The Macallan Worked With This New Chicago Restaurant to Create Japanese-Inspired Tasting Menus
Sure, you can buy a bottle of Macallan or sip on the scotch at a restaurant. But soon you’ll be able to enjoy a tasting menu that integrates the experiences at The Macallan’s first permanent location.
Later this month, the distillery is teaming up with the Japanese sushi and steak restaurant Roka Akor to open the M Room in Chicago, Eater Chicago reported. The 45-seat space will serve a 10-course menu for $185, with a beverage pairing focused on Macallan pours for $145.
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“We’ve been enjoying a really nice relationship with [The] Macallan so we’re strengthening that relationship through collaboration,” Sunny Mehra, the president of Roka Akor, told Eater. “Our chefs have held multiple dinners [with The Macallan] over the years and it started to make sense: Why can’t we have a concept that brings these selections of whiskies and cocktails and brings Roka to the table? We can make it a complete experience rather than just a few drinks.”
Executive chef Ce Bian’s menu will highlight many of the flavors found in the whiskey-making process, such as barley, yeast and oak. Dishes might include toro sashimi with baked Macallan yeast seasoning and wasabi zuki, as well as wagyu filet Wellington with mushroom duxelles, prosciutto and Macallan demi-glace.
To pair with the food, you’ll enjoy both cocktails made with Macallan and neat pours of scotch like The Macallan Rare Cask and The Macallan Harmony, which can retail for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Cocktails will include libations like the Six Pillars, an Old Fashioned made with Macallan 30 Sherry Oak, and neat pours will be available from the M Collection, Fine & Rare and Exceptional Single Cask.
The Macallan is “known for Scotch whisky and Roka is known for amazing, balanced food,” Mehra said. “It’s about coming together and getting the harmony going between these two.”
Pairing whiskey with Japanese food isn’t anything new, but the inclusion of The Macallan certainly gives this particular meal an interesting twist. Scotch lovers will appreciate the chance to sip several different expressions throughout the evening, while newcomers will get a truly advanced whiskey education. Sounds like a no-brainer to us.
The M Room is set to open on Monday, December 19.
Click here to see all the photos of the M Room.
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