Hi @beefnoguy,
An interesting side note, Shibumi has been able to source some bottles that are normally not found outside Japan (they have a couple bottles of rare Japanese Whiskey I believe that are like that (forgot the name)), but the Masumi bottle they have is indeed the Yumedono; I just called to confirm.
So given that, is that a good buy and you think it’s a good pairing? 
Little Tokyo has become quite the hub of Japanese whiskey, with Far Bar and Wolf & Crane among others.
Hi @ipsedixit,
How are the cocktails and other drinks at those 2 places? Thanks.
I’m not a big cocktail person, so I can’t speak to that.
But Far Bar may be one of the worst kept secrets for whisky, esp. Japanese esoteric whiskies (and, no, it is not whiskey for obvious reasons). It’s a treat every time I get to go with friends, esp. hanging out in their alley-way. And, just FYI, don’t go for the food. And if you have to eat there, liquor up first – either with something from the tap, or some hard liquor.
W&C is a bit different, they have a much smaller selection of whiskies and whiskeys, but they do have some interesting selections of Japanese whiskies as well as Taiwanese ones. Like the Kavalan from King Car distillery in Yilan, which just got crowned “World’s Best.” Who would’ve thunk.
Cocktails at Far Bar are decent, super high QPR old fashioned. Inconsistent though - they could use better training. Last time ordered 2 of the same drink and they werent even the same color.
Food is hit or miss (mostly miss last time I was there), hopefully they’ve gotten better over the years…
thanks for info on far bar. sounds interesting.
Shibumi, shibumi, shibumi
Their sake’s hard to get
You’ve got trouble, my friend. Right here in FTCity.
When I recommended the Tedorigawa Yamahai Daiginjo previously for the meal as a selection from the short list of higher end bottles, I was approaching it not just from a practicality and general works for most dishes standpoint, but also one of value. It will definitely work with the grilled proteins (and very likely even the beef). $98 for a $47 to $50 retail seems ok in comparison (assuming a $25 corkage in addition if you were to buy and allowed to bring something a restaurant already stocks, but lets not do this in practice, it’s just a way to look at it from another angle).
Yumedono is $107 retail at True Sake SF (~$58 in Japan) , $218 at Shibumi, $200 at Mori, and $150 at Raku. It is a great bottle of sake though I had killer home made bún riêu with it (I liken the experience to a enjoying a white burgundy or a chilled Alsace Grand Cru). I don’t think I had a real good grasp on the bottle at the time what else it might work with. Only one way to tell, maybe you can try it at Shibumi, and let us know!
In Tokyo right now, and inside a random 7-Eleven is the Dashichi Kimoto Junmai. At 1273 yen with exchange rates it’s less than $12.
For what it is worth, the orange label says it won top award (presumably for its category) for heated/warmed sake. I actually had a small carafe of this (warmed to 45 degrees or so) and it was stellar.
Most restaurants here will let you pick what temperatures you want your sake warmed.
So not all sake is best served cold 
Hi @beefnoguy,
Wow! Daishichi Kimoto Junmai for less than $12?! 
At the local 7-11 no less. Tokyo sounds awesome.
The Honjozo version of this bottle was on the menu for $52, and the Junmai Daiginjo was $152.
7-11 in Japan is next level 
The food is actually pretty decent.
Pretty much most food in Japan is next level: 7-Eleven, Yoshinoya, etc… Even the onigiri from Lawson or a simple breakfast sandwich from Doutor Coffee are absolutely delicious.
Great food chain + respect for the food throughout every step in the culture = damn fine country for eating.
Any pit stops to Taiwan/HK after Tokyo?
That looks awesome! I wish we had that here.
Did you survive the first snow in November in 54 years?
Yup that was quite an experience. Luckily it was above freezing and the snow melted quickly (with the next day being sunny). Took shelter for a few hours at a movie theater and watched 続・深夜食堂 (Midnight Diner 2). Fantastic movie with a TV series where you can watch the 4th season exclusively on Netflix with English subtitles (some great food scenes, local comfort food fare types).
That was the same day where I had lunch at Isetan department store’s top floor (restaurant floor) and ordered the Dasichi Junmai Kimoto warmed (you can even specify specific sake temperature ranges, I settled on Jo-Kan (上燗) being the recommended from the brewery, although the restaurant was willing to serve it at room temperature, also known as Hiya (冷や).
@JeetKuneBao: spent about 7 hours in HK before heading to Tokyo on this trip. I’ll have 3 hours there on the way back but probably won’t have enough time to get into town.
Also a super child-friendly place to dine in Tokyo, in case any of our intrepid readers decided to visit Tokyo with Chowpups in tow…
Update 1:
It had been a while since we last stopped by Shibumi, partially to let Chef Schlosser / Shibumi develop some more / settle in.
