Listen every Wednesday 
Schema interviewsKanppai! - Japanese sake showcased at Artisan Sake Studio & Tojo's new digs
Vancouver's catching up to the cosmopolitan cities of the world (a la NYC, LA, SF, Tokyo, London, and Paris) with not one but two authentic sake bars, opening this month. Scratch that...one authentic sake bar, and one authentic sake studio.
Before I continue, let's have a linguistic lesson: sake is NOT pronounced "sack-y"...you risk sounding like a poseur who thinks you know but actually don't. In order to avoid the embarrassment (blushing?), sake should be pronounced "sah-keh". Don't even bother with merely saying "sake" (as in "goodness sake")--you might as well crawl into a hole.
Now that we got that out of the way, let's begin with Artisan Sake Maker Studio on Granville Island (1339 Railspur Alley | 604.685.7253) The proprietor is Mr. Masa Shiroki, a specialist in importing premium brands of sake from Japan, he's the one big guns like Tojo-san go to for the good stuff. Shiroki-san is launching his own premium sake, Osake, in the first sake winery in Canada. There are 3 types ($24.95-$32.00 for 750ml bottle): Genshu has tropical fruit aromas; Junmai has pear, melon and citrus flavours; and Nigori is opaque with a piquant taste.
If you want to have some sushi with your sake while sitting in a bit of swank, head to the new location of Tojo's on 1133 West Broadway (opened January 15). You'll find a vaulted maple room featuring a sake lounge and bar amongst the 6,500 sq.ft of zen design by architect Colin Kwok (including a sushi bar, 4 private tatami rooms, 3 small private rooms, and 1 large private room).
More:
* Article in Cityfood about Artisan Sake Studio @ www2.cityfood.com
* Tojo’s website @ www.tojos.com.
* The Artisan Sake Studio website @ www.artisansakemaker.com. Still under construction.
* Contact Artisan Sake Studio via email: info@artisansakemaker.com
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.schemamag.ca/mt/mt-tb.cgi/80