Ehime, a prefecture in Northwestern Shikoku, Japan, is known for its sakes, fresh seafood and citrus products — so it makes sense that Emporium Shokuhin’s first Ehime Seafood and Sake Fair is all about the good stuff. The month-long event also offers new menu items at the surrounding restaurants, tuna cutting demonstrations and cultural performances.
First off, you gotta try Ehime’s famous Mikan fish range, consisting of Mikan Dai (Orange Sea Bream), Mikan Buri (Orange Yellowtail) and Mikan Salmon. The fishes from this farm are fed a special diet of Mikan citrus fruits, resulting in hints of citrus in the fish meat.
For a menu pairing of seafood and sake, head to Takujo Japanese Dining to treat yourself to the limited edition seven-course set ($106-$116). Expect items like grilled fish cake cutlet, citrus Seabream sashimi slices, Yellowtail cheek, charred Bluefin tuna collar, chilled handmade noodles and more.
Otherwise, other Emporium Shokuhin restaurants like Gyuu+, Senmi Sushi, Umi+Vino and Tsukeru are also offering one-off menu items for the month.
Then on Sept 3 at 1pm, the Ehime Fish Girls (who are high school students) will tell you all about the Hon Maguro Bluefin Tuna and dissect a 50kg swimmer step by step with various types of knives. Of course, the best part is everyone gets to sample the fresh tuna straight off the chopping board afterwards. You’ll wanna stick around for that.
For a dose of Japanese music, check out Tomochika 890, a singer-songwriter from Ehime who’s the only one to incorporate Japanese calligraphy in his musical performances. He’ll be taking the stage on Sept 4 at 5pm.
And if you prefer to just wander around the aisles of the supermarket, there’ll be sampling activities over each weekend, plus new snacks from Ehime like dried shredded squid and salmon fry available for purchase.
Ehime Seafood and Sake Fair 2016 is from Sept 2-30 at Emporium Shokuhin, Marina Square, 6 Raffles Blvd.
