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Sake is not limited to Japanese cuisine—it also pairs beautifully with dishes from around the world, creating new ways to enjoy food. To explore this, we spoke with a sommelier at a French restaurant in Minato City, Tokyo, that serves sake.

Located in a quiet residential area of Nishi-Azabu, near Minami-Aoyama and Omotesando in Tokyo, the French restaurant L’Effervescence is highly regarded by global gourmet guides for offering exceptional cuisine worth traveling for. Since 2015, the restaurant has been focusing on pairing French cuisine with sake. Chef Sommelier MASUDA Kenji shares his thoughts on the pairing of sake with French cuisine.

“At our restaurant, we often use not only butter but also whey¹, which is derived from milk, in our cooking. That’s why we believe that the sake made using the kimoto brewing process², which is crafted through the fermentation of lactic acid bacteria, pairs particularly well. The gentle acidity found in dairy products and whey harmonizes with the unique lactic acid flavors of the sake brewed in this way, making it an ideal match. The brewing method, which values tradition while utilizing the power of nature, aligns with the philosophy of our French cuisine. This is one of the reasons we highly recommend this sake.”

L'Effervescence is a restaurant that values its connection to local producers, even listing the names of ingredient suppliers on its menu. If the cuisine expresses the blessings of Japanese land, the sommeliers wondered if it would be a good idea to pair it with sake made in Japan as an alcoholic drink during meals. This question led them to start learning about sake from scratch.

For the sake to pair with the restaurant’s signature turnip dish, the following approach is taken: “Our turnip dish is served daily, maintaining the same cooking method, but the taste and aroma change with the seasons. Therefore, we choose a sake that complements the turnip’s flavor at that time. For example, in winter, when the turnip tends to be sweeter, we pair it with sake that has a slight bitterness to enhance that sweetness. In spring, when a pleasant bitterness, similar to that found in wild vegetables, emerges, we may choose a sake that balances it with sweetness for those who prefer less bitterness. Alternatively, we pair it with a light sake, both in aroma and taste, to highlight the bitterness, emphasizing the spring-like flavors. While the dish itself is key, we also adjust our pairings based on our guests’ individual preferences,” says MASUDA.

Many customers from both Japan and abroad visit the restaurant, but foreign guests who are less familiar with sake often have the following reactions: “Customers who try our nama-zake³ (unpasteurized sake) for the first time are often surprised by its fresh aroma and acidity, which are characteristic of sake just after it’s pressed. Most sake exported overseas is pasteurized (hi-ire)⁴, which tends to have a mellow and sweet flavor. As a result, the acidity of nama-zake is quite different from the typical image of sake. We also sometimes warm the sake to match the temperature of the dish. Since the flavor and aroma of the same sake can change depending on the temperature, many customers are surprised by these changes,” MASUDA explains.

By enjoying sake alongside the dishes, guests can experience the depth of Japanese food culture and sake brewing. “Japan stretches from north to south, with distinct cultural differences between the east and west, resulting in unique food cultures in each region. Sake that pairs well with the local cuisine is brewed in each area, and it is this diversity that makes sake so appealing.”

The charm of a new pairing, where the refined flavors of French cuisine harmonize with sake, showcases the high potential of sake.

• 1. A liquid derived from milk after removing the milk fat and main proteins. It is produced in large quantities as a byproduct when solid components are separated during cheese-making.
• 2. A traditional method of brewing sake. Unlike the more common method of adding artificial lactic acid bacteria for alcohol fermentation, this method promotes fermentation by nurturing the natural growth of lactic acid bacteria. It is labor-intensive, but it is characterized by a rich depth, acidity, and complex umami flavors.
• 3. Sake that is pressed and not subjected to any heat sterilization treatment.
• 4. The process of heat sterilization after the sake is pressed to maintain its quality.

By TANAKA Nozomi
Photo: L’Effervescence; Nathalie Cantacuzino

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