Japanese Sake : All Japan News,Inc

In this issue, I’d like to pass on to our readers a trick that enhances one’s abilities to pair sake with food.
First, please select three brands of sake with very different properties. The differences in properties are hard to tell without drinking the sake, but first, let’s select the sake according to the information listed on each label.
For example, please select a Junmai Daiginjo, Tokubestu Junmai, and Junmai Kimoto, all produced in different regions like Akita, Niigata, and Hyogo prefectures, etc. Sake produced in the U.S. are reasonably priced, for including a few of these brands in the mix may also be fun.
Once we have the sake, please grab some wine glasses (white wine glasses are better). Please be sure to use the same shaped glass for each of the three sake brands. It’s best to store the glasses in the refrigerator for approximately 3 hours and to maintain their temperature at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
And now, for the cuisine. Those who have time can prepare the food yourself, of course. However, I recommend takeout for those who want to compare the sake with many dishes from various types of cuisine. There’s no need to stick with Japanese cuisine, for it’s fun to also pair sake with Chinese and Italian (please avoid excessively spicy or strong garlic-flavored dishes) cuisines.
Please be careful to compare the balance between the sake and the food upon consumption, the changes detected in the umami flavors, and any changes in the aroma particular to that food, and aftertaste. If these factors in the pairing are satisfying, then it’s safe to say the pairing was a “success.”


日本酒と食のペアリング

今回は、ちょっとした心がけで日本酒と料理のペアリング能力が上がるコツを教えたい。
まずは、なるべく性質の違う日本酒3銘柄を用意していただきたい。性質の違いは、本当は飲んでみないとなかなか分かりにくいが、とりあえずはラベルで判断できる情報で選んでみる。
たとえば、純米大吟醸、特別純米、純米生酛で全く違う産地のものを見つけてみる。秋田、新潟、兵庫など。米国産の日本酒も手軽な価格なのでこれらも入れると面白い。
日本酒が揃ったら今度は、ワイングラス（白ワイングラスがベター）を用意する。
3銘柄の酒は必ず同じ形状のグラスを使うこと。その際、3時間くらい冷蔵庫に保存し、55度Fくらいになるようにしておく。
さて料理だが、時間のある人は料理を自分で作ってもいいし、違う種類のものを複数食べ比較したい場合はテイクアウトを勧める。何も日本食に限らず、たとえば、中華、イタリアンなど（あまりスパイシーなものやニンニクの強いものは避ける）で試すのも面白い。
注意する点は、日本酒を飲んだ時の料理との調和、旨みの変化、その食特有の臭さの変化、後味だ。これらが心地よければペアリングは、「良い」こととなる。

 
清酒與食物的襯托

這次，希望能傳授「如何只花少許心思就能提高清酒與料理的襯托能力」的竅門。
首先，準備三款具有不同特性的清酒品牌，其特性差異越多越好。雖然若非實際試飲，很難理解其特性差異；但首先請嘗試透過可在標籤上確定到的信息來選擇。
例如，嘗試尋找產地全異的純米大吟釀、特殊純米酒和純米生酛酒。秋田、新潟、兵庫等。美國製造的清酒價格相對便宜，因此添加它們亦有趣味。
收集好清酒後，準備酒杯（以白葡萄酒杯為佳）。
請務必對該三款品牌的清酒使用相同形狀的玻璃杯。此時，將其存放在冰箱內3個小時左右，使其溫度到達55°F左右。
接下來是料理部分。如果有時間可以自行製作；如果想嘗試多種食物並進行比較，建議外賣。不僅日本料理，亦可嘗試中式、意式料理等（但請避免調味料太重或蒜味太濃的食物），亦別有一番趣味。
需多加注意的是喝清酒時與料理的調和、味道的變化、食物特有氣味的變化以及其餘味。如果這些都令你感覺舒適，此一配對便能稱為「好」。

 
니혼슈(일본술)와 음식의 페어링

오늘은 니혼슈와 음식의 페어링 실력이 좋아지는 방법에 대해 소개하고자 합니다.
먼저 되도록 성질이 서로 다른 니혼슈 3종을 준비합니다. 사실, 성질의 차이는 마셔봐야 알 수 있지만 우선 라벨에서 확인할 수 있는 정보를 바탕으로 선택해 봅니다.
예를 들어, 준마이 다이긴죠(純米大吟醸), 도쿠베츠 준마이(特別純米), 준마이 기모토(純米生酛) 등 원산지가 전혀 다른 것들로 찾아봅니다. 아키타, 니가타, 효고 등이 있을 수 있습니다. 미국산 니혼슈도 가격이 저렴하기 때문에 비교해보면 재미있습니다.
니혼슈가 준비되면 와인잔 (화이트 와인잔을 추천)을 준비합니다.
3종의 술은 반드시 동일한 형상의 와인잔을 사용할 것. 이때 3 시간 정도 냉장고에 보관하여 약 55°F로 차게 해둡니다.
요리는 시간에 여유가 있는 경우, 직접 만드는 것도 좋으나 여러 종류의 음식을 먹어보고 비교하기 위해서는 테이크아웃을 권합니다. 일식뿐만 아니라 중식, 이탈리안 등 (너무 맵거나 마늘 맛이 강한 음식은 피하도록 한다)으로 시도해보는 것도 재미있습니다.
이때 주의해야 할 점은 니혼슈를 마셨을 때 음식과의 조화, 맛의 변화, 음식 특유의 냄새 변화, 뒷맛 등입니다. 이러한 점이 음식과 함께 했을 때 좋았다면 페어링하기 ‘좋다’고 표현할 수 있습니다.

President Nagai of sake brewery “Mizbasho” in Gunma prefecture developed a production method inspired by champagne that produces new sparkling Japanese sake by secondary fermentation inside the bottle, producing clear sake that is then pasteurized. Nagai acquired a patent for this production method combined with traditional Japanese sake production techniques in 2008.
Selling sparkling sake under the product name Mizbasho “PURE,” President Nagai was working hard on his clear, sparkling Japanese sake similar to champagne commonly toasted with - produced by secondary fermentation inside the bottle and pasteurized for worldwide transportation - as his next step to enter the global market.
However, blazing the trail alone to develop this new sake genre poses many challenges. Rather than facing these challenges alone, Nagai dreamed of recruiting members and forming a large team to develop his sparkling sake together, to introduce this new sparkling sake for the world to toast with.
Therefore, I was called upon as a long-time friend of the same age, also pursuing the same goal to expand overseas. Since I shared the same ambition, we collaborated together and produced the new Japanese sparkling sake “Awa Sake,” and founded the “Japan Awa Sake Association” in November 2016 to distribute this product.
Currently, our association consists of twenty-one sake breweries, each working on various projects to introduce and distribute our new sparkling Japanese sake both domestically and abroad.
Our next issue will describe the characteristics, etc., of “Awa Sake” in greater detail.

