Chisou Sottaku Ichi Ju (馳走 啐啄一十 ) Hiroshima

▪️Chisou Sottakuito - Hiroshima City
▪️Kaiseki (Dinner course with sake pairing: ¥33000)

Through the interplay of peerless craftsmanship and unwavering focus on ingredient quality, local and microseasonal delicacies of Hiroshima are rendered into unforgettable dishes at Chisou Sottakuito.
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The first dish says it all. The clear dashi made with soft Hiroshima water blends in with the beautiful lacquerware, and green watershields called Junsai adorn the white okoze fish as if they were gracefully suspended mid-air. While I silently adore the aesthetics of this dish, the chef proceeds to tell me about how it is now the peak season of junsai in Hiroshima. They are served at their best to showcase their unique viscous texture which is revered by the Japanese.
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This is the height of Washoku: a dish made to appreciate the subtle difference of texture a few days may bring to a prized local ingredient.
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The course continues in the path set by the first dish. A massive scallop-like tairagai is hand-plucked in front of us in an effort to retain its umami, the sashimi is served with a 34-year-old ponzu made from scratch by the chef, a piece of mackerel is explained to have a remarkably soft taste because it fed on nothing else but sakura-ebi shrimps... Minute details in each dish display the chef's fantastical level of skill and obsession for his craft.
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But nothing illustrates the quality of cooking here better than the dashi - the feather in Sottakuito's cap. Several different dashi are featured in the course. Perhaps most impressive one is behind the takamori wagyu dish - a broth prepared by aged rishiri konbu and 4 kinds of dried fish. The depth of flavor with the added umami from the wagyu is astounding.
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The sake pairing from @riepyonosake features very rare bottles, some nama and aged ones. The aged sake she brought for the final dish of rice with summer truffles was made for one of the best pairings I've experienced, as the sake's almost cacao-like nutty flavors blended beautifully with the fragrant truffles.
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If it is not clear by now, I would wholeheartedly recommend Chisou Sottakuito for a kaiseki experience worth traveling for. Less