SEN’s omakase menu is a quintessential kaiseki journey, flowing from appetizers to soup, sashimi, grilled dishes, simmered courses, rice and dessert. Each course reflects the season and draws inspiration from arts and festivals like Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri in the summer and moon-viewing in the fall. While deeply rooted in tradition, Sugisawa also incorporates his own touches with courses like spring rolls or pork dishes, keeping the experience fresh and surprising for every guest.

The softshell turtle chawanmushi, or steamed egg custard, is richly infused with umami. The dish is served in a golden bowl under a vivid persimmon leaf, evoking the beauty of a moonlit autumn night. The seasonal soup is a delicate blend of fragrant Nagano matsutake mushrooms and Kyoto tilefish, served in a lacquer bowl painted with motifs of pine needles on frost-covered grounds.

The day’s sashimi is a pairing of freshly delivered Ise lobster from Mie Prefecture and straw-seared bonito from Nagasaki. The hassun plate is a beautiful assortment of temari sushi—grilled barracuda, vinegared Pacific saury, and simmered clam—artfully plated in a flute-shaped lacquerware box with sprigs of pampas grass. The simmered dish features taro and rockfish, served on a plate with pictures of rabbits.

To wrap up the evening, a small plate of sweetened Satsuma yam is served with a bowl of matcha tea, whisked in front of the guests by the chef himself.

INGREDIENTS
While most of the produce is locally sourced in Kyoto, Sugisawa also finds fine seasonal ingredients from across Japan, such as seasonal fish from Mie, Toyama and Nagasaki prefectures. Vegetables are handpicked from trusted greengrocers to ensure freshness and quality. The drinks menu focuses on high-quality sake, carefully selected to complement each dish. The seven-course sake pairing features a mix of junmai, ginjo, namazake, and nigori-type vintages.