「日本酒の新スパークリング【awa酒】とは　その2」

群馬県「水芭蕉」蔵元の永井社長は、瓶内二次発酵で透明そして火入れが出来る日本酒の新スパークリングの製造方法をシャンパーニュに学び、日本酒の伝統技術と融合させて、2008年に製造方法特許を取得していました。
水芭蕉「PURE」というスパークリングを発売していましたが、永井社長も私と同じく世界に挑戦をしていく上で、乾杯の日本酒をシャンパンのような瓶内二次発酵で透明、そして火入れすることで世界中に持って行けるものにしなければいけないと考えて自ら必死に頑張ってきました。
しかし、たった一人でそのジャンルを開拓するのは大変で、このような新スパークリングを自分一人でやるよりも、仲間を募って、多くの仲間でこのスパークリングをつくり、世界の乾杯酒を目指したい、という強い想いを持っていました。
そこで、同じ年で昔から親交もあり、海外への挑戦を同じくやっている私に声がかかり、私も同じ思いを持っていたことから、日本酒の新スパークリング「awa酒」を造り、普及する団体「一般社団法人awa酒協会」を2016年11月に設立しました。
現在では21の蔵元が加盟し、様々な事業を通して日本国内、そして海外で日本酒の新スパークリングの普及に努めています。
それでは、この「awa酒」とはいったいどんなお酒なのか、次回説明いたします。

By Yuji Matsumoto

Even if it is good tasting, if you're not able to relay that, customers will not try it. Also, if the timing to relay the information and contents are not sufficient, this will not lead to sales. We like to talk about how we can relay the appeal of sake to customers with the right timing and ideal content that will lead to sales.

Who are we relaying the information to?
Are you providing sufficient training separately for chefs, servers, and bartenders? Just by giving a little taste, there is absolutely no way you can explain the fineness of sake to customers. You need to make them thoroughly understand why a particular sake is delicious. Also, you can only understand 10% of the fineness of the sake if you drink it as a single item, so you definitely need to make them try the sake with the right dish.

Timing
We certainly feel that instead of a server asking "What would you like to have?" when taking a drink order from a customer, change it to "How would you like a cold, very delicious glass of sake?" It will make a big difference when you ask this.

Content we are relaying

For example, "Would you like to try AAA brand of Niigata which is dry and refreshing?" or
"Would you like to try BBB brand of Akita which has the fullness that goes well with teriyaki etc?" etc, to think of sales talk that is easy for customers to understand and to make them want to try.


-----
顧客に日本酒の素晴らしさを伝える

どんな美味しいものでも、それを伝えなければ顧客は試さない。また、その情報を伝達するタイミングや内容が適切でなければ、これも販売につながらない。では、どのようなタイミングで適切に日本酒の魅力を顧客に伝え、販売につなげるかを考えてみたい。

伝える人は誰なのか
板前、サーバー、バーテンダーなりに適切なトレーニングをしているか。単に少し飲ませただけでは、絶対に日本酒の良さを顧客に説明できないはず。なぜ、この酒は、美味しいのかをしっかりと勉強させること。また、単独で飲んだだけでは、一割もその酒の良さが理解できないので、必ず料理と合わせ試飲をさせること。

タイミング
やはり、サーバーがドリンクオーダーを取る時に顧客に「お飲み物をいかがいたしましょうか？」という一言を、「冷えたとても美味しい日本酒は、いかがですか」と変えてみること。この一言で大きな違いが生まれる。

伝える内容
たとえば、ドライですっきりしていてとてもスシに合う新潟のAAA銘柄はいかがでしょうか？または、照り焼きなどに合うボディーがある秋田のBBB銘柄はいかがでしょうか？など、お客に分かりやすく、トライしてみたくなるセールストークを考える。

 
-----
向顧客傳達清酒的美妙

即使是何等的美酒，如果顧客不獲知悉，就不會嘗試。而且，如果傳達信息的時機和內容並不合適，亦不能成功作出銷售。那麼，請思考一下在甚麼時機適切地為顧客傳達清酒的魅力會帶來成功的銷售。

由誰傳達
是否以「板前(日式料理廚師)」、服務員或調酒師身份進行了適當的培訓？單純提供試飲，並無法向顧客解釋清酒的優點。請確保顧客已清楚了解這種酒為何美味。另外，單獨喝酒，即使是酒的一成優點亦無法理解；故請配合料理提供試飲。

時機
當服務員聽取飲料訂單時，嘗試將詢問顧客的問題由「請問已決定好飲料了嗎？」更改為「請問要嘗試一下冰涼可口的清酒嗎？」。這句話將會引發重大變化。

傳達內容
考慮一些易於令客戶理解和嘗試的銷售談話。例如「要嘗試干型，與壽司非常匹配的新潟市AAA品牌嗎？」或是「要嘗試酒體飽滿，與照燒等非常匹配的秋田BBB品牌嗎？」等。

 
-----
고객에게 니혼슈(일본술)의 훌륭함을 전하다

아무리 좋은 것이라도 알리지 않는다면 고객은 시도하지 않습니다. 게다가 그 정보를 전달하는 타이밍과 내용이 적절하지 않다면 판매로 이어지지 않습니다. 그렇다면 어떤 타이밍에 적절하게 니혼슈(일본술)의 매력을 고객에게 전달하여 판매로 연결해나가는 게 좋을지 생각해봅시다.

정보를 전달하는 사람은 누구인가
전문 셰프, 서버, 바텐더, 각각 적절한 교육이 이루어지고 있는지 체크해봅시다. 단순히 한 두 모금 마신 경험 가지고는 절대로 니혼슈의 매력을 고객에게 설명할 수 없을 것입니다. 이 술이 왜 맛있는지를 정확하게 공부시킬 것. 또한 술만 마셔서는 그 술의 장점을 전혀 이해할 수 없으므로 반드시 음식과 함께 시음하게 할 것.

타이밍
서버가 주문을 받을 때 고객에게 하는 "술은 어떻게 하시겠습니까?" 이 한마디를 "정말 맛있는 시원한 니혼슈 한잔 어떻습니까?”로 바꿔 볼 것. 이 한마디로 인해 큰 변화가 생길 것입니다.

