The dish features crispy pan-seared corn-fed chicken, whose golden skin delivers deep roasted and umami-rich notes. It is paired with a silky celery–miso velouté, offering earthy sweetness and a warm, creamy texture as the foundation of the plate. For freshness and brightness, a carrot–mango salad is served alongside — light, fruity, and lifted by a touch of lime acidity. Everything is brought together with a sweet-salty glaze made from mirin, tamari, ginger, and chicken stock, adding shine, depth, and balance. Together, these four components create a harmonious interplay of umami, sweetness, fresh acidity, roasted aromas, and creamy texture — an ideal match for an elegant sake pairing.
The Pairing: Urakasumi Zen – Junmai Ginjo
“Zen” is one of the first Junmai Ginjo ever released in Japan. It is soft, gentle, lightly fruity, and inspired by a Zen monk. Its delicate acidity, refined umami, and subtle herbal and fruit notes pair beautifully with the crispy chicken skin, the sweet-salty glaze, and the creamy celery base.
Complete pairing explanation from Sommeliére Agija Immenroth
The Sake and the roasted aromas of the dish work seamlessly. The crispy chicken skin enhances the umami and creates a round, harmonious base. The sweet–salty glaze adds freshness and that characteristic mouth-washing feeling that prepares the palate for the next bite.
The fruity carrot–mango salad highlights the Sake’s acidity – elegant, fine and well-balanced. The earthy celery velouté initially brings out the Sake’s natural sweetness before the dry finish becomes clearly defined.
Everything comes together as a harmonious sequence of umami, sweetness, freshness, acidity and dryness – like a small journey through different flavor dimensions.
Each element of the dish highlights a different dimension of the Sake:
Skin → umami & depth
Glaze → freshness & balance
Velouté → sweetness & structure
Salad → fruitiness & acidity
The flavors shift naturally from umami → sweetness → freshness → acidity → dry finish.
A complete, harmonious sensory arc.