic Muddy Water 2015 from
around New Zealand, the subtle regional Waipara Valley which is noted for its microclimate
differences were quite apparent. Growers had of low rainfall and moderate sunshine, with soils of
adopted organic or biodynamic principals with a gravel or limestone clay. This wine is appealing with
hands-off or minimal-intervention approach to plums and dark berries combined with soft acids. It
winemaking. This allows the grape to express the has a mid-full body as well as secondary aromas of
terroir eloquently and naturally. These wines bear vanilla, nutmeg and toast.
witness to the fact that sustainability and terroir Central Otago has, in the last decade, been
work hand in hand to give us lovely New Zealand synonymous with Pinot Noirs rich with bright fruit
Pinot Noir wines. flavours. It might be the most southerly wine region
Neudorf is located in Nelson, on the eastern in the world but the high radiation and long hours
shores of the Tasman Bay in the north part of of sunshine ensure good ripening of grapes in this 077
the South Island. It is mild and sunny, and where continental climate with low rainfall. Akarua Pinot
vineyards are protected by mountains. Neudorf, 2015 from Bannockburn boasts 19-year-old vines
Tom’s Block 2014 is made from grapes grown on growing on alluvial, schist, sandy silt and loam soils.
clay gravel soil, and the wine has a corresponding Smoke and spice overtones are the signature of
fruity element. Unfined and unfiltered, it is subtle this wine, with lots of black fruit and fine tannins.
with aromas and flavours of sour plums and cherry Another Central Otago wine, the Burn Cottage 2014
with an earthy nuance. Medium-bodied with soft is soft, sweet and round, and vibrant with tea and
silky tannins, the wine is delicious and quenching. mineral nuances.
The Marlborough region rose to fame for its The country’s first Pinots came from Wairarapa
From top left intensely flavoured Sauvignon Blancs. Although and Martinborough counties. On the same latitude
Churton Pinot Noir not far from Nelson, Marlborough enjoys a with Marlborough but perched on the southern
2013; Serisin Osip 2015; maritime climate. The fuller-bodied wines are tip of North Island, the terroir is quite different:
Muddy Water 2015; found in the southern valley of Marlborough. Here south-facing vineyards, cooler springs and warmer
Akarua Pinot 2015; Burn
Cottage 2014; Urlar
the Churton Pinot Noir 2013 is a melange of spice summers with moderate rainfall and old stony
Pinot 2014; Schubert and florals (rose petals especially) and dark fruit, alluvial soils. The organic Urlar Pinot 2014 is full
‘Block B’ 2014 underlined by good acids and structured tannins. of dark fruit and herbs, warm and savoury on the
Another Pinot from Marlborough is the organic palate, with silky textured tannins. In contrast, the
Opposite page, and biodynamic Serisin Osip 2015, which is made Schubert ‘Block B’ 2014 wine has sour cherries,
from top New
Zealand’s cool climate
without the use of sulphur. This wine is delicious forest fruit and cigar-vanilla overtones. Layered and
vineyards; Neudorf, and redolent with fresh red berries, savoury earthy quite complex, this wine with lots of fruit finishes
Tom’s Block 2014 notes, crunchy acids and a long lively finish. long and elegant.
GOURMET TRAVELLER
WORDS SIM EE WAUN
Luxury at Last in
Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan
With a dearth of good luxury hotels in UNESCO Heritage
Jiuzhaigou National Park in Sichuan, the opening of Banyan
Tree Jiuzhaigou resort is welcome news indeed.
After a day’s exploration at the spectacular nature
reserve, the 45-minute drive back to the hotel is well worth
it for its luxurious large new rooms, five F&B outlets, Kids’
Club to park the children, and an award-winning spa to rest
the bones. The hotel offers a range of programmes that
offer unique local experiences, too: a jam-making class
which includes a trip to Banshan Village to pick fruit, a trek
to the Baihe Nature Reserve to see the Sichuan golden
monkey and giant panda, or an expedition with a local guide
to hunt for Chinese herbs and edible mushrooms, amongst
other adventures.
Introductory packages are available now until June
2017, including 45 per cent off the best available rate when
you book directly online at least seven days in advance.
banyantree.com
078
Literary Libations,
London
Combining children’s classic literature
and cocktails sounds mildly like a sack on
childhood innocence, but for cocktail-
heads whose inner child is still very
much active, it’s a match that works very
nicely. For this, make a bee-line to Jason
Atherton’s London speakeasy, The Blind
Pig where its new cocktails are based on
favourite children’s stories.
Find whimsical drinks like Hunny Pot,
dedicated to Winnie-the-Pooh and
Piglet, which blends rum, mead, apple
brandy, lemon, honey and orange bitters,
and comes served in a clay pot; and the
Dream Jar, just the thing for Roald Dahl
fans. Inspired by The BFG, it combines
vodka, Swedish punsch, apricot, lemon,
egg white, soda and ‘zozimus’ essence,
served in a jar with dreamy, glowing ice
cubes. And of course, Potterheads must
have Half a Pint o’ Buttah—featuring
Ducasse’s New
Monkey Shoulder scotch, botanical spirit Addition, Hong Kong
Kamm & Sons, butterscotch, citrus, The InterContinental Hong Kong boasts a
bitters and beer—which recalls the tipple quintessential French seafood experience in
the form of Rech by Alain Ducasse. Recently
that all muggles and wizards drink by opened in the space that was SPOON, it is the first
