Vietnamese and Sake Experience
at Ăn Cơm in Hiroo, TOKYO
You asked for it, and we delivered – a special pairing event with contemporary Vietnamese cuisine curated by Motohiro Okoshi, a pioneer in incorporating Japanese national liquor using his sommelier expertise.
Restauranteur, Mr. Okoshi, a certified wine taster/sommelier, is an enthusiast of innovative pairing concepts. He declared that with cuisines worldwide leaning towards lighter options and ingredients embracing organic transformations, pairings with sake and shochu become particularly fascinating.
Having accumulated experience as a head sommelier of the distinguished French restaurant L'écrin Ginza, Okoshi embarked on his independent journey. Noticing the potential in Vietnamese cuisine, he opened the restaurant, Ăn Đi with a fresh concept in 2017, elevating its status with carefully curated wine pairings. With his "longtime desire to highlight Japan's national drink,” he materialized this vision by launching Ăn Cơm, featuring sake pairings three years ago.
The concept of "modern Vietnamese cuisine" embraced by Ăn Đi and Ăn Cơm is Vietnamese dishes crafted using Japan's seasonal ingredients. Due to the vegetable-centric nature of the cuisine, the main ingredients are domestically grown and organic, and many are sourced directly from local farmers.
Interestingly, recent surveys of our event attendees had consistently shown a steady interest in trying to pair sake with Vietnamese cuisine.
After finishing the course, a guest who has moved in from Australia and is usually a beer drinker expressed delight at the discovery: "I realized how the sake taste can vary as much as the food itself.” A guest from Colombia, with over 3 years of residence in Japan and a passion for wine, expressed their sentiments, stating, "I'm quite fond of warm sake." A guest from the UK, who has lived in Tokyo for more than 10 years and drinks various sake, was more intrigued with exploration: "Every event I join makes me love sake more and more.”
Here is the full story.
1. Amuse
KUBOTA SPARKLING was the most popular drink of the day, as guests commented, "Smooth, delicious," "So refreshing and sweet," and "The fizziness disappeared when I swallowed it which is great.” Okoshi explained how it was paired: "The canape is designed to be an open sandwich version of the Báinh mì. The filling on a sliced baguette is a combination of meaty and acidic. Sparkling is the sour element as it is fizzy. To begin with, we crafted a world where you can enjoy the unity of acidity.” A guest from France complimented, "KUBOTA SPARKLING goes well with the amuse bouche plus other dishes as well."
2. Green Papaya Salad
Our Australian guest rated KUBOTA SENJYU JUNMAI GINJO as a favorite and liked its dry taste. Okoshi told us, “The intention was to match this dish with a ginjo sake, and it needed to be dry. Green papaya salad, almost entirely vegetable and light, led us to choose the ginjo sake with a similarly light profile. KUBOTA SENJYU JUNMAI GINJO, with its clean taste, beautifully respects the delicate aspects of the dish, making it an ideal selection.”
3. Fish Carpaccio in a Vietnamese Style
The pairing was considered best by a guest from the U.S., a regular beer drinker, commenting that it was a good balance. The green color is refreshing, and the aroma of dill, chervil, and mint is fragrant. Okoshi's words on pairing were: "KUBOTA JUNMAI DAIGINJO has a green apple aroma, so it is interesting to pair it with the greens and herbs. The carpaccio sauce is thickened so as not to overwhelm the sweetness of KUBOTA JUNMAI DAIGINJO. The sweetness and herbs are inspired by Vietnamese flavors."
4. Grilled Meat with Ginger, Summer Roll
Stuffed with plenty of vegetables and ginger pork stir-fry, the spring roll stands out. A guest from Indonesia who regularly enjoys wine singled out this pairing for high praise. Regarding the creative process, Okoshi explained, "The mayonnaise and meat have a sturdy flavor structure, so I felt that pairing sake had to have enough strength to compete. KUBOTA SENJYU GINJO, however, has more sharpness than KUBOTA SENJYU JUNMAI GINJO. I encourage people to mix the sake with food in their mouths, thinking of it as another type of sauce. This way, you can experience even more delightful flavors.”
5. Pork Tongue and Taro, Deep-Fried Spring Roll
Paired with
KUBOTA MANJYU ORIGINAL YEAST YX EDITION
*only available in Japan
The fried spring rolls with pork tongue and taro are crispy and savory on the outside and tender and rich on the inside. A wine-loving guest from Colombia gave this pairing the highest rating, saying, "The pairing was beyond my expectations.” A frequent sake drinker from U.K., marveled, "It was a beautiful smooth balance.” Okoshi said, "Normally, I would have preferred to pair it with something warm, but I chose a cold KUBOTA MANJYU ORIGINAL YEAST YX EDITION. The Kubota lineup is impressive for its delicate taste, but this sake has a profound taste compared to others. I found a subtle cereal-like flavor, fragrant, and it can stand up to dishes with high-fat food. Also, you can enjoy it with a warm dish without heating. I thought the combo was suitable towards the end of the course."
6. Minced Lamb Balls Flavored with Lemongrass
Paired with
Warmed KUBOTA SENJYU AKIAGARI
*only available in Japan
Little lamb hamburgers are wrapped in lemongrass and herbal flavors infused into the meat. A guest from France, who tends to drink beer, plum wine, and sake, liked this pairing, saying, “It was so great, I never experienced something as good as that before.” Okoshi explained, "As the dish was served warm, the fat of the meat was juicy with full of mouthwatering deliciousness. Sake has a gentler, softer texture when warmed. So this pairing was made to equally spread the flavor of each other in the mouth.” For this pairing, KUBOTA SENJYU AKIAGARI was warmed to 62°C and lightly cooled to 52°C to maximize the flavor on the palate.
7. Chicken Pho
Many guests described this closing pairing as best. Says Okoshi, "Chicken pho soup is packed with umami. I designed this pairing to let the guests enjoy the combination of umami. It is said that the temperature range where humans can most strongly sense umami is usually around 40°C, so we warmed the Hekiju to 44°C. This combo maximizes the relish of the umami-rich pho and KUBOTA HEKIJYU.”
8. Vietnamese Coffee Flavored Pudding with Roasted Bancha Tea
After the entire pairing lineup was served, homemade pudding based on the idea of traditional Vietnamese coffee, and a hot Hojicha, roasted Bancha tea, were served. It's a well-known saying in Japan “betsubara (another stomach)” means “there's always room for dessert,” and we too believe it to be true.
Ăn Cơm
The Restaurant, 2nd Floor 2-4-16, Hiroo, Shibuya, Tokyo
TEL 03 6409 6386
therestaurant-hiroo.com/shop/ancom/
Instagram @ancomvietnam
After serving as the Chef Sommelier at Ginza L'écrin, Motohiro Okoshi went solo as a Wine Taster/Sommelier in June 2013. Traveling across wineries, restaurants, and breweries worldwide, he provides consultancy, lectures, and writes for diverse industries, ranging from Japan Airlines and renowned restaurants to casual dining establishments, importers, and wine shops. Well-regarded for his logical pairing skills, Okoshi is a trailblazer in introducing Japanese sake and shochu outside traditional settings. Managing Ăn Đi in Omotesando and Ăn Cơm in Hiroo, he offers a global selection of wines and national spirits alongside avant-garde Asian cuisine. Actively engaged in agriculture and farm stay ventures in his native Hokkaido, Okoshi excels in various fields, with authored works including "Wa-Tsumami" and "Logical Pairing."
Motohiro Okoshi
Wine Taster/Sommelier
instagram @moto_okoshi
Holder of International A.S.I Sommelier Diploma, WSET Sake Level3 & Educator
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