We liked our first meal there so much that we made a return visit soon after. This time, with reinforcements so that we could order a lot more food, and also open a few bottles of sake.
Continue readingTag: Sake
Sake x Uni x Ikura combo at Ippudo Ramen
Ippudo Singapore runs regular sake food pairing events, and this particular one featured uni and ikura from Hokkaido, perfect accompaniment to some cold and refreshing sake.
Continue readingPairing junmai daiginjo sake with Chinese food at Xi Yan
When we found out that Xi Yan (囍宴) was hosting a special one-night only junmai daiginjo sake-paired dinner, we quickly gathered reinforcements and made a reservation.
Continue readingThe surprising sake selection at Ippudo Ramen
I would never have imagined that a ramen chain store would have such a wide selection of nihonshu across so many different flavour profiles.
Continue readingEnjoying a lazy afternoon in Singapore as local tourists
Theoretically, it’s now possible to fly again. But with all the uncertainties and inconsistencies in travel policies, we’ve decided to remain grounded for at least another year. While we wait for skies to clear, we wanted to enjoy the experience of being local tourists and spent a lazy, boozy weekend afternoon with old friends.
Continue readingThree sakes from three prefectures using three different types of rice
Based on our preferences so far, it does seem like we have a bias for low SMV, high acidity sakes made with Yamadanishiki rice, though we haven’t sampled widely enough to make a strong judgement call yet. Likewise on the choice of prefectures, especially since there are so many in Japan.
Looks like we just have to keep drinking and comparing in order to gather enough samples to make a statistically significant decision. In moderation of course, and reasonably spaced out over time.
Continue readingSometimes, sake tastes better warm
“Hmm… I wonder how it would taste if I heated it up further?” said my inner voice to my brain. And then I rigged a makeshift sake warmer using a measuring jug and a coffee glass.
Continue readingComparing four junmai ginjo and daiginjo from Umenoyado, Sakari and Kuheiji
More than a month has passed since we embarked on our search for smooth sakes available for sale in Singapore. Our orders from various online stores arrived progressively, and we’ve been keeping ourselves pleasantly intoxicated over the past few weekends.
Continue readingWhat goes well with yuzu sake? Why, yuzu pan of course
The Wife pointed to a dozen or so bottles that had the words ゆず written prominently on the label, with the brewer’s name 梅乃宿 in smaller font in the top right corner.
Apparently this was the seasonal 2021 Aragoshi Nama Yuzushu produced by Umenoyado, an unpasteurised and roughly-crushed version of her favourite yuzu sake.
The Look appeared in her eyes as she lovingly picked up a bottle.
No prizes for guessing what happened next.
Continue readingStarting the search for smooth sakes in Singapore
Our preference seems to skewed towards smooth-tasting sakes with prominent fruity notes. But smooth isn’t quite an industry term, and sake brewers use the Sake Meter Value system plus an acidity value to differentiate their product.
If I had to map what we like onto this framework, my best guess is that it would be in the “Sweet-Rich” region, with an SMV of -5 to -10 and Acidity of 1.5 to 1.7. But, as always, we’ll only know if we like any particular bottle after we actually taste it.
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