Review: Sake Seafood Sensations at The Grand Duchess
A bit like dining on a stationary, moored barge, a sake-paired tasting menu is as much about challenging perceptions as it is a delightful gastronomic experience. But trust me, they are both worth the punt!
Sake - the traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice - is still a little misunderstood in the UK, which might be down to the fact that it has an ABV on the higher side (usually between 15 and 20 percent) and it’s served in small glasses. These two things in combination means it often gets mistaken for a shot. But, please, don’t shoot your sake!
Dewazakura "Tenth Degree" Izumi
Sake, though not a wine, is sipped like a wine throughout a meal. Some people like it served hot, but I generally prefer sake chilled or at room temperature, depending on the type. There are so many different styles of sake and a zillion notes and flavours to uncover.
If you’re au fait with Japanese cuisine, you’ll know that drinking sake with the food is one of life’s sublime pleasures. For me, it heightens the enjoyment of a Japanese meal: a light, clean, delicately fruity sake partners well with lean, raw seafood; a rounder, riper sake is perfect with oily, fatty tuna.
In a nutshell, we know that sake is heaven with Japanese food. But, why stop there? Why shouldn’t we harness the flavoursome joys of sake with other foods that we eat?
During the months of October and November, a bevy of restaurants across London have been participating in the Sake Seafood Sensations campaign, which is continuing until the 20th of November. It’s been a fantastic opportunity to discover the breadth of sake and also how it pairs with different cuisines.
Tamagawa "Heart of Oak" Tokubetsu Junmai
The Grand Duchess, for instance (the glorious barge that sits on the Union Canal in Paddington), demonstrates how well sake pairs with the best of British seafood. Different elements of a Lindisfarne oyster or a platter of smoked salmon, smoked mackerel, crevettes and cod’s roe sing in new ways when paired with sake. On it’s own, the Dewazakura "Tenth Degree" Izumi is friendly and fruity, with notes of banana skin, marzipan, cantaloupe melon, mango and papaya, with the faintest hint of jasmine. Paired with a plump, naked Lindisfarne oyster, the effect is like that of salted chocolate - at once creamy, sweet and saline. Mouth-wateringly good.
For the array of components on the fish platter, the versatile Dewazakura Oka "Cherry Bouquet" Ginjo is the perfect partner. A clean nose with a scent of stone fruits and petrichor, it seems to accommodate the strong flavours of the platter, whilst not overpowering the delicate ones. Flavours of peach, pear and pineapple bend and wrap around each morsel like the most delicate silk scarf and you’re left at the end with a taste of Belgian chocolate truffles on your tongue.
“Welcome to Saké” cocktail
After two quite fruity sakes, it’s a beautiful contrast to taste the savoury Tamagawa "Heart of Oak" Tokubetsu Junmai from Kinoshita Shuzo Brewery. Its flavours of smoked fat and miso adds an extra dimension to the hearty dish of Scottish Trout with wild mushrooms, pearl barley and curly kale.
With this menu, you can also try sake in a cocktail to shake things up a bit. The Grand Duchess’s “Welcome to Saké” is zesty, dry and as refreshing as a brisk coastal walk - a great way to cleanse the palate before the meal or after it.
The talented Daniela Shelto curated the pairings for the superb Sake Seafood Sensations menu at the Grand Duchess, but you’ll find a whole host of different menus at the selection of participating restaurants here.
Once you’ve opened the sake door, it’s very difficult to close it! In fact, keep it open for others to follow you in - they’ll thank you later.