Special Norwegian Salmon Menu at Sake No Hana

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Chef Hideki Hiwatashi is a rarity in London, a chef trained in Kaiseki cuisine. It takes years of apprenticeship to excel in this branch of Japanese cuisine. He is now using these skills in honing the menu at Sake No Hana.

He prepared a special menu using Norwegian Salmon, prepared and cooked in multiple innovative ways paired with some choice Sake selected by Ollie.

The variety of flavours and textures of the Norwegian salmon dishes that he came up with was quite awe inspiring. In the Kaiseki style, you get the raw dish, the vinegar dish, the cooked dish and a soup and that is over simplifying it. Every dish has so many elements and different ingredients that is not possible to discern from just the name of the dish. It certainly has given me some ideas on how to cook salmon in the future. I won’t just be grilling it with teriyaki sauce like I normally do anymore.

The Menu and sake pairing

Aburi Salmon Yuba Salad – Tatenokawa 50 Stream, Junmai Daiginjo

Salmon Maki – Tatenokawa 50 Stream, Junmai Daiginjo

Salmon Sakurayaki – Gozenshu 9 Mountain Stream, Junmai Nama Bodaimoto
Aburi/fresh salmon nigiri,
Salmon Sashimi – Gozenshu 9 Mountain Stream, Juror

Salmon Usuzukuri – Konishi Gold, Daiginjo Nama Chozo

Salmon Tataki Oroshi Daikon – Konishi Gold, Daiginjo Nama Chozo
Bodaimoto

Sake Pairing Tasting Notes

Tatenokawa 50 “Stream” – Junmai Daiginjo
Winner of Gold Award at the 2015 Fine Sake Awards, Tatenokawa 50 was created to appeal to
white wine lovers. Using local dewasansan rice polished to 50% Tatenokawa have strived to make a
lighter style of sake to appeal to a wider audience.
Light-bodied, smooth with a gentle impact due to the moderate 14% alcohol content. A fragrance
of fresh fruit melon and candied pears — is perfectly balanced by the nuanced flavour, structure
and style of this sake.
A cracking sake for beginners and the uninitiated.

Gozenshu 9 – “Mountain Stream” – Junmai Nama Bodaimot
Mountain Stream is a very interesting and different sake: it is unpasteurised (namazake) made
using the ancient bodaimoto technique. The juxtaposition of these two factors combines to give
an enchanting brew. Mountain Stream has a clean and full floral nose with melon and lychee notes
coming through strongly. As you would expect with a namazake the flavours are fresh and lively
but also with an underlying complexity and earthiness that obviously has its roots firmly in the
bodaimoto technique.
Flavour is dense and intriguing: lychee, raspberry and rich honey all have a part to play,
underpinned by a deep and slightly sour base note.

Konishi Gold – Daiginjo Hiyashibori Nama-chozo
Winner of Grand Gold Medal (2014) and Gold Medal (2015) at the Fine Sake Awards, Konishi Gold
is a result of years of research and development by the experimental arm of Konishi Shuzo that
releases sake under the family name.
Konishi bring their 450 years + of brewing knowledge to bear and, using their ‘hiyashibori’ pressing
method (i.e. pressing the sake in very cold temperatures with as little exposure to air as possible
to limit oxidation), produce this brilliant Daiginjo. On the nose it’s a delicate fruity fragrance with
citrus, cherry & pear. Light-bodied, clean, elegant and simple with low acidity and delicate citrus,
cucumber & pear flavours.

Filleting Salmon Japanese Style

Chef Hideki demonstrating fish filleting Japanese style, done very carefully to not damage the flesh for sushi.

A Trio - Aburi Salmon Yuba Salad, Salmon Usuzukuri and Salmon Tataki Oroshi Daikon — A Trio – Aburi Salmon Yuba Salad, Salmon Usuzukuri and Salmon Tataki Oroshi Daikon

If you want to try your hand at making some salmon sushi, try this version a Spicy Salmon Uromaki by Chef Hideki.

Salmon Sakurayaki - wrapped in cherry blossom leaves and decorated with crisy noodles wrapped with seaweed to look like a twig — Salmon Sakurayaki – wrapped in cherry blossom leaves and decorated with crisy noodles wrapped with seaweed to look like a twig

Grating fresh wasabi for the salmon sushi

Selected sake paired with the salmon dishes on the menu, available to buy from Tengu Sake

Salmon sushi two ways, with fresh wasabi

Salmon soup from Hideki's home region — Salmon soup from Hideki’s home region

A light "cheescake" with yuzu and matcha flavours, topped with mango sorbet — A light “cheescake” with yuzu and matcha flavours, topped with mango sorbet

As this was a special Norwegian Salmon menu, you won’t find all these dishes on the regular menu at Sake No Hana. You will find variations of these dishes and a lot of other Kaiseki dishes instead. If you are keen to learn more about the varietires of sake, their Sake Sommelier will be able to guide you on the best matches to the dishes.

Having dined here several times, I can say that it is one of the better Japanese restaurants in London with stunning decor and sublime food.

Sake No Hana

23 St James’s St,

St. James’s,

London SW1A 1HA

EatCookExplore was a guest of Norwegian Salmon at Sake No Hana.

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