고객에게 전달할 내용
예를 들어, 드라이하고 깔끔한 맛이 있어 초밥과 아주 잘 어울리는 니가타AAA 등급은 어떻습니까? 또는 구이요리에 잘 어울리는 바디감 있는 아키타 BBB는 어떻습니까? 등등 고객이 이해하기 쉽고 시도해보고 싶어할 만한 세일즈 토크를 고안해보면 좋을 것입니다.

By Kosuke Kuji

Sparkling sake in Japan is broadly divided into 2 main types.
The first type is “bottled sparkling sake clouded by secondary fermentation.”
The other type is “clear sparkling sake with added gas,” the common and delicious, long-established type sold in Japan.
However, looking outward to the world, sparkling alcohol consist mostly of “clear bottled alcohol by secondary fermentation” with French champagne as the most common of brands.
Clear bottled alcohol by secondary fermentation is higher in value than clear sake with added gas, with the clear sake showcasing beautiful bubbles.
To introduce Japanese sake and compete on the world stage, I foresaw over 20 years ago that champagne would become the beverage to ‘toast’ with, to be followed by white wine according to the world standard.
To get non-Japanese nationals to taste Japanese sake in this setting, I was convinced that Japanese sake had to be the first beverage served. However, although toasting with sake is normal in Japan, non-Japanese nationals typically toast to “sparkling” alcoholic beverage, which I knew would be difficult to achieve with the two types of sake described above. That was when I received a call from Noriyoshi Nagai, President of the sake brewery “Mizubasho” in Gunma prefecture.


「日本酒の新スパークリング【awa酒】とは」その１

日本酒のスパークリングと言えば、日本では大きく分けて2つのタイプになります。
1つは「瓶内二次発酵で濁っている生酒」タイプ。
もう1つは「ガスを添加するもので透明」タイプ。
これらは昔から日本の中で日本人に愛されてきた、日本では当たり前で素晴らしいスパークリング日本酒です。
しかし、世界に目を向けてみると、スパークリングのアルコールと言えば、フランスのシャンパンを筆頭に「瓶内二次発酵（ガスを添加しない）で透明」なものがほとんどです。
瓶内二次発酵のスパークリングはガス添加のものよりも価値が高く、透明なのはその美しい泡を見せるために必須です。
私は20年以上前から世界に日本酒で挑戦していく時に、どうしても「乾杯」のお酒がシャンパンになると、次に日本酒を飲むことがなかなか難しい事を体験的にとても感じていました。
シャンパンを飲むと、その次はやはり普通に白ワインになってしまいますし、それが世界のスタンダードです。
そんな中で、どうしても日本酒をノンジャパニーズの方々に飲んでもらうには、スタートのお酒を日本酒にしなければいけないと考えていました。しかし、日本ではスティルの日本酒で乾杯する事が当たり前ですが、海外のノンジャパニーズの皆さんはやはり「泡」で乾杯するのが普通で、その日本酒が上記の2つのタイプでは難しい事も実感していました。
そんな中、群馬県の「水芭蕉」蔵元の永井社長から声がかかりました。

By Aya Ota

There is a clean and pure-looking restaurant, located on a corner of the Union Square/Greenwich Village District, which makes you feel like stopping by. As you step into the place, absorbed and sucked in by the warm light overflowing from inside, an art nouveau style elegant space unfolds in front of you. You don’t feel any Japanese elements from either its exterior or interior, but here at “Pâtisserie Fouet”, you can enjoy French sweets and desserts accentuated with Japanese ingredients such as yuzu, sesame, and green tea.
This restaurant’s specialty is its rich menu that changes depending on the time of the day. After 11 a.m. is the Savory, which consists of sandwiches, salad, soup, Tapas dishes, etc., between 12 and 4 p.m. is Afternoon Tea, and after 4p.m. is prefixed dessert tasting. In the evening, you can enjoy meals and bar drinks. There are 4 peak times a day. You can order patisseries all day, and can also take them out.
What especially needs to be paid attention to, is the paring of dessert tasting and alcoholic beverages. You choose 1 out of the prefixed main 3 desserts of your choice, and pair it with Japanese sake, shochu, Japanese whiskey, wine, etc. as an option. “Yuzu Sugar Sugar” is a visually gorgeous item. You crack the globe made of sugar to reveal a refreshing sour yuzu mousse. “Green Tea Souffle” is eaten hot-out-of-the-oven with cold ice cream. An excellent harmony is created with the mild-bitterness of the green tea, sweetness of the vanilla ice cream, and sourness of the strawberry sauce. Flavors becomes enhanced when these delicately flavored desserts are paired with Japanese sake or shochu, which brings the goodness out of each other. 50% of the pastries are gluten-free, and there are many vegan items, which are very well received by highly health-conscious New Yorkers. All the sauces and ice creams are made in-house, which is reflected on the name of the restaurant (Fouet means a whisk). Their signature items are the souffle items. New flavors reflected upon each season; coconut, passion fruit, white sesame, etc., appear every month.
The Savory menu is also worth paying attention to. The tapas menu had existed since the opening, but from August of this year, they added more voluminous items such as beef stew, and hard liquor such as Japanese whiskey and shochu, to enrich the menu. Since then, more customers started to come to enjoy the place also as a restaurant or a bar, which has been contributing to the growing sales of the Savory and Alcohol beverages division.

“I had a long dream of having a kind of place where you can casually drop by to have a light meal with a glass of wine, and finish with souffle,” says Yoshie Shirakawa, partner/executive chef. She came to the US in 2008 as the executive chef, when a Japanese confectionery/cooking school came to New York to open a café. After the café closed, she launched her own business, selling whole-sale pastries, working at restaurants and cafes to brush up her skills. She is a well-rounded expert pâtisserie with a total of 28 years of experience both in Japan and the US. She said that she met a Taiwanese owner who runs sushi kappo and udon restaurants a few year ago, which triggered the opening of “Pâtisserie Fouet”.
It has been a little over a year since its opening. In the meantime, she had applied a trial and error process many times to hours of operation, menu structuring etc., and finally settled with the current form. I think you can hardly ever find a place where you can have various enjoyment in various times of the day without sticking to the image of “Pâtisserie”. They say that they want to further enhance the area of Japanese sake, shochu, and Japanese whiskey selections. I look forward to seeing their future changes.

