Owatari

At Owatari, part of the pleasure of kaiseki is following the changing combinations of seasonal ingredients, one dish at a time. One diner recalls an autumn course featuring kelp-cured spiny lobster with aubergine and sesame sauce. The juicy aubergine, they wrote, balanced the lobster’s savoury depth and the fragrance of sesame. A bowl of white tilefish with a smooth soup made from chrysanthemum flowers brought together the richness of the fish and the soup’s silky texture. The same course also included wild sea eel with winter melon in a chestnut sauce; the eel’s rich, almost sticky texture was complemented by the aroma of chestnut, lending the dish an autumnal note.

Another account describes fried sweetfish served with cucumber vinegar, its crisp coating balanced by a clean, tart flavour, as well as somen topped with peach and caviar. The dishes vary with the season and the visit, but the inventive combinations, which draw out each ingredient’s character, seem to be a thread running through the courses.

There is a choice to savour at the end of the meal, too. One visitor described enjoying rice topped with a raw egg made with Shizutama eggs from Ohara in three ways: first with just the yolk, then with abalone-liver soy sauce, and finally with the whole egg. The changing combinations offered a chance to appreciate both the rice and its accompaniments. On another visit, a diner worked through white rice cooked in a traditional cauldron with nameko mushrooms, spicy cod roe, eel and pickles—a tempting prospect for anyone who likes the final rice course to take centre stage. One account ends with warabi mochi and matcha, giving a sense of a meal that can be savoured through to the last bite.

A diner who asked for sake to match the food recalls enjoying both unfamiliar varieties and a favourite. Others mention enjoying conversation with the chef. For those who like to take their time over food and drink, the exchange can be part of the experience. Reservations are accepted and recommended for both lunch and dinner, so it is worth enquiring ahead.