the vat. Evocative illustrations by Masha international outpost of one of Paris’ most famous
Karpushina accompany the menu. seafood restaurants of the same name. The original
58 Poland Street, Soho, London, England. Rech in Paris was opened in 1925 by Adrien Rech, 079
Tel: +44 20 7993 3251 and taken over by Alain Ducasse in 2007.
socialeatinghouse.com The Hong Kong rendition will showcase French
oysters, shellfish and seafood via contemporary
dishes by Ducasse, such as pan-seared Brittany
sole with half-salted butter and potatoes, cooked
whole and filleted at your table, and wild cod aïoli.
Ducasse’s famous whole camembert, matured for 30
to 40 days, will continue to be on the menu. Most
of the seafood used here are flown in from Europe,
sourced mainly from independent fishermen who
practice sustainable fishing. A highlight is the Best
of Rech Sunday lunch (HK$888 per person), which
includes free-flowing Alain Ducasse Champagne
and wines. Chef Stéphane Gortina, who previously
headed the SPOON kitchen, now helms Rech. Look
out for the formidable wine list with over 460
names, and a generous variety of wines by the glass.
Mainly French, of course.
18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Tel: +852 2313 2323
hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com
Beer Pong,
Hong Kong
Tsim Sha Tsui’s newly opened beer pong bar,
Carnival may not be the height of elegant
sophistication, but it is certainly fun. Duck
into its antique gold interiors with loud red
and white lighting, and soak in the carnival
atmosphere where guests knock back creative
cocktails while indulging in bar games from
darts to beer pong and slap cup at tables
adorned with LED lighting.
Insta-worthy drinks match the playfulness
here, with libations such as My Little Pony
made with sake, crème de framboise, Monin
Rose and cotton candy; and Merry Poppins,
with Stolichnaya vodka, raspberries, crème
de framboise and popping candy. Shots come
in quirky presentations: eight shots come in
a small merry-go-round, while 12 shots are
served on a table-top ferris wheel. Carnival
opens from 6pm all the way to 6am.
Restaurant 1, 6/F, 8 Observatory Road, Tsim
Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 3705 3985
carnivalbar.com
Indulgent Good
Deeds, Siem Reap
For a culturally indulgent weekend away, check into
the luxurious Bill Bensley-stamped boutique hotel
Shinta Mani Club in the French Quarter of Siem
Reap and splash out on its four-night Ultimate Siem
080 Reap Package (US$770 per person).
Apart from accommodation and breakfast, it
also features a full-day private tour of the city’s
famous UNESCO heritage temples including
Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm, a dinner at in-house
Khmer restaurant, Kroya; hands-on cooking classes
where you’ll visit a local market with the chef and
learn how to cook four traditional Khmer dishes; a
sunset cruise with sundowners on a wooden boat, a
90-minute spa treatment, a private tour to a village
as well as fast track immigration on arrival and
private return transfers to the airport.
Like that’s not enough, staying here also means
you’re supporting a worthy social enterprise.
Part of the daily room rate goes to fund Shinta
Mani’s foundation and development centre, which
provides in-need Cambodians with free training and
jobs in hospitality, micro-financing and a healthcare
program for the community. Guests can participate
in the development centre’s activities and are
encouraged to find out more.
shintamani.com/club
Gourmet Train,
Portugal
Get onboard the vintage Presidential Train—the
crown jewel of Portugal’s railway—for a moveable
feast through Douro Valley. This indulgent three-
day all-inclusive itinerary (US$5,368 per person) by
Six Senses group starts off with dinner at Porto’s
newest Michelin-starred restaurant Pedro Lemos,
followed on day two with a spectacular journey on 081
the Presidential Train through Douro.
En route, imbibe on a four-course lunch
inspired by local traditions, and a tasting of the
region’s finest ports at Quinta do Vesúvio, before
ending at Six Senses Douro Valley for much needed
R&R. Other highlights include spa treatments at the
resort, lunch at Michelin-starred restaurant DOC,
and a private tour of Serralves Museum, Portugal’s
first modern art museum. Restored in 2010, the
Presidential Train itself is infused with history,
having hosted royalty and dignitaries for over a
century. The itinerary starts in May 2017.
thepresidentialtrain.com
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Coming up this month on our Facebook We’re giving away two copies of André Chiang’s
page! Keep your eyes peeled. Octaphilosophy. Specially signed by the chef for
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Artisanal
cheesecakes
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Treat yourself to the best
cheesecakes in town!
We have 10 sets of Cat &
the Fiddle’s Fickle Feline
2.0 cakes (worth $48.90
each) to give away this
April. Sample 10 different
slices of cheesecake,
including new flavours
red velvet, apple crumble
and blueberry, artfully Cat & the Fiddle’s
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www.wineanddine.com.sg wineanddinesg Wine and Dine Magazine SG
Congratulations! Chef Daniel Ovadia
Goodies we gave away in March
of Paxia, one of the
best restaurants in
for World Gourmet Submit 2017 Mexico City
Beetroot
with burrata,
truffle honey
and sorrel
from local
restaurant
Salted & Hung
Two lucky
winners won
a pair of
tickets each
to the opening
ceremony of
World Gourmet
Summit 2017
Chef Ovadia's
cueritos y
costillitas
Tamarind Hill
083
White cod loin

