KASHIWAYA

HK$1800 per person

8/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central, Hong Kong

TEL: +852 2520 5218 www.jp-kashiwaya.com/ hongkong

To dine at Kashiwaya Hong Kong is to taste the seasons of Japan, especially Kansai, the region where the original three-Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant is based. Whichever of the three menus you choose, you’re offered ingredients at their peak, flown in directly and worked on meticulously and with incredible skill and creativity. In autumn, you might find the likes of mackerel pike, gingko nuts and baby taro, the latter simply and perfectly steamed, skin on, to be eaten by hand – the skin simply falls off at the slightest touch. Kaiseki is often misinterpreted as a formal, rigid style of dining, bound by immutable tradition, but Kashiwaya shows that one can respect the traditions – for instance, the ordering of courses – without being encumbered by them. Diners are encouraged to touch, smell and admire the abundance of sensory experiences nature brings, and, if you sit at the counter, you have the additional pleasure of witnessing chef Atsushi Takahashi diligently, joyfully putting those ingredients together. While wines are available, the sake list is much more interesting, often featuring seasonal limited releases, in addition to established favourites.

Kashiwaya presents highly accomplished kaiseki cooking