Forget wine pairings, food columnist suggests trying sake

The only thing that may be better than experiencinga multi-course meal at a nice restaurant is being able to enjoy wine pairings alongside it.

Food and wine pairings are nothing new, but food columnist Gail Johnson explained to On the Coast's guest host Michelle Eliot that food and sake pairings areemerging on Vancouver's dining scene.

With World Sake Day coming up on October 1,Johnson sat down with pastry chef and certified educator of wine, spirits and sakeLara Victoriafor a lesson in pairing the fermented rice wine with different dishes.

"We had a vegan pizza from Virtuous Pie in Chinatown. It was called Stranger Wings. It has so-called blue cheese drizzle with fried shallots and spicy roasted cauliflower. It definitely had some kick. The sake didn't overpower the flavours but it also stood up to the them; it didn't get lost in the spices," explained Johnson.

"We also had samosas from Pabla's Himalaya Restaurant in Little India. Again, it was just beautiful match. In fact, Victoria says that sake and Indian food are best friends. Anything with bold flavours really works well with sake."

Victoria suggested an array of pairings with sake including fish, grilled panini with roasted peppers and cheese and desserts including chocolate.

The second annual Vancouver Sake Fest is taking place on Thursday, Sept.28 at the Imperial, where 21 sake makers from Japan, the United States and Canada will be providing tastings.

With files from On The Coast.

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