They have now added an Omakase (Chef’s Choice) option on the menu, so we went with that to see what might be different.
Chinmi (Delicacy) - Shiro Ebi Marinated in Sea Cucumber Dust:
Chef Schlosser starts us off with an off-menu item, something he’s been working on as part of his pickling / fermentation items Shiro Ebi (White Shrimp) marinated with Sea Cucumber Dust. This has been aged for 3 days. It is surprisingly only lightly briny, tender, and almost gelatinous, but still retaining some meatiness. It was quite unique and delicious.
It was paired with a complimentary pour of Dewazakura Oka Ginjo Sake, which was a spot-on pairing.
We also let Chef David do a Sake Omakase, choosing a variety of Sake he thought would best pair with the dishes forthcoming.
Denshin - Haru - Junmai Ginjo Nama Sake (Fukui, Japan):
This was sweet, fruity, but really even as well. And it paired really well with the next dish…
Grade A5 Wagyu (Miyazaki, Japan), Nori, Fresh Wasabi:
Yes, this was essentially A5 Wagyu Sashimi, with Chef David letting you decide if you want a little bit of Salt, or enjoying it with a piece of crisped Nori (so good!), or just some Fresh Ground Wasabi (always great).
The A5 Wagyu from Miyazaki, Japan was truly buttery, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth. 
There were moments eating a piece with a dab of the Fresh Ground Wasabi that you almost thought it might be Toro.
Chef David also included a bonus: 10 Month Aged Ginger, which had mellowed out dramatically from raw Ginger.
Dengaku of Young Bamboo, Crusted with Shiso Miso + Roasted Artichoke Heart:
The Grilled Young Bamboo was tender and delicate, and covered with a Housemade Shiso Miso Sauce. This made the Young Bamboo sweet, yet salty with a Miso earthiness. We thought this was just so-so in terms of flavor profile.
Harushika - Shiboribana - Junmai Ginjo Nama Sake (Nara, Japan):
Another smooth, aromatic Sake, with a little more alcohol burn up front, but disappears after that.
Grilled Rice Ball with Barley, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Seed:
This was really nutty, crunchy (from the Grilled Rice & Barley grains). This was fine, but nothing really amazing.
Grilled Wild Black Cod in Daiginjo Sake Lees:
I was hoping for more flavor: The Black Cod was tender and had a nice buttery quality, but it was surprisingly underseasoned, unless eaten with some of the Pickled Dandelion Greens.
Grilled Heritage Pork in Koji Rice, Pickled Daikon, Leek:
This is a popular, regular item on the menu from their opening days. It was as juicy, wonderfully porky as before.
Tedorigawa - Silver Mountain - Yamahai Junmai Sake (Ishikawa, Japan):
This was the dryest of the Sake we had this evening. And really smooth. Just more nuanced and delicate, and it held up quite well with the Heritage Pork and our next dish…
California Holstein Beef Strip, Grilled, Fresh Wasabi, Narazuke Pickles:
We were a bit disappointed that the savory courses ended with 2 of their regular items (albeit they are mainstays on the menu for a reason (they are quite good)). The Holstein Beef was still wonderfully beefy, but sadly it was a touch oversalted! 
I think Chef David’s assistant might have been a bit too zealous with the finishing Salt.
Dewazakura - Oka - Ginjo Sake (Yamagata, Japan):
And in time for our Desserts, Dewazakura Oka was brought out. This is just a fruity, floral aromatic, easy sipping Sake.
Jackfruit with Fresh Dark Chocolate:
It seemed like a strange pairing, but the Jackfruit was wonderfully tropical. The Dark Chocolate was decadent, but nicely bitter as well, to balance out the sweetness.
Japanese Chizu Ke-ki, Pear:
And then their Japanese-style Cheesecake appeared. It was very good, light and more fluffy than a regular American Cheesecake.
They were at 100% capacity, so the servers were running around trying to take care of every diner’s needs, but you could see they were understaffed. Dinner ran about $170 per person total (including tax & tip), which felt a bit high for the experience on this visit.
Shibumi continues to show flashes of excellence, but this Winter Menu was a bit of a disappointment. The Omakase option turned out to be composed of regular dishes from their regular menu, with the exception of the Chinmi starter (Shiro Ebi (which was excellent!)). Besides the selection of dishes (being just items from the regular menu), the flavors on the current Winter Menu just didn’t excite or standout compared to their opening menu.
The Sake Pairings were spot-on, though, and quite enjoyable. But given the price and flavors that didn’t hit our palate as much as the previous menu / season, we’re hoping Spring & Summer Menus take us to more exciting creations. I also hope that the Omakase develops into something more bespoke and interesting (with items created beyond the regular menu).
Shibumi
815 S. Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Tel: (213) 265-7923
