On Kaiseki Dining: The most beautiful meal of my life.

One of my most memorable dining experiences has to be the Kaiseki dinner I had whilst staying in Suwa. Nagano.  We were lucky enough to be arranged a night’s stay at a traditional Onsen hotel, that included a stunning Kaiseki dinner.

My expectations were cloud-9-high already since the most beautiful food book in my collection is one called Kaiseki, a stunning book of photographs documenting a year in a Kyoto restaurant called Kikunoi, written by its owner Yoshiro Murata with forewords by Ferran Adria and Matsuhisa Nobu.  The presentation blew my mind.

The table setting was just exquisite! the daintiest crockery filled with delicate morsels, as if the dishes had been plated by tiny fluttering angels.

Everything we ate was local and seasonal; the Japanese way. Below was some locally caught sashimi and seafood.

Kaiseki is named after the traditional meal that is for the Japanese (and many renowned chefs around the world –  the absolute pinnacle of cuisine.  This was more than a meal, it was pure art. Super refined; a multi-course of visual and gastronomic pleasure.

Some wonderfully light miso soup with local clams:

Invented in Kyoto in the 14th Century, Kaiseki dining began its life as as accompaniment to tea ceremonies for royalty and noblemen..but has evolved over time to become 9 courses to be eaten at prestigious private restaurants that one might pay tens of thousands of yen for.  While I was only able to try it in the Onsen hotel in Nagoya, I am told that Kyoto’s finest Kaiseki restaurants are actually in ancient wooden rooms, surrounded by incredible gardens and views. For the real deal, the room in which you enjoy the Kaiseki are filled with ancient wall hangings and the ceramics used in the meal are often antique lacquerware and porcelain that may be many hundreds of years old.

The colours and textures of every tiny dish was so delicate, so many flavours. From tiny cubes of tofu with a slow roasted cherry tomato on top, to pickled plums and tiny caramelised fishes.

Vegetables tempura was light as a feather and not at all greasy. Served with green tea salt.

We gently poached the pork in a soy milk, making the whole mouthfeel creamy and succulent.

A surprise dish was this roast pepper gazpacho-style soup which was so sweet and pure, it made me question the French way I have been making soups for years!

Breakfast was a  similar stunning affair: grilled fish, soy milk poached eggs, lots of small bowls of pickled vegetables with varying degrees of crunch. Seaweed, agar jelly, gluten rings.. not the breakfast norms we are used to but I happily dug in encouraged by the locals’ explanations for how good each dish was for me/my skin/my health etc!

Poached egg and soy milk with soy sauce and onions; silky smooth and full of protein to start the day.

It felt a little early in the day for fish..but I tried it anyway!

And of course, some more miso soup!

The food aside, the whole experience was just incredible, with the most exciting bit being allowed to wear a Yukata for dinner!

Here’s me with our charning and highly knowledgeable waitress:

and staying in a traditional room was so much fun! The novelty of Tatami mats and sliding doors was enough to make me squeal.

I am absolutely desperate to visit Kyoto now to try the original Kaiseki meal. Research has shown me that the best ones are debilitatingly expensive and some even have a ‘no foreigners policy’.  The style of the most authentic Kaiseki is usually cold and raw dishes, so what we enjoyed was actually a more modern interpretation of Kaiseki. I must try the real thing!  It’s enough to make me book a ticket to Kyoto right now.

Related articles

• Kaiseki Ryori a Traditional Style of Japanese Set Meal (japanesesearch.com)
• JUKO-IN & kaiseki dinner (justsitdrinktea.org)