デザートと酒のペアリングをお洒落に楽しむ

ユニオン・スクエア/グリニッジ・ビレッジ地区の一角に、ふと足を止めたくなる清楚な佇まいの店がある。中から漏れる暖かい光に吸い寄せられるように足を踏み入れると、アールヌーボー調の優雅な空間が広がる。外観や内装からは一切、日本的な要素は感じられないが、ここ『Patisserie Fouet』では、柚や胡麻、緑茶などの和食材をアクセント使ったフレンチ菓子やデザートを楽しむことができる。
同店の特徴は、時間帯で変化していくメニューの豊富さ。午前11時以降にはサンドイッチやサラダ、スープ、タパス料理などのセイボリー、午後12〜4時にはアフタヌーンティー、午後4時以降はプリフィックスのデザート・テイスティング、夜には食事やバーを楽しめ、1日に4回もピークが来るという。パティスリー類は終日注文できるほか、お持ち帰りも可能だ。
　特に注目は、デザート・テイスティングとアルコール類のペアリング。3品のデザートで構成されるプリフィックスで、メインのデザートを自由に選び、オプションで日本酒や焼酎、日本産ウィスキーやワインなどを合わせることができる。『柚シュガー・シュガー』は、砂糖で作られた球体を割ると、爽やかな酸味がきいた柚ムースが現れる、見た目にも華やかな一品。『緑茶のスフレ』 は、焼きたてのスフレに冷たいアイスクリームを合わせて食べる一品。緑茶のほろ苦さとバニラ・アイスクリームの甘さ、イチゴソースの酸味の調和が見事だ。これらの繊細な風味デザートに日本酒や焼酎を合わせると、お互いの風味を引き立て、格別の味わいとなる。ペイストリーの約50％はグルテンフリーで、ヴィーガンのアイテムも数多く取りそろえ、健康意識の高いニューヨークの客にも好評だ。また、ソースやアイスクリームなど、すべて店内で手作りしており、そのこだわりが店名の『Fouet（泡立て器）』に込められている。同店のシグニチャーはスフレで、ココナッツやパッションフルーツ、白胡麻など、季節の食材を活かした新フレーバーが毎月のように登場する。
　セイボリー・メニューも注目に値する。開店当初からタパス・メニューは揃えていたが、この8月頃から、新しくビーフシチューなどボリュームのあるメニューを充実させ、日本産ウィスキーや焼酎などのハードリカーを揃えたところだ。以来、レストランやバーとして利用する客が増え、セイボリー部門やアルコール部門の売上は順調に伸びているという。
「気軽に立ち寄って、ワイン1杯飲みながら軽く食事をつまんで、最後はスフレでしめる…という店を作りたいと、長年夢を温めていた」と話すのは、パートナー兼エグゼクティブ・シェフを務める白川仁恵氏。同氏は、2008年に日本の製菓・調理専門学校がニューヨークに進出し、カフェを開店した際、エグゼクティブ・シェフとして着任した。カフェ閉店後は、自身の企業を立ち上げペイストリー類を卸したり、レストランやカフェに務めたりなどして、活躍の幅を広げてきた。日米通算28年もの実績を誇る大ベテランのパティシエだ。数年前に、寿司割烹やうどんレストランを経営する台湾人オーナーとの出会ったことがきっかけで、『Patisserie Fouet』の開店に至ったという。
　開店から1年ちょっと、この間、開店時間やメニュー構成など試行錯誤してきたが、ようやく現在の形に落ち着いたところだという。“パティスリー”という枠にとらわれず、時間ごとにさまざまな楽しみ方ができる店は、他になかなかないだろう。今後、日本酒や焼酎、日本産ウィスキーなども強化したいとのことで、これからの変化がますます楽しみな店だ。

Patisserie Fouet
15 E 13th St, New York, NY 10003
Tel: 212-620-0622
www.fouetnyc.com
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10am-9pm
Wednesday-Saturday: 10am-10pm
Sunday: 10am-9pm

By Yuji Matsumoto

Sake Q&A

1. Cold or Hot
Many people think that high quality sake should be enjoyed cold but this is wrong. Compared to fine quality sake which you can drink without worrying about the temperature, sake that has poor balance should be enjoyed extremely cold.

2. What is good sake?
Certainly one standard is the price, but we need to think if we can find a sake that has the value to satisfy ones taste. It is important to find a "sake that suits me" instead of a good sake. There would be a tendency for one that likes fully body red wines to prefer a Junmai-Kimoto or Honjozo type, and one that likes a young, fruity chardonnay to prefer a gentle, strong aroma Daiginjyo type.

3. Tasting method
Sip it with air like you would with wine. For the glass, it is important to pour a small amount into a glass for white wines type and swish it around lightly to come in contact with air.

4. Drinking container
It is amazing that the taste can totally change with the glass you use not only for sake but for wines and beers also. If you want to enjoy the taste, especially examine the aroma, it is good to use a small white wine glass. If you are having it hot, it is good to use a smaller ceramic type container that doesn't have the shape to be smothered with alcohol steam and doesn't cover your nose when you put it to your mouth.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
日本酒Q&A

１． 冷か燗か
多くの人は、高級酒は冷して飲むと思っているが、これは違う。質の良い日本酒ほど温度にあまりとらわれず飲むことができるのに対して、バランスの悪い酒は、キンキンに冷やした方が逆に良い。

２． いいお酒とは
もちろん一つの目安になるのが値段だが、本当に自分になりに味わって価値を見出せるかを考える必要がある。いいお酒より「自分に合ったお酒」を見つけ出すことが重要。
フルボディーの赤ワイン系が好きな人は、おそらく純米生もとや本醸造系が気に入るだろうし、若いフルーティーなシャルドネが好きな人は、端麗で香り高い大吟醸系が気に入る傾向にある。

３． テイスティング方法
ワインと同じく、空気と一緒にすするように飲む。グラスは、白ワイン系のグラスに少しそそぎ、軽く回し空気と触れさせることが重要。

４． 飲む器
日本酒に限らず、ワインやビールでも飲むグラスによって味が全く変わるから不思議。味、特に香りを吟味し、楽しみたいのであれば小さめの白ワイングラスが良い。熱燗の場合は、アルコールの蒸気でむせないような形や口に当て鼻までかぶらない小さめの陶器系が良い。

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
清酒Q&A

１． 冷飲？熱飲？
許多人認為高級的酒應為冷飲；但事實並非如此。越高品質的清酒，越不受溫度限制；相反品質偏頗的酒則冷藏後反而更好。

２． 何謂好酒？
當然，價格是準則之一；但亦必須考慮是否可以由自己「品嚐」出其價值。找到「適合自己的酒」比尋找好酒更為重要。
喜歡濃郁紅酒的人可能會喜歡生酛純米酒和本醸造系列的酒。而喜歡擁有清香果味的霞多麗的人，比較傾向選擇精緻而香味濃郁的大吟釀系列的酒。

