Q.1 Please tell us about the restaurant's concept and what you value when it comes to food.
Suzuki: The concept is a ``celebratory restaurant.'' We also prepare celebratory dishes for anniversaries, birthdays, and marriage proposals. More than just a French restaurant, it's a restaurant that combines French and celebratory style.
Nagase: As a chef, I'm concerned about combining the basic, traditional French method with new techniques . It is quite difficult for me to come up with nuances that will please young people, so I work on it while referring to the opinions of young people and the reactions of customers.
Saito: I want to create dishes that bring out the deliciousness of the ingredients . It's fun to actually go to the production area and search for unique and delicious ingredients one after another. I would also like to spread these ingredients even further to different parts of the world.
Q.2 What brand of "good old sake" do you offer to your customers at your store?
Nagase: I think aged sake goes well with sweet tastes, so I'm now pairing it with the dessert of course meals. It changes depending on the season, but desserts are mainly fruit-based .
“2004 Mine Snow” x Mango
Suzuki: I think `` 2004 Mine no Yuki'' has a refreshing taste rather than the unique aroma of Japanese sake. I thought the refreshing taste would match the sweetness of the mango.
"2009 Phantom Waterfall" x Momo
Saito: I like 2009 Geno no Taki, which has a bit of sourness and is not too sweet, making it easy to drink . Previously, we offered ``2009 Geno no Taki'' as a peach dessert, but I think peaches are not a fruit with a strong sweetness, and have a sweetness similar to that of rice. I thought the sweetness of the peach would go well with the sweetness of the rice in the sake.
Q.3 Please tell us your impressions of “Ancient Sake”.
Suzuki: I've never been very good at drinking , and Japanese sake didn't suit my taste either. However, I fell in love with `` 2004 Mine no Yuki'' because of its refreshing taste, which doesn't have much of a bitter taste when aged.
Nagase: The first time I was introduced to it, was it Japanese sake at a French restaurant? There was a question. However, since it was vintage, I thought it would be like wine and would go well with sweet dishes, so I became interested .
Q.4 What was the reaction from actual customers?
Suzuki: When we first served it to customers, their reactions were astonishing: ``Japanese sake at a French restaurant...?'' However, when they drink it, they say that it doesn't taste like Japanese sake at all .
Many of our customers are in their early 20s , and when they taste our sake, we often hear comments such as ``It's completely different from regular sake'' and ``I wouldn't get drunk with this sake.''
Q.5 How do you always think about pairing?
Saito: That's intuitive . I imagine the taste of ingredients in my head and associate them based on the strength of sourness and sweetness. For example, if something has a strong sour taste, a mild sweetness may be added.
Suzuki: When it comes to combinations of ingredients, different people have different tastes, so if we all try to decide together, we will never be able to decide. That's why we offer each person's favorite pairing at our store. Just as some people like heavier wines and others like lighter wines, it's natural for people to have different likes and dislikes when it comes to pairings. We believe in what we like and offer it at our stores.
Q.6Currently , you are offering it to customers as a dessert, but if you were to pair it with a meal, how would you pair it?
Nagase: I think you can also go for the main dish . Most meat sauces are made by boiling down wine, so they tend to be sweet. I think it goes well with sweet-tasting dishes .
Saito: I think the phantom waterfall would go well with river fish such as yamame trout .
Suzuki: If it 's snowing on the peaks , it's cold appetizers . I think it would also go well with marinades .
Nagase: I think it would be good to make beurre blanc sauce, a butter sauce that goes well with fish, using Mineyuki base. I thought it could be used in the same way as wine, and in that way.
Saito: Some people don't like alcohol, so it's good to pair the sauce with the alcohol removed. Because it is aged, I think the aroma and taste of old sake remain .
Q.7 Are there any pairings with "good old sake" that you would like to try as a store in the future?
Suzuki: I think young people will be surprised if it is combined into cocktails . Young people are not used to drinking alcohol yet, and I think they prefer easier-to-drink cocktails than wine. In addition, one of the reasons I want to try cocktails is that many people are nervous when they go to a restaurant, and that makes them more likely to get drunk.
Lately, mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) and fantastic-looking cocktails have become popular, so I would like to work on those types of things as well.
When I heard him say, ``I believe in the pairings that I like,'' I thought that the possibilities for pairing with aged sake had expanded greatly. Perhaps the appeal of ``ancient sake'' is that you can compare different types of old sake and find your favorite pairing.
<Store details>
Name: “ THE LEGIAN TOKYO ”
Address: 12F Cocoti Building, 1-23-16 Shibuya, Shibuya - ku, Tokyo (top floor)
Phone number: 0120-181-428 ( 0120- Celebration - Shibuya)
Official homepage: https://www.legian.jp/
Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legiantokyo/
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You can purchase gifts that include "2004 Mine Snow" and "2009 Phantom Waterfall" here.
This set includes other brands, so it's perfect for comparing drinks.
