Chef Koketsu’s cuisine is produce-driven: from humble vegetables to luxury ingredients, he maximizes their potential through a range of techniques. The very best vegetables come from specific producers, and he does as little as possible to them, letting their innate strength shine through. Steam, grill, deep-fry: The simplest, most fitting methods are used to prepare the ingredients, and then the only other task is to select the perfect condiments, seasonings, and sauces.

A seasonal degustation course of about eight dishes typically begins with a soup, perhaps a purée of fresh seasonal vegetables, followed by a small rice dish—sticky rice, sushi or okayu porridge—to match climate, temperature and available ingredients. Then, a lidded bowl dish, something grilled, sashimi, and something fried to round out a well-modulated start. Next are kishimen noodles, a belly and heartwarming dish, rice with a choice of eight side dishes, handmade soba, and dessert. He begins with powerful ingredients with strong flavor and impact, serving them as soon as possible after preparation. Towards the end of the meal, the chef shifts to more gentle flavors and textures. In a dish of chargrilled Akaza-ebi shrimp with sea urchin and Ariake seaweed, the velvety, rich shrimp innards and mellow sea urchin flavors perfectly match the plump shrimp. A steamed dumpling of crab meat and grouper flesh is served in a Wajima-nuri lacquerware bowl adorned with makie decorative inlay of cherry blossoms at night. It fills a bowl of dashi bursting with flavor that belies its simple, clear appearance. The chef adds Rishiri kombu to 60°C water and gently extracts flavor before adding bonito flakes. He strains the primary dashi, resulting in a wonderful, clean flavor.

Freshly caught shiro-amadai white tilefish is cooked skin-side down in oil with scales intact in a cooking method called matsukasa-yaki, designed to accentuate the delicious umami and crisp texture of the skin. The flesh is still slightly rare, plump and juicy. It is served with a sauce made from the sake lees of Fukui Prefecture favorite Kokuryu and the flowering wasabi plant for a true taste of spring.

In what can probably be described as his signature dish, to homemade kishimen noodles, Chef Koketsu adds bonito dashi, egg yolk sauce, Italian caviar, and chives. There is a jaw-dropping variety of side dishes to go with the freshly cooked clay pot rice. The Shimane Prefecture rice goes perfectly with a dish of thin slices of beef in a salty-sweet soy mixture called shigure-ni, or marinated tuna, bottarga, eel, curry, and the list goes on. It is almost impossible to say no to seconds. With the soba noodles, too, you can specify how much you would like to eat.

Chef Koketsu’s wine selections are as exquisite as his cuisine, so it is best to take full advantage of his sommelier qualifications and choose a pairing course to complete your evening.

INGREDIENTS
Premium ingredients like Ehime white tilefish, Kobe beef, and Italian caviar are complemented by top products from around Japan, such as Hokkaido lily bulbs, Ibaraki lotus root, Yamashiro bamboo shoots, Mishima octopus, Ariake seaweed, and Rishiri Kombu. They span the archipelago and are all personally selected by Chef Koketsu, who believes part of a good chef’s talent is in ingredient choice. He constantly seeks new produce and makes changes to his cuisine to suit the freshest and best that comes through his doors. After all, his greatest joy is seeing guests delight in his cuisine. Pairing courses incorporating wine and sake are available, as are reasonably priced bottles for your enjoyment. Guests who want a taste or two just need to let the chef know, and he will share some options by the glass.