AUTUMN FLAVOURS AT SACHI
Head chef Collin Hudston introduces Sachi’s new menu
In Japan, seasonality is the most integral part of Kaiseki, the traditional multi-course dinner. Only the freshest, local ingredients are used, and the meal usually has a seasonal theme. It’s a concept we’re hugely inspired by at Sachi year-round, but which really comes to life in autumn: right now, a lot of Japanese veg grown in the UK is in season, such as root vegetables, Japanese radish, mustard greens and purple daikon.
“We eat with the seasons using British grown, Japanese vegetables.”
Trout, miso & hazelnut
We’re lucky enough to work closely with the Namayasai farm in East Sussex, which provides us with the best produce available each week: it’s why you’re likely to often find small variations on the menu. Some ingredients like wagyu, certain fish and rice that are integral to Japanese cuisine must be imported, but I always want to use as many local ingredients as possible. We never use avocado in our sushi as I refuse to import them from halfway across the world when it’s really not necessary. Where we do import, we still like to celebrate seasonality: just take our katsuo tataki that’s made with bonito, a small, seasonal tuna-like fish.
Hand-dived scallop, smoked dashi, caviar
Tofu, mushroom, truffle dashi
I’m also very excited about the arrival of fresh, local mushrooms: tofu is served with mixed mushrooms and truffles, wagyu tataki with porcini mushrooms, and wagyu fillet with girolles. Like with the vegetables, the vast majority of our mushrooms are foraged in Britain, with some coming in from France.
Wagyu tataki, porcini ponzu, mizuna
Elsewhere on the menu, we’ve created a series of warming dishes designed to ease you into the colder months. Scottish trout is marinated in miso, cooked over fire and served with chestnuts. Hand-dived scallops are served with a comforting smoked broth, while English pork is cooked over the robata grill and served with apple and barley. I really hope you’re able to come and try the new menu: it’s available now and we’re open every evening of the week, as well as for lunch at the weekend.