Tempura was born as a popular dish for the common people during the Edo period, and is said to be the origin of fast food in Japan. Over time, the taste of tempura has changed significantly, and while the standard ‘Edomae’ style of tempura, which was thick, heavy and fried in sesame oil, was once the norm, recently, tempura that is characterised by its light, crisp texture, and minimal residual oil, has become the mainstream. Nihonbashi Sonoji in the Ningyocho neighbourhood of Nihonbashi, Tokyo, is a leader in this trend. Their tempura, which is deep-fried mainly in corn oil, with the ratio of sesame oil adjusted to suit the ingredients, does not taste of oil at all when you take a bite. The true essence of this restaurant is the tempura, which optimises the five tastes of the ingredients by carefully deep-frying them in oil after being coated in batter.

In October 2016, the restaurant expanded from Shimada City, in Shizuoka Prefecture, to Tokyo. Based on the same concept as when the restaurant was in Shimada, ‘eat tempura and finish with soba’, the owner, Toshiyuki Suzuki, personally makes and serves hand-made soba noodles to finish off the course. In 2019, the restaurant was awarded one Michelin star in its third year of business. It is now one of the most popular restaurants in Tokyo, and reservations are almost impossible.

The special feature of Nihonbashi Sonoji is its commitment to using ingredients from Shizuoka Prefecture, Suzuki’s home prefecture. Using seafood caught in Suruga Bay and vegetables harvested at the foot of Mt Fuji, he deep-fries tempura that showcases of the delicious natural flavour of the ingredients. There is more to his passion than just love for his hometown. He is a man with a strong sense of tradition and a spirit of challenge, a man who is both conservative and innovative. He is a man who knows what must not be changed and what must be improved, and who is constantly challenging himself to create new tempura dishes while stubbornly standing by his commitment to use ingredients from Shizuoka.

The owner says, “tempura is a dish that is more delicate than it looks. You can’t make the best tempura unless you’ve calculated everything perfectly, from the preparation of the ingredients to the temperature of the oil, the size of the pan, the heat, the ambient temperature and humidity of the day, and so on. You have to narrow down the moment when all the elements come together to a single point. If I could not calibrate these various points to my satisfaction while frying tempura, I’d be too scared to stand at the counter.”

What kind of sake goes well with tempura? In fact, at Nihonbashi Sonoji, many people order beer, champagne or other sparkling beverages as their first drink. However, the owner’s heart is filled with the desire that, “because tempura represents Japanese food culture, I want people to enjoy Japanese sake from the first drink”.

The owner’s idea of ‘sake that goes well with tempura’ is that it should be delicate enough to complement the light oil and natural flavours of the tempura, and also creates an impression that touches the heart. “When you first taste sake, the first thing you notice is the aroma. Next, you feel the sweetness and umami as it spreads through your mouth. Finally, you sense the ‘mouthfeel’, and the story of that sake is complete. In other words, sake has three elements: aroma, flavour and mouthfeel, and if you are attracted to any one of these, you will probably think, ‘This is delicious’.” For some people, the aroma will be etched in their memory, while for others it may be the mouthfeel that makes a strong impression. In this way, that sake becomes an unforgettable experience for that person.

“Of these three elements, I value ‘aroma’ and ‘texture’ the most. The flavour of sake is unique to each sake, and is easily influenced by personal tastes. However, if the aroma and texture are outstanding, it will definitely lead to a second glass. In particular, I think that the smoothness of sake is a reflection of the skills of the brewery. For tempura, which is cooked to perfection and brings out the best in the ingredients, I think it’s best to have sake with a silky texture that goes down smoothly and easily. The image that the owner had in mind was remarkably clear.

Nihonbashi Sonoji chose Hatsukame Sake Brewery, which has been in business for nearly 400 years in the owner’s hometown of Shizuoka, as its partner in creating the ultimate sake for pairing with tempura. It is the oldest sake brewery operating in Shizuoka Prefecture. Nihonbashi Sonoji has always served ‘Kame’, a junmai daiginjo sake which is synonymous with Hatsukame Sake Brewery. ‘Kame’ is matured at a temperature of minus 7 degrees (-7ºC) for three years, and is renowned for its rounded, gentle flavour. The depth of its umami taste is a unique characteristic that can only be found in matured sake.

During discussions with the owner, Yasuhiro Hashimoto, managing director of Hatsukame Sake Brewery, thought, “Can’t we make a new sake that goes well with tempura by blending other types of sake with ‘Kame’ as a base? ‘Kame’ goes well enough with tempura, but if we could we’d like a slightly fresher, fruitier flavour.” The aim was not just to make good sake, but to make sake that goes well with tempura, which is sometimes it is eaten with tempura sauce, and sometimes eaten simply with salt. Some ingredients, such as prawns, flounder and squid, have a light flavour, while others, such as conger eel, oysters and root vegetables, have a more robust taste. To create a sake that can encompass all of these ingredients and satisfy no matter which ingredient it is paired with, it is necessary to have not only umami, but also a refined sweetness and a fresh aroma.

However, blending turned out to be more difficult than they had expected. After all, Hatsukame Sake Brewery had never attempted anything like it before. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of sake breweries that make ‘blended sake’, but blending did not originally exist because sake is all about enjoying the taste of the rice itself. The blending of different types of sake in varying proportions has led to a continuous search for a taste that would complement all ingredients. The process of blending the sake to create multi-layered flavours and unexpected umami was truly a process of discovery.

As well as ‘a flavour that goes well with the ingredients’, the other thing the owner particulary wanted to capture was ‘a sense of elation’. According to the owner, “if you’re going to make sake that goes well with tempura, I want you to choose it without hesitation from the first glass. And I want you to continue drinking the same sake without getting distracted by the second or third glass. The first glass of sake plays an important role as the top batter, and it needs to have an element that lifts your spirits and makes you feel elated.”

“How can we create sake a sense of elation?” The owner arrived at the idea of a slightly ripe fruit aroma. Indeed, ‘Kame’ has a mature aroma like that of a ripe melon, which is unique to aged sake. But he wanted a lighter, more exhilirating aroma. As a result of adjusting the blending ratio, a hint of slightly ripe yellow peaches and bananas began to permeate from sake. “When the fruity aroma is added, it seems to completely eliminate any sense of oiliness in the tempura. It both stimulates the appetite and enhances the taste of the tempura. The goal of creating a sake to pair with tempura became clear we were able to calibrate a fruity aroma with the mellow taste of ‘Kame.’”

According to Hashimoto of Hatsukame Sake Brewery, ‘the sake yeast produced in Shizuoka is famous for its gorgeous aroma. Even though it is described as ‘gorgeous’, it is not too strong, and its gentle flavour is a special characteristic. I think that this understated fruity aroma is perfect for tempura.”

Looking at the situation nationwide, a key feature of Shizuoka’s sake is its calm, gentle flavour. In particular, Hatsukame Sake Brewery is committed to producing sake with a gentle flavour by keeping the production of acidity to a minimum during the brewing process. By reducing the amount of acidity, even if there is little residual sugar, sweetness is created. Furthermore, by adding a gorgeous fruity aroma, a fruit-like sweetness is also imparted, and a crisp, dry expression along with the refined, sweet flavour are beautifully combined.