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Kazuhiko Hashimoto, owner of Akasaka’s sansa and Roppongi’s awai, talks about new ways to enjoy beer and wine

2023.5.25

#OTHER

A circle of friends connected by gootouchi! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.

On April 27, Tomo Maeda, owner of Sakebozu in Tomigaya, introduced us Kazuhiko Hashimoto, owner of “sansa” in Akasaka and “awai” in Roppongi. We asked him about the particulars of the menu at “sansa,” which offers a genre-defying selection of craft beers and food pairings from Japan and abroad, and how to enjoy “awai,” a natural wine store.

Serving food that goes well with beer with ingredients purchased directly from producers

Celeina (MC): Let’s start by talking about “sansa” in Akasaka.

Hashimoto: It is more of a restaurant or eatery that serves simple food with beer and wine as its main ingredients.

Inside sansa

Celeina: I saw the picture of the restaurant, and there are many beer servers lined up. How many kinds of beers do you have?

Hashimoto: The servers themselves serve about 10 kinds.

Celeina: I see: I see, so at Sansa, each beer is served in a different glass.

Hashimoto: Yes, we do. We try not to be bound to a specific type of liquid. There are many different types of liquids, so we try to choose the best one that captures the characteristics and brings out the best flavor and quality of the beer.

Takano (MC): What kind of glasses do you have, thin or otherwise?

Hashimoto: In terms of thinness, most of them are thin glasses. Among thin glasses, there are some that are open.

Celeina: I see. Does that change the way the aroma comes out or the way the carbonation is released?

Hashimoto: Yes, just as you said.

Celeina: Yay, I got it right (haha). What got you hooked on beer, Mr.Hashimoto?

Hashimoto: When I was a college student, I happened to go to a beer bar and had a drink.

Celeina: What do you think is the appeal of beer?

Hashimoto: I think it’s the fact that you can make a lot of it. With wine, the amount of wine you can make is limited, so the number of people who can enjoy it is also limited, even if it is a luxury item. Beer can be made in relatively large quantities, so it can be enjoyed by a wide variety of people.

Inside Sansa

Celeina: What kind of food is served at sansa?

Hashimoto: We don’t have a specific genre of cuisine, such as Italian or French, but we receive almost 100% of our ingredients directly from producers, so our basic concept is to prepare simple dishes with the ingredients we have.

Takano: So you don’t have a fixed menu?

Hashimoto: That’s right. We try our best to create a meal that goes well with the beer.

Celeina: I’m curious about that, I heard that you have started a chamber music hall called “Hakudoku” based in sansa.

Hashimoto: About twice a month, we invite classical chamber musicians, including artists and student teams from the University of the Arts, and hold concerts.

Takano: So we enjoy classical music while drinking beer?

Hashimoto: It’s a little different. We serve drinks before, during, and after the intermission, just like in the foyer of a concert, but we don’t allow people to eat or drink so that they can listen to the music itself.

Celeina: You are very particular about this. When you hold a concert, it’s more about the concert than sales.

Hashimoto: That’s right.

Celeina: I would like to ask Mr. Hashimoto, who is particular about such music, to select one song here. What kind of song did Mr. Hashimoto choose?

Hashimoto: It is a song called “she was the sea” by an artist named Tatsuro Yokoyama, who performed in the Hakudoku. It is a song that makes you want to listen to it in nature, as if you were in nature.

Surprising dishes to pair with beer

Takano: Mr. Hashimoto, I would like to know your recommended menu, if any.

Hashimoto: As I said, we focus on fish. I recommend the fish and chips.

Takano: What is it about fish that you are particular about?

Hashimoto: That’s difficult to say. …… I think it’s all about the ingredients and the fish. Japan is a wonderful country in the world, so we use fish from all over the world.

Celeina: Sounds delicious. I understand that you have opened a natural wine store in Roppongi, “awai,” where you also sell glasses and food products from Kimura Glass Shop, which you use at sansa.

Inside awai

Hashimoto: Yes, you can. We are a natural wine store, so you can enjoy the store as well as buy wine to take home. We also sell glasses and other store items that we use at sansa, so you can also buy them.

Celeina: I checked the website , and I see that you can also buy wine online. I was shown a variety of wines selected by Mr. Hashimoto. What made you interested in wine in the first place?

Hashimoto: About 10 years ago, I attended a maniacal wine festival called the “Vin Jaune Festival” in a rather unusual place called “Jura” in France, and I got more and more hooked.

Takano: I see. Do you have any recommendations for wine beginners?

Hashimoto: At both sansa and awai, I make suggestions slowly after hearing their tastes.

Takano: We actually have a hearing at the store.

Celeina: I would like them to have a hearing. I would like Mr. Hashimoto to choose the one that she thinks would suit you. Mr.Hashimoto, I know you are busy, but is there anything you like to drink when you want to take a break?

Hashimoto: There are many things, but I often drink wine, coffee, or soup.

Celeina: Is soup something you serve at sansa?

Hashimoto: At sansa, we make soup stock every day by shaving dried bonito flakes. At the restaurant, we serve it stoically as “osumashi,” but at home, I eat it with various ingredients.

Celeina: Let me ask you one last question. What dishes do you recommend to pair with beer?

Hashimoto: I think fish and chips are good, but for something different, sashimi is surprisingly good. Rather than regular beer, there is a naturally fermented sour Belgian beer called “lambic,” which is interesting when paired well with sashimi, taking advantage of its sourness.

Takano: That’s interesting. I had never heard of it.

Hashimoto: If you make a mistake, it can lead to a bad result, but you have to get it right.

Celeina: I’m curious. Please come to sansa and experience the beer and sashimi pairing. Today we talked to Kazuhiko Hashimoto, owner of sansa in Akasaka and awai in Roppongi. Thank you very much.

Hashimoto: Thank you very much.

GRAND MARQUEE

J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann

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