illi Mani Shibuya

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 round logo on the tabletop menu encapsulates the chef’s vision. The varying thickness of the line suggests contrasts between sharp and subtle flavours; the circle declares that the entire prix fixe menu expresses the cuisine as a whole. Sauces and cooking focus on the classic; the fascination with ingredients is a trait cultivated during the chef’s apprenticeship in France. The combination of the chef’s learned skills and passion for cuisine gives rise to a style all his own.

The chef is of the view that soba’s deliciousness is determined by its flour. He grinds husked buckwheat both from his garden and from farmers in Ibaraki Prefecture, catching every iota of the fresh-ground aroma. Coarse ground seiro (soba served on bamboo wicker) is full of wild flavour. Tofu soba, inspired by staff meals, and hot seiro with hot tsuyu sauce and beaten egg, are unique taste experiences. Evening service is prix fixe only, with treats such as buckwheat mash and rolled omelettes included.

Insatiable curiosity about all things tempura is this restaurant’s driving force. The chef blazes his own trail, unencumbered by convention. In a one-of-a-kind technique, the chef prepares his batter using two types of water as well as liquid nitrogen. One menu item features chilled sea urchin on deep-fried perilla leaf, creating a contrast of cold and hot. Inventive dishes are slipped in between menu items, varying the pace. The chef takes pride in offering an extensive range of tempura pieces, letting his imagination run free.

The chef’s grandparents’ house once stood on this land. He harboured a lifelong dream of becoming a sushi artisan; the first knife he ever held was a gift from his grandfather. Never forgetting the spirit of the novice, the chef takes an honest, no-nonsense approach to his ingredients. “Letting the ingredients do the talking is not the same as doing nothing,” he says—and indeed, the chef devotes great time and effort to food preparation. As an apprentice, he learned from his mentor that cooking means thinking for yourself. The work of the old days inspires today’s creativity.

Standing alone in his kitchen, Tomofumi Saito engages with Italian cuisine in earnest. His attention to detail is relentless, from the cuisine itself to the music, flowers and other elements. Seating is limited to ensure each dish gets his undivided attention. When he creates new menu items, there are no prototypes: he pushes himself hard to create inventive cuisine found nowhere else. 'Prisma' means 'prism' in Italian and the high standards Saito demands of himself shine in a rainbow of culinary inventiveness.

Shinobu Namae welcomes guests in the spirit of ‘ichiza-konryu’, the philosophy that a restaurant is built on connections among chefs, staff, guests and food producers. The gastronomy and culture of Japan are here expressed through prix fixe menus. After the aperitif, the steaming hot risotto arrives―its inspiration drawn from the freshly cooked rice in 'chakaiseki' and brimming with the seasonal bounty of both mountain and sea. ‘Artisanal Vegetables’, the signature dish, is an homage to farmers. Weak matcha tea, borrowed from the etiquette of the Sowa tea ceremony, signals the meal’s end.