2nd Visit to Furumachi Gojo in Niigata City.
An intimate Kaiseki experience at a beautiful 7-seat counter, giving the chance to witness the craft of Gojo's young chef up close. Just like the winter course I tried during my first visit, Gojo's summer course oozes with character and makes for an outstanding dining experience all around.
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The chef is trained in soba, having learned from his parents. This pops up in different ways throughout the course, as the opener dish of soba groats & wild mushrooms in a refreshing cold dashi makes an immediate statement on the chef's skill to bring out the best of Niigata's local ingredients. Eventually, the soba theme culminates in two unforgettable closing dishes: a juwari soba served simply with a touch of salt&sudachi, and a hot soba dish with pieces of junsai shining in each bite.
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Of course, there's a lot more in between. Niigata's prized early summer fish 'Ara' makes an appearance in the best way possible, with its torched skin leading the way to ultra-soft and tasty meat. The perfectly cooked sea bass in the gentle yet impactful fish bone dashi leaves an indelible mark on the palate, while the amadai impresses as its crunchy texture is juxtaposed beautifully with the soft soba crepe wrapped around it. The chef's level of execution is unparalleled: each dish has enough impact to hold its own, while there's an overarching sense of elegance and subtlety. This is next-level Kaiseki.
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A good amount of the well established chefs, bar masters, and other craftsmen of Japan are close to retirement age. Sometimes, it's hard not to have a sense of worry if their craft could ever be carried into the next generations, and lament what may be forever lost. However, places like Furumachi Gojo show what the future of mastery in one's craft can look like for Japan: not merely a less able reproduction of what used to be, but a thoughtful interpretation standing solidly in traditional roots while taking confident steps forward towards what ought to be.
