Chef Seiji Yamamoto is fond of dragons. The walls of his restaurant and the 400-year old presentation plates are all adorned with these mythical creatures. Even the restaurant’s name, ryugin, means “singing dragon”, while Nihonryori translates as “Japanese cuisine”.
Three Michelin star Nihonryori RyuGin (7-17-24 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo; tel.03-3423-8006) specializes in kaiseki, a cooking art which originated in Kyoto centuries ago and which is now widely practised not only in Japan but also by contemporary chefs all around the world.
If top European and American restaurants look more and more to the East to draw some of their inspiration (nowadays so popular tasting menus or omakases could be just one example), the opposite is also true: cooking styles in the East tend to get closer to the West.
Seiji Yamamoto takes some innovative liberties with the ancient – and quite strict – kaseiki codes creating a unique dining experience where the taste of the dishes is put on the same level as the beauty…