３． 品嚐方法
像葡萄酒一樣，連同空氣一同吸入般喝下。至於酒杯，重要的是稍微倒進白葡萄酒酒杯中，並輕輕地搖晃數回，令酒能與空氣接觸。

４． 酒杯
令人感到神奇的是，無論是葡萄酒或者啤酒等，味道都會因酒杯的不同而有所改變。如果想享受味道，尤其是想品味香味，小白葡萄酒杯是不錯的選擇。選擇熱飲時，選用以不會被酒精蒸氣引致嗆咳的形狀、或者小型陶器系，飲用時不會蓋住鼻子的酒杯為佳。

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
니혼슈(일본술) Q & A

１． 뜨겁게 마실 것이냐, 차갑게 마실 것이냐
대부분의 사람들은 고급 술은 차갑게 마시는 것이라 생각하지만 이는 맞지 않습니다. 질 좋은 술이야말로 온도와 관계 없이 마실 수 있는 반면, 균형감이 좋지 않은 술은 오히려 차갑게 마시는 것이 좋습니다.

２． 좋은 술이란
물론 가격을 하나의 기준으로 꼽을 수 있지만, 자기자신이 스스로 진정한 가치를 느낄 수 있는 술인지를 생각해 봐야 합니다. 좋은 술보다 “자신에게 맞는 술"을 찾는 것이 중요합니다.
풀바디 레드 와인 계열을 좋아하는 사람이라면 아마 쥰마이 기모토(純米生もと)나 양조 계열을 좋아할 것이며 젊은 감각의 과일향 샤도네를 좋아하는 사람이라면 깔끔하고 향기로운 다이긴죠(大吟醸)를 좋아하는 경향이 있습니다.

３． 테이스팅 방법
와인과 마찬가지로 공기와 함께 홀짝 마십니다. 화이트 와인 잔에 소량 따라 가볍게 돌리며 공기와 접촉시키는 것이 중요합니다.

４． 술잔
니혼슈뿐만 아니라 와인이나 맥주도 술잔에 따라 맛이 완전히 달라지니 흥미롭습니다. 맛, 특히 향기를 음미하며 즐기고 싶다면 크기가 작은 화이트 와인 잔이 좋습니다. 따뜻하게 데운 술의 경우, 마실 때 알코올 증기가 올라오지 않도록 입에 댔을 때 코를 덮지 않는 모양의 작은 도자기 잔이 좋습니다.

By Keiko Fukuda

The guide map of Japanese food restaurants of Little Tokyo is becoming livelier and livelier every year featuring more and more ramen, sushi, okonomiyaki, izakaya places, etc. In addition to the groups such as Daikokuya and Shinsengumi, which have launched the business and have been expanding locally, there are many other restaurant businesses which came from Japan, and are flourishing successfully here. One such business is “PASTA e PASTA by ALLEGRO”, which is located in the Honda Plaza.
Their parent company is “Restaurant Bank”, which has developed and is running 16 locations mainly in the Kansai area of Japan including the current 2 in the US. Their business models are diversified, which include oden-izakayas, and standing room only drinking bars, soba-izakayas, Italian restaurants, and Italian dessert specialty restaurants. They even do consulting for curry and yakiniku restaurants. After their President, Mitsuhide Hayashi opened sushi izakaya “JINBEI” in Irvine in Orange County as their first overseas restaurant, he talked to Masaki Tsuzuki, who is currently managing PASTA e PASTA by ALLEGRO, and decided to open PASTA e PASTA by ALLEGRO in Little Tokyo. Mr. Tsuzuki’s title in the company is General Manager, Overseas Businesses Division.
This restaurant is about to enter the third year since its opening, and Mr. Tsuzuki says that he felt good responses early on in the second month. “Since the very first day the restaurant was introduced in an online medium called DineLA, people started to come, and we got really busy. Then, after getting an interview by LA Weekly, we got even busier!” He said that those 2 times they were featured in the media, is what really caused the sudden boost in the number of customers.
“ALLEGRO” in Japan, which is run by the parent company, serves pizza and pasta, taking advantage of the President’s experience of winning 6th place in the pizza chef competition in Naples, Italy. However, here at PASTA e PASTA by ALLEGRO, they concentrate on serving only pasta dishes. Tsuzuki explains the reason as follows; “First, I thought it was necessary to simplify the operation to efficiently run the restaurant. Also we disclose the pasta recipes openly within the company, so anybody can score at least 80 out of a perfect 100 points. In our system, absence of the chef would not disable the making of the pasta dishes.
Mr. Tsuzuki also insists on the principles of making the operation simple, and the authenticity of the recipes. “Our pasta is not a fusion. We do not jump to new things, and stick to the basics sincerely. Our recipes consist of 80 percent traditional Italian, and 20 percent Japanese flavored. We will never be diverted from the idea of sticking to the royal road of cooking.
As Mr. Tsuzuki explained, in addition to Japanese style pasta dishes such as uni cream pasta and mentaiko pasta, their pasta menu consists of authentic Italian pasta dishes such as beef ragu (bolognese), arrabbiata, etc. All those pasta recipes are copied from their restaurants in Japan rather than Americanizing them, but the volume is larger for here. I had the uni pasta on the interview day. The large-volume pasta was coated with rich uni cream sauce, and big pieces of uni on top. “Anybody can score at least 80%” isn’t a humble enough quote. It tasted so satisfying; however, I must say honestly that the American size volume was not easy to handle unless you are very hungry.
I asked about the customer ratio, which is 80% Americans, and 20% students and business people from overseas including Japanese. Although the entrance is narrow and small, the tables in the back are laid out spaciously. The back space looks well-suited for private parties.
The group already has 2 locations in the US, and Mr. Tsuzuki said that they are hoping to increase the number of restaurants in the future, regardless of the business models. “Many of our restaurants in Japan are located, not in busy city centers, but in remote areas. Rather than starting at locations where the property leasing is expensive, we try to draw people to us by the restaurant’s attractiveness.” I had a feeling that the day is near when we see one of this group’s wide variety of restaurant business models, which has been established in Japan, in a Los Angeles suburb in the near future.


