客栈君彩家 kimidoriya

The low-profile exterior, small billboard and stripped-down accoutrements express an understated Japanese architecture aesthetic. The goal here is cuisine of which one never tires. Rishiri kombu kelp is selected for the dashi stock drawn for soups, reassuring with its light flavour. Fermented seasonings are handmade fish sauces, provide the subtle seasoning that enhances other flavours. Relying on patient craftsmanship rather than fancy ingredients, Katamachi Kawaguchi impresses with technique and singular character.

Yugen means ‘mysterious profundity’, grace whose depths can never be plumbed. It connotes the depths of Japanese cuisine, a product of constant refinement through the ages. Keisuke Mifune puts on display the skills and instincts he honed at a ryotei. He pays attention to combinations of ingredients and dishware, expressing the changing of the seasons through his menu. A Fukuoka native, the chef furnishes the bounty of Kyushu in the form of seafood from the Genkai Sea and the Goto Islands.

The owner-chef teases out subtle flavours with a versatile sensibility and technique honed in Kyoto. He takes particular care when blending his dashi. Prepared with a light flavour, it draws out the character of each ingredient. Flavours of other ingredients transfer to the dashi in wanmono, steamed items and takiawase, lending depth to their taste. Preparations are simple, yet unseen tweaks make each item unique. Admire antique serving-ware and vessels fashioned by modern artists as you savour the tastes of the season.

A ball of cedar sprigs hangs from the eaves of this traditional detached house. Accents such as an old chest of drawers and transoms fill the air with a nostalgic mood. It’s all courtesy of the proprietor, who was once a Chinese cuisine chef. Awakened to the delicious taste of sake, he switched to Japanese food, stocking local sakes from throughout Japan. True to the ‘shuko’, or appetizers served with sake, in its name, the omakase set menu consists of numerous small dishes. Friendly service creates a pleasant mood. Fill the belly, satisfy the soul: both are ‘manpuku’.

Situated in a quiet residential district, Sushi Sanshin is only open at lunchtime. The naturally lit interior presents an austere charm. The chef is schooled in the old ways of sushi-making, but weaves in a few tricks of his own. For example, the simmered clam nigiri is carefully prepared with precise knife work and finished with a hint of yuzu. The tamagoyaki, placed on top of the rice like a horse's saddle, conceals a touch of oboro within. Norimaki made with herbs to evoke vegetable flavours is a speciality found only here. Pursuit of the new, tempered by respect for the classics.

Out of childhood experiences and the landscapes of rural valleys, the chef creates cuisine that reverberates in all five senses. The spectacle of colourful arrangements, the sound and texture of each bite, the aroma, and of course the taste all harmonise and sizzle as one course follows another. The couple who run the kitchen deliver an illustrated message to the table as a sign of the season.

French cuisine and organic wine, presented by a nature-loving couple. Welcoming you into their parlour are the chef, a disciple of classic gastronomy, and the proprietress, a florist. To present the ideal bistro the name implies, the couple decorate the casual interior with flowers, fresh in season like the ingredients. Vegetables come from the good earth of their home farm in Wakayama, linking city and countryside through cuisine.