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Usui pea pureed soup, flower-cut spiny lobster

Sakura-chaya was founded in Showa 8 — 1933 — and is the third-oldest established ryotei, a traditional Japanese restaurant, in Mukojima, a district…

Daikon Sorbet

Daikon sorbet takes its cue from turnip sherbet, balancing the flavors so the daikon's aroma and crisp texture remain while adding sweetness. Since…

Sesame tofu wrapped in grilled eggplant, Wakasa-style grilled tilefish

For the clear-soup course's sesame tofu wrapped in grilled eggplant, the sesame tofu is made by combining kombu dashi, sake, and Yoshino kuzu starch…

Snow crab and yuba terrine in a light kuzu-thickened broth

For the soup-bowl course snow crab and yuba terrine, I coarsely mince fresh yuba and combine it with a fish paste as soft as a shrimp-paste dumpling…

Persimmon shira-ae

For the persimmon tofu-dressed salad: simmer all the ingredients to season them through, then dress with the shira-ae dressing. What matters here is…

Purple Sweet Potato Kinton

Since this was for summer, we made dishes that are cold, easy to swallow, and pleasant on the palate. We also aimed for a light sweetness that isn't…

Monkfish liver roll in amber glaze, small kuruma prawn with chili miso, checkerboard warm-smoked salmon, Ezo abalone sushi, king crab and tomato, chrysanthemum foie gras, stuffed bamboo fungus mushroom served with caviar

In the tray dish of saimaki shrimp with chili miso, the Chōkō miso from Nagasaki that I use has a spiciness that doesn't linger in the throat, and…

Grilled and steeped tilefish

●Amadai Yaki-Hitashi: the tilefish is filleted into three pieces, lightly salted and sliced thin, air-dried briefly to remove a little moisture…

Bean-scattering

For Mamemaki (bean-scattering), I used lotus root to bring out a difference in texture and flavor.

Simmered Roe-Bearing Ayu, Conger Eel Tofu, and Simmered Tawara Daikon

For the simmered dish, the roe-bearing sweetfish is prepared by lining the pot with daikon peel, laying the grilled sweetfish on top, adding more…

Pike conger in crystal jelly

Pike conger is normally used in soup courses and the like, but this time I set it into a jelly and served it as an appetizer. The firmness is a…

Spiny lobster steamed with rice / squid, halfbeak, and shrimp rope-pattern sushi / angelica tree shoots and bracken fern / hosta shoots marinated in a salted bonito-innards base / paddy-grown Japanese parsley with chopped sesame

This Ise lobster steamed with rice, served as a sake accompaniment, also doubles as a shinogi — a small dish meant to take just the edge off hunger…

Soup Course: White Miso Broth with Seared Matsutake Mushroom

With the theme of the season turning from autumn into winter, we made three recommended dishes using ingredients of the moment. As the weather is…

Peanut tofu

We use Chiba Prefecture's specialty peanuts in the appetizer, the deep-fried course, and the vinegared dish: raw peanuts in the appetizer's peanut…

Vinegared water caltrop and maple leaf, Jiro persimmon mallet-shaped roll, red taro stem and fried wheat gluten with pear dressing, Chinese yam, sweet potato, and kabocha lightly seared, frozen konjac set in amber jelly

The Kintoki carrot used in the water caltrop and maple-leaf namasu is from last year's crop. We make a lot of Buddhist vegetarian dishes here, so…

Autumn Brocade Salad

Chilled Japanese-Style Consommé

The chilled Japanese-style consommé, served in place of the clear-soup course, is made by taking stock from chicken; it should properly be strained…

Broth steamed in a small teapot

Based on the menu we normally serve our guests, since it was October, I added playful touches to the appetizer course, such as styling the whole…

Persimmon and Kyoho Grape Custard Cream

Fiddlehead fern in fried tofu, green-necked duck roast

Our guests are mostly somewhat older women visiting on pilgrimage during the day, and business parties such as client entertaining in the evening…

Grilled Eggplant Surinagashi and Sesame Tofu

For the clear-soup course's grilled eggplant pureed soup, this time I deep-fried the eggplant in oil and peeled it so the color wouldn't fade, but I…

Spring vegetables, Ogawa-mushi

For the wasabi leaf in the spring vegetable ogawa-mushi: pack it into a jar, pour in hot water, and shake it well — this brings out a strong…

Sea Bass Wrapped and Grilled with Summer Vegetables

For the grilled course's sea bass wrapped and grilled with summer vegetables, we made what would be called a tomato stew in Western cooking, wrapped…

Kinki rockfish grilled in a citrus-soy marinade, whiting grilled with fermented fish-innards paste, and lotus root, chestnut, and ginkgo nut in duck miso

For the grilled course's kisu whiting grilled with sakato, I add egg yolk to the sakato, sandwich it between pieces of whiting, give it a wave-like…