Assemblage Club, a Japanese sake project made possible through the cooperation of three sake breweries in Kyoto, and My Sake World, a place where individuals, restaurants, and businesses can create their own original blended Japanese sake. We interviewed the breweries and people who are cooperating and supporting this unprecedented project called "Sake Blending," about why they decided to participate and the impact it has had since then.

I spoke to this person

Ryuji Yamagishi, Owner of Meat Restaurant Yama

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Born in Kyoto in 1976, he grew up in the city. After training at his older brother's kaiseki restaurant, Tominokoji Yamagishi, he became the owner of Yakiniku Yamachan, and then opened Niku-ryori Yama in August 2022 in pursuit of the essence of Wagyu beef cuisine.

 1. Yama, a famous meat restaurant hidden away in an alley

"Is there really a restaurant at the back?" you may wonder, but Niku-ryori Yama is a famous restaurant that gourmets drool over, and it requires a reservation only, with wait times sometimes lasting several months. They only use female Kuroge Wagyu cattle, and carefully select the best cows for the season. The chef's choice course includes over a dozen dishes, including standard and monthly changing a la carte dishes, charcoal-grilled yakiniku, curry for the final course, cold noodles, and dessert. The cutlet sandwich, which generously uses rare Chateaubriand cutlets, is particularly delicious, with juicy beef cutlets that are softer than bread. You will be amazed by the variety of other meat dishes that make use of the restaurant's experience in kaiseki cuisine. The chef's choice course alone starts at 1 yen (excluding tax).

2. [Assemblage Club Taro'] - a perfect match for Wagyu beef

— What was the reason that Assemblage Club Taro' started to be served at Niku-ryori Yama?

Yamagishi: "Until now, we didn't have sake on our drinks menu. We had brands like 'Houbiten' and 'Aramasa No. 6' on the menu, but we only offered it when people asked if we had any. Then someone told us about a special blend of sake called 'Assemblage Club Taro'. At the time, we were seeing an increase in foreign customers who wanted to drink sake, so we offered it and it was much more popular than we expected. In our case, 8% of the people who order sake are foreign, and most of our customers are from the US and Europe, so you can see that sake is really getting attention right now."

--That's great! What was the reaction from customers?

Yamagishi: "Perhaps because it has a slightly sweeter taste, it has been overwhelmingly popular with women. It has also been very well received by people who don't usually drink much sake. The concept of Tarou is that it is a sake that pairs well with Wagyu beef, so it is a perfect match for our cuisine, and thanks to that, our sales of sake have increased. Many of our customers from overseas also order it by the bottle."

From the chef's choice course (subject to change depending on the season)
Oxtail dumplings: The crispy rice flour skin is filled with 100% oxtail. The oxtail is boiled for over 6 hours, so it falls apart easily and is full of flavor.

Fillet with Sansho Soy Sauce / Charbroiled Chateaubriand, overflowing with juices, is best enjoyed simply with soy sauce infused with the aroma of Sansho pepper.

 3. What I wanted was sake that was only available here

— At [My Sake World], we asked Yamagishi to create three original types of sake.

Yamagishi: "I'm happy to be able to make something that's one of a kind, something that's not available anywhere else. In today's world, you can search online and get anything you want. But the sake that I make is something that can only be found here. I've always wanted something like that."

--The single-character kanji names "Katana" (Sword), "Love" (Love), and "Dragon" (Dragon) are also impactful and memorable.

Yamagishi: "As the names suggest, 'Katana' has a clean, sharp edge, 'Love' has a sweet yet spicy feel, and 'Dragon' has a powerful feel. These are made to match the composition of the course, so it's best to drink them in this order. Up until now, many of our customers have opted for wine when it comes to meat dishes, but when we recommended sake, they were like, 'You're right!' Everyone was convinced by how well they pair with wagyu beef."

Is there anything planned next?

Yamagishi: "Our original sake was well-received, so we're thinking of releasing a second one. We expect to see an increase in foreign visitors in the fall, so we'd like to welcome them with our new sake."

Yamagishi-san spoke candidly with us. I felt that the reason for the restaurant's popularity is not only the exquisite Kuroge Wagyu beef dishes, but also the owner's personality, which attracts customers. I would like you to try the "one and only" pairing of sake and meat dishes that Yamagishi-san was looking for.

Reservation required: For details on cancellations, etc.Instagramso.

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Writer/Sake Master Eriko Fujita
Expand your world to a sake specialty store in Osaka and encounter a variety of sake and sake breweries. Favorite sakes are Akishika, Ohgi, and others.
Other than drinking, my hobbies include collecting minerals and raising swallowtail butterflies.