日本から上陸したパスタ店リトルトーキョーで盛業中

ラーメン、寿司、お好み焼き、居酒屋と、リトルトーキョーの日本食マップは年々賑やかに彩られていくが、現地で立ち上げて店舗数を広げてきた大黒家や新撰組といったローカル組以外に、日本からの進出組の活躍も目覚ましい。その中の代表的な存在が、ホンダプラザ内に出店しているPASTA e PASTA by ALLEGROだ。
同店の親会社は、日本の関西を中心に、国内と現在のアメリカの２店舗を含め16店舗を展開しているレストランバンク。おでん居酒屋、立ち飲み、そば居酒屋、イタリアン、イタリアのデザート専門店を多様な業態な店を構え、さらにカレー店、焼肉店のコンサルティングも手がける。そして、社長の林秀光さんが海外１号店としてオレンジ・カウンティのアーバインに寿司居酒屋JINBEIを出店した後、現在PASTA e PASTA by ALLEGROをマネージしている都築正記（つづきまさき）さんと話し合い、PASTA e PASTA by ALLEGROをリトルトーキョーに開けた。ちなみに都築さんのタイトルは海外事業部統括マネージャーだ。
開店して３周年を迎えようとする同店だが、手応えを感じたのは２カ月目の時点、非常に早かったと都築さんは振り返る。「オンラインのメディア、DineLAに紹介された当日からお客さんが詰め掛けて急に忙しくなりました。その後、LA Weeklyから取材されると、さらにお客さんが増えました」。顧客が一気に増えた転機は、メディアに紹介された、その２回だったそうだ。
日本で親会社が経営しているALLEGROは、社長がナポリのピッツァ選手権で世界６位になった経歴を生かして、ピッツァとパスタを扱っている。しかし、ここアメリカのPASTA e PASTA by ALLEGROではパスタだけに絞っている。その理由について都築さんは次のように説明する。「まずは店を効率的に回すためにオペレーションをシンプルにする必要があると考えました。また、パスタのレシピに関しても社内で広く公開することで、誰が作っても80点は取れるようにしています。シェフがいないと作れないというシステムにはしていません」。
オペレーションをシンプルにすること、そして、レシピはあくまでオーセンティックにこだわるという姿勢も都築さんは強調した。「うちの店のパスタはフュージョンではありません。新しいことには飛びつかず、基本に忠実に取り組んでいます。イタリアの伝統レシピが８割、日本風なレシピが２割という構成です。料理は王道を行きたいという方針が揺らぐことはありません」。
パスタのメニューには、都築さんも説明したように、日本的なうにクリームパスタや明太子パスタと同様にビーフラグー（ボロネーゼ）やアラビアータなど本格的なイタリアンのパスタも並ぶ。それらのレシピはアメリカで味を変えることなく日本と同じにしているが、アメリカでは量を多くしているそうだ。取材当日はうにクリームパスタをいただいた。濃厚なうにのクリームソースがたっぷりのパスタに絡まり、さらに大きなうにのかたまりがトッピングされている。「誰が作っても80点以上」どころではなく味に対する満足度は非常に高かったが、アメリカンサイズの量のパスタには、空腹状態で訪れないと太刀打ちできないというのが正直な感想だった。
客層について聞くと、８割がアメリカ人、２割が日本人も含む他の国からの学生やビジネスマンだと答えた。内装は間口こそ狭いが、奥に進むとテーブル席がゆとりを持って配置されている。奥の空間は貸切パーティーにも活用できそうだ。
グループで２店舗、すでにアメリカで出店しているが、今後も業態にこだわらずに店の数を増やしていく方針だと都築さんは語る。「日本でも中心街ではなく、少し引っ込んだ場所に店を出しているケースが多いんです。最初からリース代が高い場所に出すより、店の魅力で顧客を引っ張ってくることを目指しています」。近い将来、日本ですでに実績がある多様な業態の中から、新たなグループ店がロサンゼルス近郊に誕生する可能性は高そうだ。


PASTA e PASTA by ALLEGRO
432 E. 2nd St., Los Angeles
(213)265-7003
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Japanese-Restaurant/PASTA-e-PASTA-by-ALLEGRO-736154563229529/

11:30am-2:00pm
5:30pm-9:30pm
Monday Closed

By Kosuke Kuji

While many consumers don’t know the term ‘vegan,’ many vegan restaurants are now starting to open in Tokyo in recent years.
I was sensitive to the term Vegan since I coordinated the sake Nanbu Bijin to be certified as vegan. However, I was surprised to learn a restaurant inside the “Kisarazu Outlet” in Kisarazu city, Chiba prefecture was serving vegan cuisine for a limited time.
Although vegan cuisine is not yet widely known among general consumers (in Japan), I meet many vegan consumers, vegan-leaning consumers, and vegetarians overseas.
I understood this to be the ‘natural’ approach and custom when my fellow vegan promoters introduced me to the smart phone app, “HAPPY COW.”
This app registers vegan, vegetarian, halal, and kosher restaurants in Japan and worldwide for consumers to find restaurants that meets one’s specified conditions in a glance.
I tried this app in Japan, but recently, many restaurants are getting registered.
Using this recent technology as a weapon, I would like to introduce to consumers that Japanese sake is in fact ‘vegan.’
While some vegan products consist of wine and beer, I believe most Japanese sake brands can obtain vegan certification. I think if we all get vegan certified, we can promote the understanding that “Japanese sake is vegan,” which will start a new era. I would like to continue our efforts dreaming of this day.

「日本のヴィーガンレストランの状況」

日本ではヴィーガンという言葉すら知らない人が多いのですが、ここ数年で、東京を中心にヴィーガン食を出すレストランが増えてきました。
私もヴィーガン認定を南部美人で調整していた関係で、ヴィーガンという言葉には敏感でしたが、驚いたのは千葉県木更津市の「木更津アウトレット」の中にあるレストランでヴィーガン食を限定でしたが出すレストランがあった事に驚きました。
日本ではまだまだ広く一般に知られていないヴィーガンですが、海外に行くと大変多くのヴィーガンの方々、ヴィーガンライクの方々、そしてベジタリアンの方々にお会いします。
そしてそれが「当たり前」の考え方と習慣なんだ私は理解していました。
そんな中、ヴィーガンを推し進める仲間から教えてもらったスマホアプリが「HAPPY COW」でした。
これは、日本はもちろん、世界中のヴィーガン、ベジタリアン、ハラル、コーシャなどのレストランが英語で登録されていて、一目で自分の条件にあうレストランを見つけることが出来ます。
日本でも試してみましたが、ここ最近は登録するお店が多くなってきました。
こういった現代の最新の武器を使いながら、日本酒が「ヴィーガン」であることを、もっと多くの方々に伝えて行きたいです。
ワインやビールも一部ヴィーガンがありますが、日本酒はほとんど全てのお酒がヴィーガンの認証を取れると私は思っています。みんなでヴィーガンの認証を受ければ世界中の目は「日本酒ってヴィーガンなんだね」となります。そうなるとまた違った時代を迎えます。そんな時代を夢見てさらに頑張っていきたいと思います。

By Yuji Matsumoto

When we get into December, restaurants start becoming busy with year-end parties and Christmas parties, and we should start preparation from the beginning of November. During this time, wines and champagnes are consumed a lot and even served by restaurants, and it is disappointing that sales of Japanese sake is slightly held back by them. However, if you think of what goes good with food, I feel that Japanese sake is the winner. Also it can be consumed at different temperatures and I am happy that hot sake can warm up your body during the cold seasons.

