Where to Drink Saké in Calgary
Photographs: Courtesy Ki Modern japanese + bar and Michelle Lan PR; Courtesy Beam Suntory
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Ki Modern Japanese + Bar, 308-4 Ave SW, 403-264-1133
Hapa Izakaya, 816 - 11 Ave SW, 403-452-6737
Ikemen Ramen Bar, 217 - 10 St NW, 403-452-2148
Goro + Gun, #245, 225 - 7 Ave SW, 403-237-5596
Q Haute Cuisine, 100 La Caille Pl SW, 403-262-5554
Home Tasting Room, 110 - 8 Ave SW, 403-262-8100
fancy and they will build a dining experience around it. Of course, like Ki and Hapa Izakaya, Goro
+ Gun can also pair saké to the food you choose, but building an omakase around your saké is an
interesting twist on the traditional food and beverage pairing experience.
Premium saké has taken such a hold on diners in Calgary that it is not reserved to Japanese
restaurants anymore. Q Haute Cuisine, for example, offers fine dining with a beautiful view of
the Bow River, including the famous Calatrava-designed Peace Bridge. Q Haute often includes
saké on its wine pairing menu. “Our customers trust us and rely on us to guide their culinary
experience,” says sommelier Josh Linvers. “We often include a saké [on our tasting menu]
because it’s something they’re not expecting, but the right saké pairs wonderfully with seafood,
particularly shellfish.”
Home Tasting Room is another contemporary restaurant embracing saké. Executive chef Kaede
Hirooka spent three years cooking professionally in Tokyo and often uses saké as an ingredient
in his world-influenced, locally-sourced cuisine. “People who have only been exposed to boxed
saké are always surprised,” he says. “But premium saké can provide sweetness, like white wine
does, but it never masks the flavour of the food. Saké is rounder and not as sharp as white wine.”
Hirooka uses saké in stocks and to deglaze and makes a popular lacquered saké soy squid. The
biggest surprise, though, is his shortcake made with strawberries that have been infused with a
plum wine saké. “People always guess we used port,” says Hirooka about his decadent dessert.
Although Home Tasting Room is known for its wine selection, all staff learn about saké as part of
their training. It provides Home Tasting Room with an additional arrow
in its quiver to impress Calgary’s discerning diner.
At its core, saké is a simple beverage; it is fermented rice. But those
who understand the intricacies of fine saké understand its versatility as a
culinary experience in its own right. Calgary restaurants have embraced
this versatility to enhance the experiences in their dining rooms.
Kanpai!
Saké Terminology
• daiginjo
generally regarded as the most premium saké,
where the rice has been milled to less than half of
its original size before brewing
• ginjo
premium saké, where the rice has been milled to
about two thirds of its original size before brewing
• junmai
saké made solely with fermented rice, with no
brewer’s alcohol added
• koshu
aged saké
• nama
means fresh, and refers to unpasteurized saké
• nigori
means cloudy, and refers to unfiltered saké
Japanese Whisky is Coming of Age
Japanese whisky does not have a long history, having been made commercially for less than a century. There are less
than a dozen whisky distilleries in the land of the rising sun, but they are already making some of the most highlysought whiskys in the world. The reason? What Japanese distillers lack in numbers, they make up for in variation and
creativity.
Japanese whisky is most akin to Scotch, using similar processes and terminology. Each Scotch distillery, though,
typically makes only one base spirit, using the same ingredients and same-sized stills, allowing the barrel aging and
blending to create variability. By contrast, a single Japanese whiskymaker may use different yeasts and have multiple
stills of varying shapes and sizes, allowing them to produce and blend whisky more creatively.
The best selection of Japanese whisky in Calgary is available at international award-winning Kensington Wine Market
where whisky expert Andrew Ferguson lists Nikka Taketsuru 25 (at $1,160, one of the most expensive Japanese whiskys
available), Yoichi 15, Nikka Tsuru 17, and Hibiki Harmony as his favourites. 1257 Kensington Rd NW, 403-283-4283.
The Essential Calgary 2015/16
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