About 2 weeks ago, we sampled a multi-course dinner complete with sake pairings in the private dining area of The Pig and the Lady. It was a prelude to the main Joy of Sake event that will be held later in July at the Hawaii Convention Center. So Chef Andrew Le prepared a six course meal that was paired with Junmai Daiginjo, Junmai Ginjo and Junmai sake... why the preceding Junmai designation? Junmai-shu means that brewer's alcohol wasn't added to extract those residual flavor molecules left in the moromi or fermented rice mash. It's not a lot of added brewer's alcohol - about a tablespoon per bottle but these Junmai designated sake were "pure sake".
The evening started with a sake based cocktail, the Umelicious Cocktail or umeshu (pickled plum flavored sake)... a touch sweet, a touch salty, a touch sour to stimulate most of your tastebuds for the impending meal...
The evening's meal looked like this:
JUNMAI DAIGINJO
Hawaiian Shigoku Oyster
with pickled pineapple mignonette
Grape and He'eia limu poke
JUNMAI GINJO
Smoked Eggplant with confit tomato, burrata and green garlic croquette
Cha Ca La Vong
Local fish marinated in turmeric and galangal, Hanoi style, and served with roasted peanuts, dill and zesty fresh herbs tossed with rice vermicelli
JUNMAI
JUNMAI
Braised Lamb
Vietnamese style, with pickled peppers and fried luau leaves
Vietnamese Rice Porridge — a hearty, comforting finish
The meal from start to finish was nothing less than expected from the kitchen of the Le clan from the starting cocktail which hit on all flavor sensations to the succulent oyster and the grape "poke". Fresh grapes and seaweed? I never would have conceived this dish but the sweet and salty flavors that was balanced by the Daiginjo sakes...
I've also sampled several renditions of Chef Le's croquettes and this version almost had that Middle Eastern flavor goin' on like an herbal fried baba ghanouj and the noodle dish... rivaled his Mom's pho!
Then the mains with the fork tender lamb served "dry" with the servers pouring that rich broth... you definitely wanted some crusty bread to sop up all of that luscious broth... Then ending with the porridge... I believe the Chinese call this congee while it's okai in Japanese but it would be the perfect ending to any night of "excesses"... yes, I'm guilty as charged...
Of course, we don't always follow the "rules" so we also ordered a plate of the Cacio e Pepe from the main dining room which Alison "discreetly" tabled for us... I had to order it since black truffles are almost out of season...
And I did uncork my last bottle of Born sake, the Tokusen Daiginjo and shared it with our table mates...
A great Daiginjo though I'm still partial to Born's Yume wa Masayume...
And the final course was dessert so the Mrs "had" to sample the Yuzu Semifreddo as highlighted on the Food Channel's Unique Sweets...
While I simply had a Don't Sass me with sesame syrup, barrel aged genever, shiso and dandelion bitters...
Once again, another superlative meal from the Le clan and we also made some new friends who hopefully we'll be able to break bread and uncork a bottle or two with sometime in the future...
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