Tasting Sake

Our bar manager, Nathan, sampling wares.

Sake is fun.

I know what you’re thinking. Why sake at a Chinese-inspired restaurant? For starters, sake pairs well with Asian flavors—umami, soy, tamarind, and the like. Second, as a beverage professional of Japanese descent, I think that Asian cuisine is the entry point into Asian alcohol for Western audiences. Third, I love sake, and it’s a hard sell outside of the context of an Asian restaurant.

But the fun part—obvious tipsiness aside, sake has a variety of appearances, aromas, textures, and tastes. You can get super geeky with it and look up the different ways that rice is polished to brew it, or you can toss it back like a shot and wash it down with a cold beer. It can mix in cocktails—you can “potato-head” it in for your typical bases spirits—cook with it, even use some as an ice cream topping.

If you are already passionate about sake, great! We have a wide range of styles for you to try. Sake newbie? Fear not—our staff is ready to help you find something you will enjoy. Personally, I prefer the melon and white chocolate notes found in the Dassai “45” Junmai Daiginjo. As for Nathan, he recommends Sake High as a starting point; it has the notes you would typically find in sake, but not in an aggressive way. Stop in and ask him for a sample!