topped with
cilantro pesto from
Tamarind Hill
March was a month of truly gastronomic proportions—

four lucky readers won tickets to the opening ceremony of
World Gourmet Summit worth $88 each. What's more, six
Chef Quentin Glabus,
gourmands won tickets to an exclusive WGS Sunday brunch
Canadian First Nations
chef respresentative on 9 April at Tamarind Hill, worth $108 each.
Princess Cruises Luncheon & Day Tour
WHEN Saturday, 11 March
WHERE Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess Satisfied
guests after a
scrumptious
three-course meal
with fine wines
Diamond's onsen-
themed Japanese
Izumi bath and
spa facilities
084
We joined 80 of our readers for a special tour and

luncheon onboard Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess,
one of the largest ships in their fleet. After a presentation
on ship itineraries and beauty tips shared by spa
specialists from the ship’s Lotus Spa, we were given a tour
of the facilities onboard, including the Movie Under the
Photo opportunity
Stars open-air poolside amphitheatre, Japanese Izumi for our guests on
Bath, and dining outlets like Kai Sushi and Sabatini’s board
Italian Restaurant. Our last pit-stop was the main dining
room, where we enjoyed a three-course lunch, paired
with a selection of wines and beverages. We liked the
chateaubriand of beef tenderloin and the milky chocolate
hazelnut soufflé, and hope our readers did too!
Insta-worthy
Prizes
Goodies we gave away in February
Say it with Love 2017 Picnic Basket

Five W&D readers won goodies enough for a lovely
evening out with friends and family at Gardens by
the Bay's Say it with Love event
From our winner:

