80th Edition [Port-Direct Seafood Restaurant: Storytelling Style] × Snow-Aged Junmai Sake
As May begins, the cherry blossoms have finished blooming on the Yoshinogawa premises, the pleasant chirping of nightingales fills the air, and looking up, you can see fresh greenery and a clear blue sky, creating a peaceful spring moment. Now is the best time of year to stroll through the refreshing Setagaya area! When you want to take a break or relax and enjoy a drink, please stop by the Yoshinogawa Sake Museum Brewery. Our staff are waiting to chat with you about sake.
Now, in this segment called "Tipsy One Dish," we visit restaurants and bars in Niigata Prefecture and ask them to come up with snacks that pair well with Yoshinogawa sake. The restaurant that will be preparing the dishes for us this time is located in Tonomachi, Nagaoka City.A feast directly from the port, a story in the style of a tale.This is [Name of person/organization]. This time, they prepared dishes that pair well with our snow-aged junmai sake!
Snow-Aged Junmai is a sake that has matured using a storage method unique to snowy regions and is in season now. In snowy regions, snow has been used since ancient times to preserve vegetables, fish, and meat in snow cellars. For over 30 years, Yoshinogawa has also set up a snow cellar on the brewery grounds during the winter to store sake. This year, too, we will cover the tanks of freshly pressed junmai sake with snow and let it mature slowly before bottling it as the snow melts and delivering it to you. Enjoy the smooth taste that fully brings out the umami of the rice while retaining a fresh aroma.
And the person who prepared this meal for us wasA feast directly from the port, a story in the style of a tale.'Kyogoya' is a rare restaurant in Nagaoka that mainly serves local fish. The name of the restaurant, "Kyogoya," reflects the idea of being "a small restaurant that cherishes the spirit of hospitality," and it has the atmosphere of a calm kappo (traditional Japanese restaurant) rather than a typical izakaya (Japanese pub). The main seafood dishes change daily depending on what is available, and the menu is a well-balanced fusion of Japanese and Western cuisine, so you can enjoy discovering new flavors every time you visit. The owner, Ryoji Iguchi, sometimes goes into the mountains to gather wild vegetables or serves seafood that he has caught himself in the sea or rivers, so being able to taste the "special" of the day is one of its charms. Occasionally, regular customers who enjoy fishing bring in the fish they have caught themselves and ask the restaurant to cook it for them. The special experience of having your own catch transformed into a delicious dish by a professional chef is sure to be an exceptional experience, and it pairs perfectly with sake.
This time, we asked the owner, Ryoji Iguchi, to prepare a dish that would pair well with the snow-aged junmai sake: "Kogome Aurora Salad."
Now, let's get straight to the recipe!
★Material★
・Kogome (a type of wild vegetable): 100g *Other wild vegetables can be used.
Ketchup: 30g
Mayonnaise: 3 tablespoons
Salt: a pinch
<How to make>
1. Mix the mayonnaise and ketchup well.
2. Add the boiled seaweed to the aurora sauce and mix well.
POINT: When the kogome is slightly firm to the touch, cool it in ice water!
3. Once plated, it's done!!
This recipe is simple – just mix in some easy aurora sauce! Aurora sauce is a new addition to the usual combinations of mayonnaise and soy sauce! It softens the bitterness of the wild vegetables and is recommended as a snack with drinks or as a side dish. The creaminess of the mayonnaise and the acidity of the ketchup are in perfect balance, while still retaining some of the unique flavor of the wild vegetables, allowing you to fully enjoy the fresh aroma of the snow-aged junmai sake and the aroma of the kogome rice. Mr. Iguchi says he has been eating this dish since he was a child, and he encourages everyone to try different combinations of wild vegetables as aurora sauce can be enjoyed with a variety of ingredients.
・Aurora-style dressing with kogome seaweed: 580 yen (tax included) *Limited time offer
And here's another recommended item from the restaurant!
Assorted local fish (7 kinds) for 2 people: 2,500 yen (tax included)
*Contents may vary depending on availability.
(At the time of filming: rockfish, black sea bream, rock cod, octopus, flathead, horse mackerel, gurnard)
This dish is a popular menu item at our restaurant, and since the ingredients change daily, it's an exciting dish that keeps you wondering, "What kind of fish will I be able to eat today?" We mainly use local fish from Niigata, so you might even encounter some rare ingredients♪ Of course, it pairs perfectly with sake, so please enjoy pairing it with various kinds of seafood.
The details of this event will be broadcast on NST from 6 PM on Saturday, May 10th.Smile StadiumIt will be broadcast within "[program name]!". It will only be broadcast within Niigata Prefecture. For those outside the prefecture, please check the YouTube channel "I love Niigata! ChannelYou can view it at [link/website].
「Port direct delivery banhankaze(Story)」
[Address] 1-6-3 Tonomachi, Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture
[Telephone] 0258-89-8557
[Business Hours]
Tuesday - Saturday: 17:00 - 22:30 (LO 22:00)
Sunday: 15:00 - 21:00 (LO 20:30)
[Regular closing day] Monday