With some thought out presentations, you can drink Japanese sake in style.
Let's start with the glass. By using the white wine glass instead of the usual Japanese sake glass, you can increase the luxury at your table. If you like sparkling alcohol like champagne, it would be interesting to serve sake in a flute glass. Varieties of sparkling Japanese sake has increased recently and we're thankful that they are being sold at reasonable prices. Also, we would like you to try flavor sake which is popular during this season.

If you like to drink hot sake, we suggest you buy the sake warming set on the market that uses candles to warm sake. This would be a very good match with Western style foods.

---

ホリデーシーズンに備える

12月に入るとすぐに忘年会、クリスマスパーティーなどでレストランは忙しい時期となる。11月初旬からすでに準備をしていきたい。この時期ワインやシャンペンは多くレストランでも出るようになるが、日本酒となるとややこれらにおされ気味になるのが残念である。

しかし、食との相性を考えると日本酒が勝ると思う。しかも温度帯も広く、寒い時期には燗酒を飲むことにより身体とも暖めてくれるのがうれしい。

ちょっとした演出により、おしゃれに日本酒を飲むことができる。

まずは、グラス。いつもの小さい日本酒グラスではなく白ワインのグラスを使用することにより、食卓に豪華さが増す。

シャンペンなどの発砲酒が好みならフルートグラスで提供してみると面白い。最近は日本酒の発泡酒の種類も多くなり、手軽な価格になっているのでありがたい。また、同じくフレイバー酒もこの時期に好まれるのでぜひトライしていただきたい。

燗が好きな方は、市販で買えるロウソクで暖める燗セットをお勧めする。これなら、洋食の食卓にもとてもマッチするのである。

---

為節日季節作準備

因甫踏進十二月，便有尾牙餐會、聖誕派對等令餐廳非常忙碌的節目；故皆希望能夠於十一月上旬起已開始作準備。在此期間，許多餐廳會提供葡萄酒和香檳等；但遺憾當提及清酒，則有種略微被壓下的感覺。

但是，當考慮到與料理的襯托程度時，個人認為清酒更勝一籌。此外，清酒的溫度範圍廣；在寒冷的天氣裡喝燗酒(註：熱清酒)，令身體更感溫暖，倍添快意。
只需少量心思，就可以時尚地品嘗清酒。

首先，玻璃杯。使用白葡萄酒用的玻璃酒杯代替平時清酒用的小酒杯可以增加餐桌的奢華感。

如果您喜歡香檳等發泡酒，可嘗試將其與香檳杯一起飲用。而值得慶幸的是近來，清酒的發泡酒種類也有所增加，以及已經成為能夠易於負擔的價格。另外，這時期的加香酒亦大受歡迎，請務必嘗試。

對於喜歡燗酒的人，建議使用可以在市場上購買，以蠟燭作加熱方法的燗酒套件。至此，就能變得與西式餐桌非常匹配。

---

홀리데이 시즌을 준비하며

12월에 들어서면 송년회며 크리스마스 파티 시즌 등이 금새 돌아오기 때문에, 레스토랑은 바빠지기 전인 11월 초순부터 이미 준비를 해나가야 합니다. 이 시기에 많은 레스토랑에서 와인이나 샴페인을 출시하는데, 니혼슈가 이러한 주류에 약간 밀리는 것 같아 아쉽기도 합니다.

그러나 음식과의 궁합을 생각하면 니혼슈가 더 잘 어울리는 것 같습니다. 온도 범위도 폭 넓고 추울 때 燗酒(칸자케: 따뜻하게 데운 술)를 마시면 몸도 따뜻해져서 기분이 좋아집니다.

조금만 연출하면 세련되게 술을 마실 수도 있습니다.

우선 유리잔이 필요합니다. 늘 마시던 작은 술잔이 아니라 화이트 와인 유리잔을 사용하면 식탁에 고급스러움을 더할 수 있습니다.

샴페인과 같은 발포주를 좋아하면 플룻 글래스에 담아보아도 재미있습니다. 최근에는 니혼슈의 발포주 종류도 많아지고 가격도 저렴해지고 있어 고마운 마음까지 듭니다. 역시 플레이버주도 이 시기에 잘 어울리는 종류이니 꼭 도전해 보면 좋겠습니다.

칸자케를 좋아하는 분들에게 시중에서 살 수 있는 양초로 따뜻하게 데워서 마시는 칸자케 세트를 추천합니다. 이 세트라면 서양 식탁에도 아주 잘 어울릴 것입니다.

By Aya Ota

“I wonder, since when did Americans start to enjoy Japanese sweets this much?” ---You cannot help but feel such astonishment when you look at the store-front of Cha-An BONBON, where many customers crowd around. Cha-An BONBON opened on May 1 of this year as a place where you can take out the popular matcha drinks, Japanese sweets, Hojicha softcream, which is still new and rare in New York, etc., and are offered at Cha-An Teahouse.

“Cha-An Teahouse” opened in 2004, which is 15 years ago. It is one of the T.I.C. Group establishments that runs 18 various style Japanese restaurants in New York. The concept of “Cha-An” is “the tea”, and it offers a wide variety of teas such as black tea and Chinese tea besides Japanese tea and matcha. When it opened, it had equipped with an authentic ceremonious tea room.

Their menu includes traditional Japanese sweets such as “anmitsu” and “zenzai”, western style sweets accentuated by Japanese ingredients such as “Matcha Pudding” and “Black Sesame Brulee”, plus healthy carefully-prepared meal plates. Now, this place is so popular and crowded every day, but they used to struggle so much for the first few years, that some days it was difficult to make even $100 profit a day. Back then, people expected Japanese tea to be served for free at Japanese restaurants. People also used to ask for coffee daily. Besides all that, being located on the second floor made it even more difficult to acquire customers.

“We’ve been simply doing the same thing for the last 15 years,” tells Tomoko Yagi, the wagashi expert & food consultant of T.I.C. Restaurant Group, in a humble manner. She got married to Bon Yagi, the President of T.I.C. Group, and came to the US in 1986. She had dietician and cook licenses in Japan. After reaching the point of settling down and raising children, she was asked to give ideas for desserts served at the Group’s restaurants such as “Sakagura” and “Sobaya”. Since then, not only for “Cha-An Teahouse”, but she also has been producing desserts for all other T.I. C. Group restaurants.

