Hotel Matoma

The chef’s path was inspired by the meticulous craftsmanship of sushi masters. Hearkening back to Edo-period food culture, he strives for orthodoxy, committed to generously sized nigiri with thick-sliced toppings. Simmered clam and anago are finished with a rich nitsume sauce. A former interior contractor, the chef designed the restaurant himself. Traditional elements such as the tsukedai, wooden trays used for serving sushi, and handwritten fish names on the wall evoke a sense of nostalgia.

A detached, glass-walled house stands across from a park; ascend the stairs adjacent to the kitchen and you reach a dining room with a Scandinavian interior. The prix fixe menu begins with tea in season. The restaurant’s name refers to ‘friends who will drink tea together always’, referring to the circle of guests, staff and food producers. The chef’s aim is to serve food that is simple yet original. Both service and kitchen staff bring the food to your table.

Seafood largely comes from the Amakusa islands off Kyushu’s west coast, because that’s where the chef is from. For the same reason, salt, soy sauce and local sake are sourced from Kumamoto. The providence of sea and land are all used in natural ways. To ensure compatibility between rice and topping, rice is matched with red or rice vinegar as appropriate. Depending on its nature, rice from different regions may be cooked separately, then combined and vinegared. Strictly speaking, this reminds us that sushi is simply a way of eating rice.

Tomoya Kawada sees cooking as a reconciliation between nature and humanity. He names his approach Sazenka, which literally means ‘tea-Zen-Chinese’, out of a desire to create Chinese fare that mediates between the worlds of tea and Zen. His cuisine harmoniously combines the techniques he learned in China with the soul and spiritual features of Japan – ‘wakon-kansai’ is the theme. Japanese ingredients in season are used in spring-roll fillings and Sichuan stir-fries, lending a seasonal dimension to Chinese cuisine.

The Japanese love of small spaces is deeply connected with the spirit of the tea ceremony and its cultural background. The counter, affording just the right distance between guests and Chef Toshiya Kadowaki, seats just six. The private room, whose low ceiling suggests a tearoom, is so intimate that guests can feel each other’s breathing. The menu features dishes where ingredients in season come together to create fleeting sensations that linger in the memory forever. Truffle rice, enriching the meal in both aroma and flavour, is a case in point.

A menu redolent with seasonal aromas and the kind hospitality of the couple in charge are the true charms of Azabujuban Fukuda. Katsuo-bushi (dried bonito flakes) is shredded, dashi drawn and seafood chopped in front of customers. Kazuto Fukuda uses ingredients from every corner of Japan. In spring, hatsu gatsuo (first bonito of the season) is grilled wrapped in straw. Unagi is smothered in mizansho (green peppercorn). Seasonal clay-pot rice dishes bring the meal to a close.

The long table bears a close resemblance to the dining tables of European nobility. Dinner is served table d’hôte: guests gather around a single large table, sharing the joy of good food and conversation. Reading the mood of the era, Chef Hiroyasu Kawate serves up delicious food and eco-consciousness, actively incorporating plant-based ingredients. The choice of vegetarian dishes as main meals is a new twist. Whether vegetarian or vegan, the fare blazes a fresh trail in vegetable cuisine.