In the course of nine dishes, Japan's outstanding fruit produce is on full display, sublimated through Murooka’s highly honed sensibility. She takes great pride in driving every part of the process, from produce selection to plating. She opens the course with neutral flavors, then moves to refreshing, followed by savory dishes, offering a change of pace and an element of surprise, before returning to the world of sweets with deeply satisfying and familiar flavors. All are accompanied by personal explanations by the chef that reveal her love for the ingredients and passion for this work. The course includes some performance elements and flows with delightful modulation. Guests may be perplexed by the idea of a dessert course and unsure of when to visit, but rest assured, this is a dessert-forward course including other dishes, so lunch and dinner both work perfectly. The opening dish of Mt. Fuji Foothills IDEBOKU Milk features Shizuoka Asagiri Highlands milk in gelato and a milk pudding. Seemingly simple, it is so gratifying to taste these gentle flavors; a dash of olive oil and a pinch of salt make the milk’s sweetness pop. Satoshi Sugie made the glassware that carries this dessert especially to evoke fresh air, water and pasture.

From this point forward, it is all about seasonality. Cocomeru is a summery plate showcasing the wonderful affinity of coconut for watermelon. Another dish served on Satomi Noda tableware highlights the umami and fragrance of tangy Kawachi Bankan citrus served with lemongrass foam and a roasted almond blancmange. These dishes make way for salty-savory bites, like a two-tone chilled asparagus soup and just-baked Kitaakari potato focaccia with corn. An enduring signature since 2020, “Water Cacao” is a palate cleanser served mid-meal. It features an impossibly thin tuille of cacao pulp and cacao mass. Appearing from beneath the chocolate foam is coffee granité using dark-roast Colombian beans. Next is a chocolate gelato made with water, not milk, and a gelée, all accented by crunchy roasted cacao nibs. The drinkable cacao has incredible clarity and exhibits the product’s fruity flavor and delicious acidity – it is chocolate for grown-ups!

From May to June only, a stunning mango crepe dish using Toki no Shizuku Miyazaki Prefecture mangos includes black tea gelée and coconut meringue. There is not a single drop of fresh cream in the whole dish. A honeydew melon variety called Kaminari inspired a creation like a creaming melon soda called Melon Déclinaison. The French word refers to changing of form. It is used in cuisine to describe a dish presenting one ingredient in various ways; in this case, melon appears as sorbet, jelly and pannacotta, among others, for fascinating texture sensations. You may also enjoy churros prepared à la minute and an incredible herbaceous mille-feuille pastry.

INGREDIENTS
The fruits that form the centerpiece of each sweet creation are sourced directly from producers around Japan. Wakayama’s Kuramitsu Farm provides citrus varieties and Nanko Ume plums, and a distinctively late-ripening, sweet citrus called Kawachi Bankan comes from Hiroshima’s Kajiya Farm. Other items include a special watermelon named Anmitsu Hime (Sugar Princess) from Takashima Farm in Ibaraki, Toki no Shizuku mangos from Miyazaki, Kaminari melons from Yamaichi Farm, Ibaraki Prefecture, and a delicious selection of herbs from Nagano grower Yurara. Murooka considers visits to the producing regions essential, making regular trips with industry colleagues to producers in Ibaraki and surrounding areas.

In addition to exquisite fruit, Murooka is a passionate proponent of IDEBOKU milk delivered from the Asagiri Highlands of Shizuoka Prefecture, as it contains few additives. The eggs she uses come in two varieties: one with a prominent yolky flavor and another with a gentler taste derived from chickens raised on rice.