{"id":25275,"date":"2018-01-25T13:30:13","date_gmt":"2018-01-25T05:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/?p=25275"},"modified":"2018-01-25T19:04:53","modified_gmt":"2018-01-25T11:04:53","slug":"what-premium-beer-tastes-like-ikomai-x-sapporo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/2018\/01\/25\/what-premium-beer-tastes-like-ikomai-x-sapporo\/","title":{"rendered":"What premium beer tastes like: Ikomai x Sapporo"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It was supposed to be a routine Wednesday night until we decided to drop by <strong><b>Ikomai<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0last night for their Unlimited Sapporo Night.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone is used to going to events held at restaurants. This one, however, felt very different. The energy at Ikomai was at an all-time high, even as they started earlier than usual for a dinner event (5:30 pm).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25279\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/sapporo-with-ikomai-platter.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/sapporo-with-ikomai-platter.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/sapporo-with-ikomai-platter-290x218.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/sapporo-with-ikomai-platter-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/sapporo-with-ikomai-platter-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>A GLASS OF SAPPORO goes well with kushikatsu, tebasaki, and probably every other Japanese street dish you&#8217;d find at Ikomai. The kushitatsu\u00a0wins by default as far as the perfect match with beer.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Most people who live and work in Makati are familiar with Ikomai, especially the Japanese crowd. They\u2019re known for their delicious <em><i>kushikatsu <\/i><\/em>(deep-fried meat skewers) and their spicy <em><i>tebasaki<\/i><\/em>\u00a0(Japanese street wings) as well as desserts whipped up by Tochi Dessert.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25281\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/tebasaki.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/tebasaki.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/tebasaki-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/tebasaki-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>SPICY TEBASAKI. It&#8217;s not the most well-known Japanese street food, but it won in our book. It&#8217;s an unassuming\u00a0spicy chicken wing that goes really well with a glass of Sapporo.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25278\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/potato-cheese-balls.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/potato-cheese-balls.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/potato-cheese-balls-290x218.jpg 290w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/potato-cheese-balls-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/potato-cheese-balls-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>AN UNLIKELY PAIR. These potato cheese balls also went well with the smooth taste of Sapporo beer.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>What people got as an extra that night were kegs of Sapporo, brought in by Philippine Wine Merchants. We got to hear from Koji Takaku, Sapporo\u2019s Sales Manager for Southeast Asia, about how the brand has grown since it was brewed in the Sapporo, Japan in 1876.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25280\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/taro-hori-PWM-koji-takaku.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/taro-hori-PWM-koji-takaku.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/taro-hori-PWM-koji-takaku-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/taro-hori-PWM-koji-takaku-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span style=\"font-size: 10pt\"><em>KOJI <\/em><em>TAKAKU<\/em><em>\u00a0(right), Sapporo&#8217;s Sales Manager for Southeast Asia, poses for a shot with Ikomai&#8217;s Taro Hori (left).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>According to him, Sapporo\u2019s success comes from how they treat their beer. Sapporo is one of the few premium beers to come from the land of the rising sun that has a distinct taste. It\u2019s smoother than your run-of-the-mill beer and is closer to a German lager without the bitter taste.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25277\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/ikomai-crowd-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/ikomai-crowd-2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/ikomai-crowd-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/ikomai-crowd-2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25276\" src=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/ikomai-crowd-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/ikomai-crowd-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/ikomai-crowd-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/ikomai-crowd-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sapporo is a bit more expensive than other brands, but you\u2019re getting your money\u2019s worth. A testament to its taste is the number of people that went to Ikomai that night. 130 guests packed themselves into Ikomai\u2019s intimate restaurant setting, all with a glass of Sapporo and a plate full of kushikatsu.<\/p>\n<p><em><i>Sapporo is exclusively distributed by Philippine Wine Merchants. It\u2019s available in most Japanese restaurants, supermarkets, and convenience stores in Metro Manila.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Also read:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/food\/location\/makati\/salcedo\/ikomai-in-salcedo-makati-home-to-japanese-street-and-comfort-food\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ikomai in Salcedo, Makati: Home to Japanese street and comfort food<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was a routine night, then it got really interesting&#8230; and it was only Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":25279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[3903,5110,5111,5108,5109],"class_list":["post-25275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature-story","tag-ikomai","tag-japanese-street-food","tag-premium-japanese-beer","tag-sapporo","tag-unlimited-sapporo-beer"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2018\/01\/sapporo-with-ikomai-platter.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25275"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25282,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25275\/revisions\/25282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}