HOTEL Lotus Shibuya (Adult Only)

MONOLITH links the splendour of classic cuisine to the future. Pastry-wrapped meat symbolises this connection – the diner can choose from several types. Hewing close to time-honoured recipes, beef and lamb are dressed in a Madeira wine and truffle sauce, while pigeon is prepared in a rich salmis. Sauce is assiduously reduced and poured unstintingly, in true orthodox style. Respect for tradition and the classics, eloquently expressed through cooking.

Takuto Murota procures ingredients himself, hunting game in the mountains and growing vegetables in his home garden. Harmonious coexistence with nature is the theme of his cooking and nowhere is this conviction more evident than in his game dishes. Meat is grilled, bones and entrails made into sauces; nothing edible is wasted. Venison blood macarons have become emblematic of LATURE. Classic cuisine with a touch of modern sensibility conveys respect for life.

The names of producers the chef deals with are listed on the menu. He visits his suppliers, building bonds of trust with farmers and fishermen. The chef brings each dish fresh from kitchen to table and describes it with enthusiasm, building a bridge linking food, guests and restaurant. Prix fixe meals are modern in preparation while classic in concept. A unique touch is that different breads are paired with different dishes, pursuing unity of flavour between the two.

‘Muku’ means ‘immaculate; innocent; pure’. The keynote white of the interior and the focus on the inherent flavours of ingredients are hallmarks of Tatsuki Mishima’s approach. In his native Shimane Prefecture, the chef worked at a fishmonger’s to learn about fish. He now gets his crab, abalone and rosy sea perch from that very shop, deepening relations between the two. Takikomi-gohan (rice dish seasoned with soy sauce and boiled with various ingredients) is followed by somen noodles or curry to fine-tune the palate. Tradition preserved, but with a playful spirit.

Ensui means ‘flame and water’, celebrating the two starting points of Japanese cuisine: charcoal flame and water for soup stock. The pride of the house is its stew. Using water brought all the way from Kagoshima, dashi stock is drawn from aged kombu and high-grade bonito flakes. The soup ingredients are suffused with the aroma of charcoal, completing the theme. With the practiced hands of a craftsman, the chef weaves the soup ingredients and the soup broth into a harmonious whole. A natural curiosity drives him to scour producing regions for the best ingredients. A personal journey expressed t

The name is French: saucer used as a verb, to pour sauce or to drizzle sauce on bread. The standard fare is what the chef terms ‘saucer’: freshly baked bread on one plate and a sauce on the other. Consommé drawn over a period of three days is a key ingredient. Morel mushrooms in spring and sweetfish in summer impart seasonal flavours. As an apprentice, the chef was appointed saucier, sauce master; his confidence shines in his work today.

Kaoru Aihara is a veteran of fish cuisine with an inquiring mind. Depending on the fish, he may break apart the fibres, transform the fish oils, add umami or increase complexity even to the aroma. His ‘Charcuterie of the Sea’ appetiser explores the possibilities of fish through French culinary technique. Immerse yourself in the story of fish through the geography of Japan, a land surrounded by ocean.