Ogata

At Ogata, the appeal of the kaiseki course lies in the way seasonal ingredients are allowed to speak for themselves, rather than being heavily dressed up. Diners who have tried the summer course recall the lingering transition from the gentle bitterness of ayu’s innards to the flavour of its flesh, and the charcoal aroma layered over blackened Kamo eggplant. The eggplant was described as soft and creamy, with a natural sweetness—a very different expression of summer produce from the dish that foregrounds ayu’s bitterness. Following these contrasts from one ingredient to the next is part of the pleasure of the course.

One day’s menu began with an unexpectedly sweet-vinegared rice pairing for okra sushi, followed by a soup with plum and zuiki (the stalks of taro leaves), then sashimi of hirazuki sea bass and oni-aji. Diners noted that the zuiki had absorbed the dashi, while the plum’s acidity was restrained. The sashimi, they said, let the distinct textures and fattiness of each fish come through. A memorable finish to the meal was rice cooked with guji and fresh ginger: the fish’s savoury flavour mingled with the ginger’s fragrance, bringing a satisfying note towards the end of the course. A bowl of hamo katsu-don, cold soba and a dessert of junsai with kuromitsu followed, adding further changes in texture and temperature.

Diners on another occasion remembered steamed abalone with the gentle bitterness of fukinotō (butterbur buds), as well as an ankake dish of Taiza crab and tofu. The meal ended with daikon rice mushi, in which the cooked radish’s freshness and sweetness stood out. The dishes vary with the season, but the combinations are worth noticing: abalone paired with bitterness, or the sweetness of crab served with tofu.

Ogata serves dinner, and reservations are recommended. It is an option for an evening spent savouring each dish in a quiet setting, or for a meal built around seasonal flavours.