Tomoko said that she had to learn how to make delicious Japanese sweets by herself because it was difficult to find good wagashi in New York back then. As wagashi started to be recognized more and more, she started to hold more wagashi making classes by request. Now the class has grown so popular that it gets filled every time. She is currently busy working as a wagashi teacher even at places such as Japan Society and Japan Club. Most of the students are non-Japanese. They gather to experience the charms of wagashi enjoyed by the feel of each season and each of the 5 senses. Tomoko’s remark is very humble, saying she has just been doing the same thing for 15 years, but I think she is clearly one of the pioneers who has been creating the current matcha and mochi booms.

“Cha-An BONBON” is a small place of only 117 square feet with a showcase. Many customers have expressed their hopes of taking Cha-An’s sweets home before, so this place opened to make such long-awaited wishes come true. They studied deeply before deciding on the prices and the menu items by holding a free-sample eating event for affiliated people before the opening. Not only that, they thought a lot about good sizing and packaging of the products for take-out purposes, and they also thought about making the products look as attractive as possible with SNS posting in mind by decorating them with edible flowers, bright colors, etc. In fact, SNS effects have been helping well to collect people to visit the store, and go to wagashi classes. Their sweets taste very authentically Japanese, even more so than the ones sold in Japan.

The popular items are mochi-based sweets such as “Homemade Daifuku Mochi” and “Mitarashi Dango”. Matcha and Hojicha flavored soft ice cream (softcream), parfait and anmitsu using shiratama and gyuhi are all house-made, and excellent. Each matcha drink is made to order very carefully, and is very flavorful and tasty. They have put a lot of thought into making gift-in-mind cookies, financiers, and matcha sets. Before them, there were limited selections of wagashi for take-out or gifts in New York, so their merchandise has been very well received. The bread used for Cha-An Teahouse’s new menu item, “Fruit Toast”, is also baked in-house, and it is supposed to be sold at Cha-An BONBON starting this fall.

“There is still a lot we want to do, and can do. I would like to keep enforcing the Cha-An brand,” says Tomoko Yagi. They are thinking about multiple shop development and E commerce. I won’t be able to take my eyes off of their future endeavors.


本格派和風スイーツや抹茶ドリンクを気軽にお持ち帰り
『茶菴BONBON』

「いつから米国人はこんなに和菓子を楽しむようになったのか」――多くの客で賑わう店頭を眺めながら、そんな驚きを隠せない店『茶菴BONBON』。『茶菴』で提供している人気抹茶ドリンクや和風スイーツ、ニューヨークではまだ珍しいほうじ茶ソフトクリームなどをお持ち帰りできる店として、今年5月1日に開店した。

『茶菴』が開店したのは2004年、15年前のこと。ニューヨークで、さまざまな業態の日本食店を18店舗経営するT.I.C.レストラングループのひとつだ。『茶菴』は“お茶”がコンセプトで、日本茶や抹茶を中心に、紅茶や中国茶も幅広くそろえ、開店当時は本格的な茶室を備えていた。「あんみつ」や「ぜんざい」といった純和風甘味や、「抹茶プディング」「黒胡麻クレームブリュレ」など和食材をアクセントにした洋菓子、健康によい素材で丁寧に作った食事メニューを提供する。同店は、今でこそ連日混雑する人気店だが、開店後数年は、1日100ドルの利益を上げるのが大変だった時期もあるという。当時はまだ、日本食店でお茶が無料で提供されるのが当然だったし、客からコーヒーはないのか連日尋ねられたという。また、2階に位置しているため、集客も苦労したという。

「15年前から同じことをやっているだけ」と謙遜しながら話すのは、和菓子研究家兼フードコンサルタントの八木共子氏。T.I.C.グループ代表・八木秀峰氏との結婚を機に、1986年渡米。日本で栄養士と調理師の資格を持っていたこともあり、子育てが一段落した頃に、同グループの『酒蔵』や『蕎麦屋』のデザート考案を依頼されたことがきっかけで、今では、『茶菴』をはじめとするT.I.C.グループのレストラン全般で、デザートをプロデュースしている。

「当時は、ニューヨークで美味しい和菓子の入手が困難だったので、独学で作り方を学んだ」という共子氏。和菓子が認知されるに連れ、客の要望で和菓子教室を開始し、今では、毎回満席になるほどの人気クラスに成長した。現在は、ジャパン・ソサエティや日本クラブでも和菓子講師として活躍する。生徒はほぼ非日本人で、季節感や五感で楽しむ和菓子の魅力を体験するために集う。共子氏は「15年前から同じこと…」と謙遜するが、間違いなく、現在の抹茶や餅ブームを創り上げてきたパイオニアの一人だろう。

『茶菴BONBON』は、面積たった117スクエアフィート、ショーケースだけを設置した小さな店舗。以前から「茶菴のスイーツをお持ち帰りしたい」との声が多く、満を持しての開店だ。開店前には関係者向け試食会も実施し、値段やメニュー内容を精査した。また、テイクアウト用にサイズやパッケージを工夫しただけでなく、食用花をあしらい色彩を鮮やかにするなど、”インスタ映え”する見た目を意識したという。実際に、同店や和菓子クラスへは、SNSからの集客に成功している。味はどれも、日本で食べるもの以上に日本らしさを感じる本格的な内容だ。

人気アイテムは「大福」や「みたらし団子」などの餅菓子。抹茶やほうじ茶のソフトクリーム、白玉や求肥を使ったパフェやあんみつも秀逸で、すべて手作りで提供する。抹茶ドリンクは注文ごとに丁寧に点ててくれ、香りや風味が格別だ。贈り物にも最適なクッキーやフィナンシェ、抹茶セットにも力を入れている。これまでニューヨークでは、お持ち帰りや贈答品に使える和菓子が限られていたので、好評を博している。『茶菴』の新メニュー「フルーツトースト」で用いるパンも店内で焼いており、秋には『茶菴BONBON』でも販売する予定だ。

「まだまだやりたいこと、やれることがたくさんある。茶菴ブランドをもっと強くしていきたい」と語る八木共子氏。多店舗展開やEコマースなども視野に入っているといい、今後も目が離せない。

---

Cha-An BONBON
238A E 9th St, New York, NY 10003
Tel: 646ｰ669-9785
https://www.chaanteahouse.com/bonbon

Mon-Thu 12-8pm
Fri-Sun 12-9pm