Emmanuel Martin worked in the world of finance, he began a career change 15 years ago. He recounts his journey: “I was passionate about food and wine. It all started with the Sola restaurant (rue de l’Hôtel-Colbert, Paris 5e). Chef Kosuke Nabeta offers creative Japanese cuisine, which gives pride of place to French products, in the spirit of fusion cuisine which combines different cultures. He also makes his own ceramics, used in the restaurant to present his cuisine. I was seduced by this quest for excellence. The cellar project followed, a place independent of the restaurant. We recently opened on September 15th. Our philosophy is based on natural wines, but not exclusively. What matters is the ethical approach of the winemaker. We didn’t start from scratch, there was an extensive wine list at the restaurant. This selection served as the basis for launching the cellar with around 500 references. We also have a fairly wide range of sake, for which there is growing interest. »
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Pairings with foie gras, oysters and salmon based on recipes from chef Kosuke Nabeta, by Emmanuel Martin and sommelier Louis Rafii.
What do you drink with oysters?
Oyster marinated in kombu seaweed water, espuma tosazu and lovage oil.
Domaine La Vigne Sauvage (David Humbert), La Sauvageonne 2021, Savoie, €24.
“A 100% Chasselas wine from old vines planted on the shores of Lake Geneva, in the town of Marignan, the most beautiful terroir of David Humbert, who works with great precision on his 1.5 hectare microestate. A salty and pure wine, ideal in harmony with the dish and possible for an oyster platter. »
What do we drink with salmon?
Salmon marinated in shiokoji, semi-cooked then seared with a blowtorch, leek in five ways.
Alexandre Bain, Precious Stones 2019, wine of France, €34.
“In the Pouilly-Fumé appellation area, an extraordinary winemaker. Here, the Sauvignon Blanc is harvested with greater maturity on soft soils worked on horseback. The vines look for the mineral deep down. The minerality is particularly highlighted thanks to long aging in old barrels of 46 months. The wine has a concentrated, rich profile, while remaining fresh and digestible. Its power will easily rival salmon while refreshing the palate. »
What do we drink with foie gras?
Sakura-smoked foie gras, three-rice rice risotto, sansho gastric sauce, egg yolk espuma and truffle.
Maison Fukunishiki, saké Fu, 25 € (50 cl).
“A sake that is both sweet and tangy, ideal for an aperitif and which will go wonderfully with foie gras. From the Fukunishiki house, which has been producing sake for almost two hundred years, it is the lightest in the range with a strength of only 8% alcohol; it presents gourmet notes of apple and fresh pear. Its slight sweetness linked to its subtle acidity will perfectly enhance foie gras. Serve well chilled. »
Their philosophy:
“For wine, we highlight French vineyards. In the restaurant, we serve 75% sparkling wines and still whites, which go very well with the very plant-based and fish-based cuisine. For reds, we are looking for wines with light structures, such as those from Burgundy, Jura, Savoie and Loire, in particular wines made from the Chenin grape variety. In the cellar, we balanced the offering with 50% whites and 50% reds. Little by little, we diversified, we have wines from all over France. There is a demand for wines from the South, from the Rhône valley, from Languedoc, such as those from Terraces-du-Larzac and Roussillon. We are also starting to offer wines from the South-West. For sakes, we have around forty references, traditional ones, quite rich meal sakes and modern sakes, less distinctive and easier to drink, with minerality. We also have natural sakes, like so-called natural wines, but we don’t take the risk of having defects. They are pasteurized, which guarantees stability of taste. »
Their proposal:
To Discover
Kangaroo of the day
Answer
“We offer workshops on the theme of sake, with a sake sommelier who introduces eight sakes with adapted dishes or on the theme of tea, with a Japanese tea master. Then two workshops on wine: the first in the middle of the cellar, with plates of cheeses and charcuterie in the presence of a sommelier, who presents a region around ten wines (five white and sparkling and five red) . The second takes place around our guest table in the basement of the cellar. There, we set up a cellar with the large bottles. These are the wines that are tasted in around ten pairings with the chef’s cuisine. »
Sola Cave and Ceramics
6, rue Maître-Albert
Paris (5e)
01 43 54 10 88
www.restaurant-sola.com
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
