A NOSE FOR THE JOB

Sushi Kou’s sommelier is a familiar face – Makoto Iwabuchi previously worked at Ki-sho Japanese Restaurant before joining 2-Michelin-star Gaggan in Bangkok. Bringing his wine and sake acumen to the high-end omakase restaurant, we quiz the unflappable sommelier.

I initially trained as a French wine sommelier and officially became certified as a sommelier in 2007. I am also a certified sake sommelier with the Sake Sommelier Association (SSA) and Sake Service Institute (SSI).

Sommeliers must continuously evolve with their customers. I strive to understand what new things customers are looking for, and how to cater recommendations to a specific individual. What really fuels me is when I receive compliments from customers that “it was delicious”, “it was fun”, and “thanks to your recommendation, I enjoyed the food even more!”.

Some of the best food and alcohol pairings I have come across include Manzanilla Sherry and oily sardines. Sherry’s saltiness, minerality and acidity are in sync with the saltiness of sardines, and the pleasant acidity advances to the next bite.

Try also Yamahai sake and Kimoto sake style sake [at room temperature) with Comte and Parmigiano. These sakes have a chewy texture and a solid umami, while the umami contained in both sake and cheese creates a pleasant finish.

To train your palate to be a good taster, firstly, create opportunities to taste as many different wines as possible. When you feel a little confident, hide the brand and start blind tasting. Blind tasting will give you confidence and vice versa. If possible, you may learn more through group tasting sessions.

There are many factors for a good pairing, whether it is actually attuned or complementary, but a couple of tips include: Match the serving temperature of the dish, the intensity of the aroma, the main element of the aroma, the intensity of the taste and the main flavour, and the strength of each element of the alcoholic beverage.

At Sushi Kou, the wine and sake list evolves every day. It’s split evenly with equal choices of wine and sake. Junmai Daiginjyo is the most popular as it is the most premium and is easy to understand. It has similar aromas to wine, so I serve most of our sakes in wine glasses.

The wine line-up is centred around Japanese flavours - we have a good range of Champagne and Pinot Noir to complement our sushi. In addition, we also have a selection of wines from Bordeaux and Napa Valley to cater to some local guests who prefer strong red wines.