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Japanese Cuisine Zeniya
Lawrence Conley
Posted: Wed Feb 24 2010
Executive Chef Shinichiro Takagi has trained and mastered his culinary techniques in the well-known Japanese restaurant Kyoto Kicchou, located in Arashiyama, Kyoto. Kyoto Kicchou is one of Japan’s top-notch restaurants, known for its traditional kaiseki cuisine, developed in parallel with the art of tea ceremony in the 16th century, and handed down to form Japanese gastronomic culture. Having studied in the United States, Takagi is fluent in English. His cuisine is elegant and delicate, from the starting bowl of clear soup of zestful stock, seasonal fish and porridge, right down to the finishing round of powdered mattcha tea.
Also, Takagi is known for his patronage of The Real Japan Ishikawa Project Committee, which aims to bring Ishikawa’s ‘real Japan’ to the world. In February 2010, the International Luxury Lifestyle Forum 2010 was held to promote Ishikawa as a destination to luxury travellers from abroad, and hosted a talk show involving 3-star chef Alain Ducasse and the founder of the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Horst Schultze as guests. Before the talk show, Takagi showed Alain Ducasse and Horst Schulz around the Oumichou Market. Ducasse’s eye was caught by a wind instrument called a gasuebi that is a special product of Ishikawa, as well as sampleing kaneji grass and rapeseeds, which he thought were delicious.’
Owner of Zeniya, Shinichiro Takagi, comments:
‘I think that the most important element for attracting travellers from abroad to Japan is essentially the pull of local culture. In this global society what is unique and different in a culture plays inevitably a key role in capturing travellers’ minds.’
‘Crossing over generations and regional boundaries, what is sustained and remains loved over the years must be something that is, as they say, “the real thing”.’
‘Alain Ducasse was interested in local products such as the Gasuebi wind instrument, as well as rapeseeds and Kinjisou grass. To people from Ishikawa, the quality of food products is really important and this is something that they take great care with, and we want people to keep this in mind.’
‘Our customers are vitally important. We want them to be pleased and enjoy themselves in eating. My job doesn’t end until we have them come to visit our place once again.’
‘The taste of springtime in Ishikawa arrives with wild vegetables. Spring is the most powerful time of year when plants burst out in budding. We serve their energy to your palate. Cherry salmon, mountain trout and other fish in the mountain streams are also in season.’
INTERNATIONAL LUXURY LIFESTYLE FORUM 2010
Restaurant Zeniya details
2-29-7, Katamachi Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0981
Telephone +81 76 233 3331
www.zeniya.ne.jp/eng/
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