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Parsley-flavored warm tofu with colorful vegetables in a thickened soy-milk-skin sauce, mugwort rice cake in shoyu-koji hot pot

This is the appetizer. For the parsley warm tofu: parsley holds its color well even when heated, so I use it to give the warm tofu a pale young-grass…

Herring Roe Tinted with Sea Urchin, Black Bean and Lily Bulb in a Twisted-Cloth Purse, Candied Baby Sardines in a Sweet Rice-Coating Wrap, Two-Color Egg in Green Bamboo, Pine-Needle-Scored Abalone Two Ways, Rolled Salmon, Plum-Blossom Carrot in Saikyo Miso, Snow-Ring Lotus Root in Sweet Vinegar Pickle

Toso-zakana (a New Year's spiced-sake accompaniment), part one. Otoso cuisine refers to the three mitsu-zakana, or auspicious dishes: herring roe…

Milt Egg-Custard Steamed with Sea Urchin Sauce, Seared Pufferfish and Mountain Yam, Lotus Root Sesame-Mustard Dressed

This is the appetizer. For the milt egg-custard steamed with sea urchin sauce, cod milt is used rather than pufferfish milt. For the sea urchin…

Persimmon, Kyoho grape, and chestnut tofu-dressed salad, grilled Pacific saury sushi, avocado with salted rice malt, bush-clover-themed sweet, yuzu-scented grilled sesame tofu

Figs Dressed with Sour Cream

Grilled shiitake with sea urchin set in amber jelly, shintorina and Kyoto fried tofu, dashi-marinated

This is the appetizer course. For grilled shiitake with sea urchin set in amber jelly, both sides of the shiitake are cooked through, then its…

• ¥900

• Cook time 20 min

Oyster, Oil-Steamed

This is the appetizer course (sakizuke). For the oil-steamed oyster, if you let the oil come to a boil the oysters turn tough, so I steam them in a…

• ¥150

• Cook time 50 min

Tomato Tofu, Ayu Sebagoshi-age with White Cheese, Udo Tokusa-ae, Hakata-Style Striped Horse Mackerel and Eggplant, Simmered Beef Tongue

As for the tomato tofu in the appetizer course, when combining pearl agar in the pot, stop the heat at 80°C so that air bubbles don't form, and wring…

Yuzu shell cup, cod milt baked in white sauce

For the appetizer, I used yuzu sent to us in large quantities from our affiliated kappō ryokan in Fukushima; since it would be a waste to use only…

Summer Duck Steamed with Sake

We sear the aigamo duck's skin to medium-rare, then steam it with sake. Into a center cut we tuck mustard and shiraga-negi, fine white scallion…

Walnut tofu

This is the first of the appetizers. For the walnut tofu, we peel walnuts, toast them in a pot, turn them into a paste, dissolve it in kombu dashi…

Rapeseed blossom kombu-cured with snow-flower dressing, shijimi clams simmered with soybean, daisen-ni style

This is the appetizer course. For the nanohana kombu-jime with sekka-ae, parboil the nanohana in a lye-water blanch, then rinse in cold water…

Plum blossom and bush warbler

For the Ume ni Uguisu (Plum Blossom and Bush Warbler) plum-fragrance roll cake: since the castella sponge is already sweetened, I kept the yokan and…

Tomato-stuffed water eggplant, pea-stuffed aori squid, bakurai jelly, Mineoka tofu

Made in a style resembling an appetizer course. As for the tomato-stuffed eggplant — a mild, low-acid variety usually eaten raw — since tomato and…

Miso-and-sake-lees-cured monkfish liver, wrapped in green onion

For the appetizer course's miso-and-sake-lees-cured ankimo wrapped in green onion, I remove the thin membrane from the monkfish liver, soak it in…

Wild mountain vegetables in rapeseed-blossom egg dressing, sea bream and sansho-leaf sushi, firefly squid with tomato sauce

This is course three. As for the wild mountain vegetables in natane-ae — 'natane' (rapeseed) is a word that can only be used in spring, so I worked…

Mugwort Tofu, Mt. Fuji Salmon Marinade

Starting with the appetizers: mugwort tofu. Setting mugwort alone in kombu dashi does not bring out enough flavor, so I add ground sesame at half the…

Mugwort tofu

For the mugwort tofu, we ladle in a delicious dashi broth, top it with sake-steamed icefish, and try to bring out the fragrance of spring.

Octopus simmered tender, smoked-style; tomato and Manila clam steeped dish; lily bulb silk-smooth tofu; simmered leek; spring flower field

For the tomato and manila clam (asari) steeped dish, I followed the season and made the clams into a steeped ohitashi-style dish this time…

Oyster and Persimmon Miso Gratin

Seared surf clam, scallion rolls bound in vinegared miso, bamboo shoot mochi, scallop steamed Hokkai-style, trough shell clam and angelica tree shoots

I paired seasonal shellfish and vegetables to make five items. What's in the abalone-shell vessel is the seared surf clam. The scallion rolls bound…

Simmered pork belly savory egg custard

This dish came about when I wondered whether leftover kakuni could be put to some use. For younger guests, adding grilled mochi alongside gives it…

Mallard-duck white loin, small melon salt-pickle, celery sweet-vinegar pickle

For the mallard-duck white loin, we score the skin, sear it in a frying pan until browned, then drain off the fat once using a metal skewer. We then…

Green pea terrine, deep-fried golden threadfin bream and tiger prawn

This is an appetizer. For the green pea terrine, we boil green peas in salted water, peel off the thin skins, and purée them. This is combined with…