[Creative Fiction x Recipe] Virtual Izakaya 'Shukoroku' Episode 35: Beef Tataki Sandwich and Red Wine
Content Introduction
Today's dish is a 'Beef Tataki Sandwich,' featuring rare beef and vegetables sandwiched between thin slices of bread.
Enjoy a story of red wine and heart-easing moments unfolding in a virtual izakaya, along with recipes and ingredient introductions.
Main Story
Pass through the noren curtain, and you are enveloped in a small world.
Words unravel in the sake, and we talk over the appetizers.
What shall be recorded tonight?
On his way back from a business trip to Tokyo, Tsukasa Aizawa stopped in his tracks at a station he hadn't visited in a long time.
He had thought he would never come to this town for work again. Yet, his body remembered the layout of the backstreets. The intersection where the foot traffic dies out, the angle at which the alley turns, even the hardness of the asphalt beneath his feet.
The sound of his sneakers echoed faintly against the concrete.
In his twenties, he was obsessed with capturing sound. His job was to wait for the moment of brilliance beside the people who created music. As an A&R at a record company, he would find raw talent and shape it while clashing with producers.
He had many hits that way. But—
When was it, he wondered, that his ears began to pick up 'silence' instead of the sounds that sell?
A night that felt like consuming sound. Suddenly, he saw a faint light at the end of the alley. A white noren. No writing on it. Yet, its stillness felt somewhat like a nostalgic record jacket. The tense, silent atmosphere just before the music begins.
Passing through the noren, his feet came to a sudden stop.
There were no other customers inside, just one man behind the kitchen counter: Ikkon Mashiro.
'Welcome.'
'...Are you open?'
At those words, Mashiro nodded slightly. When he sat down, nothing was asked, and water was simply placed before him. That gesture reminded him of the tension of his former workplace. The atmosphere of that studio where everyone held their breath, waiting to see who would make the first sound.
Mashiro placed butter in a frying pan and turned on the heat. The solid quickly turned into liquid, beginning to bubble with white foam. At the same time, a rich, pastoral aroma drifted through the air.
He lined up two thin slices of bread. The white, sponge-like dough soaked up the white foam in an instant and began to turn brown. Meanwhile, he washed and hand-tore the lettuce, then took a sealed block of meat soaking in liquid from the refrigerator, and drew a long, gleaming butcher knife through it.
'Here is your beef tataki sandwich.'
What was brought to him was a sandwich cut in half. Thick, rare beef tataki and layers of green lettuce. The toasted bread held them firmly together.
Tsukasa accepted it in silence, spread his hands wide to grab it, opened his mouth as wide as he could, and took a bite. The flavor and umami of the soy sauce soaking into the marinated meat, the crunch of the lettuce filled with moisture, the savory aroma of the wheat soaked in butter. In a single bite, they overlapped and resonated, just like a multi-track recording.
'...This is rock and roll.'
To those words, spoken to no one in particular, Mashiro quietly brought a glass and a bottle of wine from the back.
'It's Y by YOSHIKI, Cabernet Sauvignon.'
The liquid poured into the glass was dark and lustrous.
He took a sip. Fruitiness. Then, an aftertaste like fragrant wood. And the touch of tannins that powerfully picked up the umami of the meat.
In that moment, Tsukasa remembered.
—Backstage at the Yokohama Arena.
At a rock band's photo shoot, Tsukasa was helping an artist with their sound production. Someone said:
"Music and cooking are similar, aren't they? I think the lingering resonance is what makes both of them delicious."
I'm not sure who said that. But those words have remained in the back of my mind ever since.
I took another bite of the sandwich, then another sip of the deep red wine. The repetition felt like a jam session of sorts.
Tonight, this dish and this glass were truly stirring something inside Tsukasa. It had nothing to do with anyone's hit charts or streaming numbers based on market economics. This was an internal resonance.
Suddenly, Tsukasa spoke.
"—Your sound doesn't resemble anyone else's."
While wiping a glass, Mashiro softened his eyes slightly. He said nothing. But that was enough.
After finishing his meal, Tsukasa took out his notebook.
"Eating like the wind, ringing quietly."
Those were the words from a proposal sent a few years ago by a young planner named Akane Ogata. She said it was inspired by the sound and food exhibition 'Symphony of Senses' that Tsukasa had once produced.
"Hah. Is this what they call resonance, too? Rock is great."
The fact that those words are coming back to me now must be some kind of twist of fate. I wonder how she would express the sound of this sandwich and this wine if she were here now. Thinking about that, I took every last drop of wine remaining in the glass.
Tsukasa passed through the noren curtain once again. The second time, wrapped in the lingering resonance of the experience.
Watching Tsukasa's back as he left, Mashiro Ikkon returned to the kitchen. Tonight, another dish and drink had been recorded.
Return to Episode 1
Return to Episode 34
Continue to Episode 36...
Magazine: Virtual Izakaya 'Shuko-roku'
Bonus Recipe
Sear the surface of beef lightly seasoned with salt and pepper over high heat.
Immediately plunge into ice water to firm it up.
Place in a bag with equal parts soy sauce and olive oil, half that amount of fish sauce, minced garlic, and rosemary, and marinate overnight.
Heat butter in a frying pan and toast slices of bread.
Sandwich with lettuce and wrap in foil or similar.
Add dressing or other condiments to taste if desired.
Ingredient Introduction
Olive Oil: The best balance of flavor and price. For everyday use.
Y by YOSHIKI Cabernet Sauvignon: For a rock-and-roll night of eating nothing but meat.