初音(はつね)

The chef oversees every aspect of the menu, which changes monthly. The restaurant evolves from moment to moment as seasons shift and the day’s ingredients are chosen; this impermanence inspires the passion and the flavours at the core of the chef’s creativity. He embraces the principle of shuhari, the three stages of mastery: first, master the basics; next, break the mould with creativity; finally, set out on your own to blaze a new trail. Guest and chef merge time and space, sharing a mutually felt joy.

In a teacher-and-student quest, Hiroshi Sasaki and his understudies vie to create the greatest flavours. Combining Sasaki’s wealth of experience with the youthful sensitivity of his disciples, the restaurant builds a menu that surprises and delights, suffusing classic Japanese cuisine with fresh technique and imagination. The counter becomes a theatre that brings cooks and diners together, each playing their parts. The performances of ‘Sasaki Kitchen Theatre’, fun for eyes and tastebuds, have a presence that keeps the house packed night after night.

Guests are greeted with a cup of Kakegawa tea from the chef’s native Shizuoka, while kukicha, tea made from tea twigs, or ‘genmaicha’, green tea made from roasted brown rice, is served between courses. Combinations of foodstuffs convey the distinctiveness of the menu. Fruit is paired with fish and vegetables as their natural sweetness and acidity adds depth and contrast. Meat dishes are a vital part: depending on the season, diners may be entertained by meat hot-pots created before their eyes. The chef caters to guest preferences with a flexible imagination, pursuing an experience tailored for

Playful-hearted fare and amiable service keep the establishment packed evening after evening. In the spirit of blending Western and Japanese styles, Koichi Maekawa dons chef’s whites and pipes light jazz over speakers. His credo is that food should be fun, so his roving imagination goes above and beyond Japanese, Chinese, and Western traditions. The all-wood interior and vaulted ceiling exude warmth, evoking a houseboat. With Maekawa as skipper and his chefs as the crew, this ‘ship’ keeps passengers smiling and rides a wave of popularity.

Situated on the south side of Kennin-ji Temple, the restaurant looks out on Yasaka Pagoda. Pass through the elegant gate, have a seat in the waiting area, and relax in the courtyard cooled with sprinkled water. The proprietor welcomes guests with the four-fold etiquette of the wabi-cha school of tea ceremony: harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity. In cuisine, he prizes the five unseen senses, with care paid to light, sound, temperature, fragrance and taste. Even the water is steeped in history, tradition and the four seasons. Unseen yet deep and strong are the roots of Kyoto culture here.

The next generation of chefs apply themselves diligently to every task from cooking to service, following the proprietor’s teaching to always be sincere. The chef devotes himself to his craft, staying close to the basics while feeding his curiosity with inventive combinations. Vegetables such as peas, corn, ginkgo nuts and turnip are kneaded into baked sesame tofu, heralding the arrival of the season.

The cobblestone street where the Kaburenjo Theatre of traditional dance is located is lined with teahouses and geisha houses, lending the quarter a distinctive air of elegance. Here in the crossroads of performing art and that is Miyagawacho, the restaurant seems at first glance to break the mould. Yet the inclusion of familiar beef cutlet in the procession of less conventional fare feels somehow nostalgic. Cuisine unbound by convention and the handiwork of the reliable chef delight the spirit.