A must-try solo drink in Marunouchi! We’ve carefully selected over 75 varieties of sake from all 47 prefectures across Japan, and compared the different types at 11 different temperatures!
This series will feature LOVE Walker female editor Ran (29), who is new to Marunouchi, visiting recommended nightlife spots on a beautiful Friday night and reporting on the action. This time, she will visit a store that has a wide selection of sake.
Taste and compare sake from all 47 prefectures
It’s suddenly gotten chilly, and autumn is in the air. I felt like having a leisurely drink by myself for the first time in a while, so I headed to “Nurukan Sato Marunouchi” in the basement of the Nijubashimae Building. When I passed through the noren, I was greeted by rows of sake. Warm lights enveloped the area, creating a comfortable space. The atmosphere is so relaxing that you can easily visit alone, and you’ll find yourself wanting to say “I’m home!”
I sat down at the counter and immediately opened the menu. This shop, which always has more than 75 types of sake in stock, offers “temperature drinking” that can be enjoyed at 11 different temperatures, sets that allow you to compare carefully selected sake from all 47 prefectures in Japan from various angles such as “ginjo” and “junmai/honjozo”, and even well-known premium sakes such as “Juyondai”, “Jikom” and “Hiroki”. The sheer number of types of sake and combinations made me indecisive. After much deliberation, I told them “I prefer dry sake” and asked for the tasting set recommended by the owner!
Here is the lineup of “recommended” sakes! I was excited to see the bold labels with words like “Super dry” and “Very dry” written in large letters! As recommended, “It’s best to drink them in order from the right,” I took a sip of “Bakuren.” It had a sharp taste, yet a slightly fruity aftertaste, making it an exquisite and refined flavor. The temperature wasn’t too cold, so I could really taste the rice flavor.
Next up was “Mitsui no Kotobuki”, made with Yamadanishiki rice polished to 60% and finished with a very dry flavor. It had a clean mouthfeel and tasted even more like rice than the previous one! It was my personal favorite!
Lastly, we have “Harushika” from Nara Prefecture, with its jet black label that leaves a strong impression. It is a very dry sake that is crisp and does not interfere with your meal. I was surprised once again at how distinct the individual characteristics of each sake can be felt even though they are both dry.
Just as I was feeling the depth of the sake, the first dish arrived! This was served on top of a wooden box – potato salad! This luxurious potato salad, a specialty of the restaurant, was topped with a generous amount of salmon roe and was made using “Inca no Mezame”, a type of potato with a rich flavor reminiscent of chestnuts and sweet potatoes. This was bound to go well with sake!
Next, I ordered the “Rich Dashimaki Egg” because the person next to me was eating it and it looked delicious. The dashimaki cut into four pieces was huge! As it is called “Rich”, the egg and the broth have a strong flavor, and this is also a dish that goes well with sake. The broth overflowing from the fluffy texture is irresistible… It’s very filling!
This has to be it! “Chicken oden in white soup”
The most popular dish at this restaurant is the famous “Chicken White Soup Oden.” In addition to standard ingredients such as daikon radish and deep-fried tofu, you can also choose unique ingredients such as chicken wings and fried rice cakes, so you’ll never get bored of the dish. If you can’t decide, you can choose a three-item or five-item platter and have it at random! So I ordered the three-item platter.
The most notable thing is the chicken broth. The milky white appearance and rich, naturally thick broth have a gentle flavor that makes you want to drink it all up. Needless to say, it goes great with sake! You can also enjoy it with yuzu pepper if you like.
It was so delicious that I ordered an additional oden! I also tried the “Kyoto Fried Namafu” that I had been curious about. The green namafu floating in the plentiful soup was beautiful…The chewy texture, somewhere between a fishcake and a mochi, was addictively delicious. I also got a good portion of the soup!
Summary
Before I knew it, my body and soul were warm. I once again realized the charm of drinking alone, realizing that it was so much fun to just drink and eat what I like without worrying about the people around me. I left the restaurant feeling light-hearted. I was so satisfied to have found such a warm restaurant that I wanted to go back for the delicious chicken oden!
Where should we go next? Look forward to the next Marunouchi Friday Night!
Store Information
- Nurukan Sato Marunouchi
- [Address] B1F Marunouchi Nijubashi Building, 3-2-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- [Telephone number] 03-6273-4648
- [Business hours] 11:00 – 14:30, 17:00 – 23:00 Saturday: 12:00 – 14:00, 17:00 – 22:00
- [Closed] Sundays and public holidays
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