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When I think of classic Kaiseki I think of Kyoto. However there are for me two places not in Kyoto which are at least as good as the top Kaiseki places in Kyoto. Kataori in Kanazawa and Hijikata in Nagoya. (I am sure there are more, but I have not been to them).
Another fall menu with seasonal flavors, Matsutake and chestnuts. The precision of the cooking and the restraint in flavoring is always astonishing.
The ise ebi (Japanese spiny lobster; 伊勢蝦) was barely cooked and served with a sauce of the liver and other inner parts. A great combination. The sashimi course was tai and ika. Great chewiness in the tai and immense sweetness in the ika. The Matsutake was just grilled gently and served with a little bit of salt. One needs to be very confident to restrain oneself to not add something to this. It wasn’t needed it worked by itself. The main was another variation of the fall them. A shabushabu pot. One was asked to put a roll of wagyu, finely sliced and filled with thinly sliced Matsutake, for 15 seconds into the fragrant dashi and then turn it around for another 15 seconds. Unbelievable!
As always at Hijikata, one gets to eat two variations of the rice, this time it was, of course, Matsutake and Kuri (chestnuts). Very different but equally tasty.
It is so hard to get a reservation there, you basically have to be there to make one. The lady manages using an old fashioned diary book. Every one of the regulars books when they leave. There will be never an opening. So beg your friends who have booking rights to take you there.
10 / 10
