MARI KATSUMURA,

executive chef of Yugen

One of my favourite dining experiences was at Hyotei restaurant in Kyoto, Japan. We were lucky enough to snag a spot for their breakfast kaiseki-style menu. Hyotei is one of Kyoto’s oldest and most famous restaurants that opened over 400 years ago as a teahouse to serve pilgrims on their way to the nanzenji temple. The ambience is incredibly transcendental and calming. There are rows of individual tea houses that overlook a beautifully manicured zen garden with a pond. You have a designated server, a woman in traditional kimono who delivers all your courses to your private tatami room. Sipping hot tea and enjoying a beautifully prepared kaiseki meal in nature is the epitome of romanticism for me.