@ _lebellez
Picturesque views
of Singapore from
the sun deck
From our winner:

@ belandbray
Princess Cruises Luncheon

Juicy beef and Day Tour
chateaubriand with
truffle-madeira sauce W&D reader Melissa Yeo's fettuccine alfredo
appetiser during her tour of Diamond Princess
Some guests walked

away with amazing
lucky draw prizes
From our winner:
@ cptslowyeo
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POSTSCRIPT
Melbourne’s
The Best
The world’s top chefs are gathering in
Australia’s arts and culture capital this April for
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards
WORDS JOYCELINE TULLY
5 April will be a big day for Melbourne and its culinary brethren. That’s when the
world’s culinary superstars descend upon the city for one of the most highly anticipated
awards in recent years—The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. Not that this
Australian city needs any shout-out for its lively culinary scene. Still, Melbourne gets
bragging rights as only the third city in the world to host the prestigious awards, after
London and New York.
For the first time ever, there will also be a live public countdown and screening of
the awards at Federation Square on the day. To add to the festivities on site, there will
be live entertainment featuring comedians from the Melbourne International Comedy
Festival (29 March to 23 April) and music curated by Music Victoria. Some of the city’s
most popular food trucks will also be present, dishing up top-flight Victorian produce.
Apart from the razzle-dazzle of the awards, there is the Melbourne Food and
Wine Festival, which takes place concurrently (31 March to 9 April) with dinners and
088 masterclasses featuring The World’s 50 Best Restaurants chefs from past and present.
Indeed, April may well be the most delicious month in Melbourne yet.
PHOTO: LENSALOFT
Meisterstück Incava free standing
bathtub by Kaldewei
THE NEW WASHBASINS

MADE FOR HIGH STANDARDS – AND FOR ETERNITY
by Kaldewei
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and tap, oven, hob and hood – into a single, intelligent system. Full of small
yet trailblazing innovations, this stunningly crafted modular system offers
67 separate elements that work together in any combination. So fill your
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Discover Frames by Franke at Franke.com
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Operating Hours
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Sun:12pm to 6pm
Closed on public holidays
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April 2017

The Sake Issue

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CONTRIBUTORS Chai Soong, Joyce Huang, Lin Weiwen, Calvin Tan

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#02-03 E-Centre@Redhill, 3791 Jalan Bukit Merah, Singapore 159471

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doused in sake barbecue sauce, celery

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WORDS SIM EE WAUN

A Stall Of One’s Own

WORDS CHARLENE CHOW AND SIM EE WAUN

TIGER STREET FOOD 2. Corner Burger 3. Yan Ji Seafood Soup

CONNEMARA MUSSEL FESTIVAL

Michelin Guide Street Food Festival

T +65 6818 3305

Indulge in an exciting medley of seafood specialties like Chilli Flower

For more information, visit lemeridiensingaporesentosa.com,

N 01° 15’ E 103° 50’ Follow us on:

RICE & ALL THINGS NICE

With its wide-ranging menus, al fresco dining

WORDS FOO JIA-EN

Ibaraki - Famous for

and abundant own rice called

WORDS CHARLENE CHOW

Fujii Shuzou, owned by fifth generation

change every year, depending on the types of yeast

WORDS CHARLENE CHOW

In late January, Miho Imada’s brewery in the port

steamer; Scooping difficulties, cultivating this strain in its original form

never far from Imada’s mind. In fact, it runs in

WORDS LIN WEIWEN

Australia’s New South

of making sake abroad: foreign toji, unlike their

WORDS JOYCELINE TULLY

Happo Seishu Sparkling sake

Nigori Milky white ‘cloudy’ sake. 057

Koshu Matured or aged in stainless steel

Tarusake Sake aged for a shorter time

The Sake Meter

+10 SMV are considered dry, or karakuchi,

a last word from

Bijoufu Junmai Yama No Kotobuki Nabeshima Junmai Daisuke

Miso clams Dainty

For The Sake

WORDS SIM EE WAUN

breathed in together with the dessert course. Sake

David Duband Nuits St Georges 1er Aux Thorey 073

Hochheim’s microclimate is very special. We sit