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Fugu milt steamed in a yuzu shell, herring roe sprout roll, monkfish liver mousse

This is the appetizer course. For the fugu milt steamed in a yuzu shell, meringue and milt are combined and lightly salted. Into this we mix chia…

Cherry-blossom bamboo shoot with naruto-rolled wakame, simmered octopus, long Japanese parsley and icefish rolls, and more

For the cherry-blossom-shaped bamboo shoot with Naruto-rolled wakame, I prepared bamboo shoots shaped and colored like cherry blossoms, alongside…

Bamboo celtuce egg-yolk sushi, monkfish liver in aspic, sea bream ball, and more

Let me start by explaining the appetizer course. For the bamboo celtuce kimi-zushi: the celtuce stem was not yet in season (this event was held on…

Nikogori on a Lotus Leaf, Lily Bulb, Steamed Abalone Grilled with Uni, Skewered on Green Bamboo, Turban Shell Liver Somen

Because I worked for a long time at a hotel, I learned how to prepare foie gras directly from the Western-cuisine chefs. Season the foie gras with…

Japanese flounder rolled with rapeseed blossoms, pond smelt grilled with sansho leaf, shrimp plum-blossom sushi, bracken fern shoots and lotus root, and lotus root three-flavor deep-fry

Pike conger, water-peony style

The soup course is pike conger mizu-botan. Mizu-botan is a season word for July, and it's also well known as a summer wagashi — white bean paste dyed…

Thin-Sliced Turnip with Sesame Vinegar Dressing

This time it's a vinegared dish, but at our restaurant we don't force one into every menu — we serve it within the appetizer, or bring it out for…

Sponge-cake fish dumpling, small sea bream and matsutake rein-twist sushi, chrysanthemum daikon roll, udo-peel kinpira bundle

For the appetizer's kasutera shinjo, raisins are reconstituted in wine beforehand so their color doesn't fade. The ingredients are combined, poured…

Wrapped and grilled in magnolia leaf

Winter Yellowtail Teriyaki, Seared Wagyu Sirloin, Vegetable Pickles

This is the grilled hassun (seasonal assortment course). Winter yellowtail teriyaki is usually grilled with a soy-based tare sauce, but this time I…

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…

Tilefish, Shinshu-style steamed

Sea bream salt-fermented; whiting tossed with masago; small sea bream sushi with egg-yolk vinegar; Kakinomoto chrysanthemum; smoked salmon kinuta-maki; yam bulbils salt-steamed

These are the appetizers. For the sea bream shiokara: live shrimp are quickly rinsed just enough to remove any scum, arranged alternately with udo…

Snow-flower grilled splendid alfonsino, pinecone-grilled small abalone, yuzu-shell cup with first-frost salad

For the grilled course, the pinecone-grilled small abalone is scored in a fawn-spot diamond pattern with a knife, then simmered gently — basting it…

Pike conger in a rippling-water presentation

Egg Yolk Salmon Roll

For the mustard vinegar, combine one part sweet mirin vinegar with two parts kombu dashi, add an appropriate amount of Japanese mustard, and finish…

Pufferfish sushi, fermented crucian-carp sushi, Shirakawa sea bream grilled with bottarga, beef loin marinated in miso, king crab grilled with aromatics, assorted crackers with dried sea-cucumber ovary, bur-shaped deep-fried chestnut with its inner skin, small sea bream in a chrysanthemum-style sweet-vinegar marinade

For the hors d'oeuvre tray course, I had in mind an outing box lunch for this season — a 'slightly luxurious bento,' say, for maple-leaf viewing —…

Milt tofu

The shirako tofu for the clear-soup course is made by stretching the shirako with just enough surimi that its aroma is not lost. On top of the…

Beltfish nanban roll, deep-fried; quail dumpling and potato, deep-fried; yam bulbil, nori-wrapped and fried

The fried course's basket somen is made by gathering somen noodles into a basket shape and deep-frying them plain (su-age).

Seared autumn sea bream pressed sushi, sweet-vinegar red turnip pickle, lily bulb autumn-foliage mound, "dead-wood" burdock, sudachi-shell cup with salted fish and jelly, lotus root with sea cucumber entrails, oyster fish-paste dumpling, ginkgo nuts on pine-needle skewers

Barracuda grilled with rapeseed blossom, avocado baked in the shell

For the grilled course's avocado kama-yaki, béchamel and avocado are placed into the avocado's own shell (used as the kama, or pot) and baked. This…

Fat greenling, kuzu-dusted

The soup-bowl course, fat greenling kuzu-dusted, which I have annotated as 'Spring Waves,' involves finely cross-cutting the fat greenling to sever…

Spiny lobster with karasumi, Spanish mackerel grilled with a white-miso and sake-lees coating

This is a hearty course. For the spiny lobster with karasumi (bottarga), spiny lobster is boiled for about 12 minutes, the meat removed, seared in…

Alfonsino and shrimp fragrant grill, fat greenling Yoshino-style grill

This is a grilled course. For the alfonsino and shrimp fragrant grill: alfonsino stays tender and plump even when grilled, but I wanted some crackle…