Our friends Kaoru from Kubota Sake in Niigata and Hide from Cherry Company had a visit to Hilo so we asked them to offer a private sake tasting for us to compare the different sake varieties they offer. Since the event was scheduled for a Friday, instead of asking everyone to potluck, we decided to cater food from Kimo & Melia’s Hawaiian Food. We ordered chicken long rice, kalua pig, lomi salmon, sweet potato salad, and laulau. Everyone brought lots of pupus and desserts too. We had everything from crispy wonton, cucumber kimchi, veggie sticks, sushi, chips and dips, and yummy desserts! I made a snack plate with freshly made veggie focaccia that my friend Jenny just gave me, Point Reyes togarashi cheese, baby carrots with some artichoke-jalapeno dip, and slices of pepperoni. By the way, if you want to order Jenny’s focaccia or any of the other delicious things that come out of her kitchen, follow her on Instagram at kaumana_mama.

We tasted a variety of Kubota sake including one that won’t be released until next year! The ones we tasted that are available at Kadota Liquor now were: Tokugetsu Junmai Daiginjo, Seppou Junmai Daiginjo (black), Souju Seppou Daiginjo (white), Daiginjo Genshu, Senjyu Junmai Ginjo, and Manjyu Junmai Daiginjo. They were all delicious and paired perfectly with the variety of food we devoured. If you think sake is only to eat with Japanese food, give it a try with other cuisines. Check out the Kubota Asahi-Shuzo website for some recipes you can make to pair with your next bottle of sake. Fun note: If I recall correctly, the Seppou black and white are mixed in some secret ratio to make the beloved Manjyu. We loved our Kubota sake tasting evening. In fact, we loved it so much, we want to plan a visit to see Kaoru in Niigata and visit the Asahi-Shuzo Brewery where Kubota is made. A lovely evening of sake, food, music, and friends. Living Hilo Style.