Not a menu in sight, your meal is entirely in the hands of Chef Yamagami who showcases the appeal of Japanese cuisine in his ‘omakase’ course. Ten dishes served in varied tempo convey the shifting of the seasons, and with ingredients changing each month, you will find it hard to resist regular visits to taste what the next season has in store for you.

Yamagami’s wanmono lidded bowl dish is a work of art with visual appeal matched by incredible aromas and flavors. Kegani hairy crab, an early summer delicacy, fills you with sumptuous flavor in the form of a dumpling, plumply taking its place in a dashi broth of carefully harvested Rishiri kombu from Hokkaido and freshly shaved bonito flakes. It has that deeply comforting flavor that prompts you to take deeper breaths, lean back and relax. It is simply garnished with wisps of leek and green yuzu, served in a stunning lacquerware bowl decorated inside with the seasonal flower irises.

The knifework on the very bony hamo pike conger eel is exquisite. The flesh has been blanched and served inside a dish fashioned from lotus leaves, topped with a mild vinegar gelée and picked plum purée. The chargrilled nodoguro black-throated sea perch may look simple, but such plump, succulent flesh is not possible without a highly skilled hand. Kamonasu eggplant has been deep-fried and simmered in rich, flavorful dashi, accented by young sansho shoots. And in a menu only available from June to the start of autumn, unagi eel is dipped in a refreshing sauce before being grilled over charcoals and finished with just a sprinkling of spicy sansho.

The course also pays homage to Chef Suetomi by including his signature dish of grilled suppon soft-shell turtle marinated in soy sauce, sake and a secret dashi recipe. One taste of this dish and you will never forget its rich flavors. But you also find yourself pining for the new dishes introduced by Yamagami, like his handmade soba. Over time no doubt, more of his color will decorate the dishes at this wonderful eatery.

INGREDIENTS
The star of Yamagami’s signature dish, suppon soft-shell turtle, comes from Hattori Nakamura Turtle Farm, a producer in Hamanako, Shizuoka Prefecture since 1879. In summer, the turtles are smaller with more tender flesh; as autumn approaches and turns into winter, they fill out with deliciously fatty and deeply flavored flesh. Available all year, regular visits to Yamagami for this dish allow you to experience the shifting of the seasons with all five senses.

The chef prefers Awaji pike conger eel and unagi eel from Shinjiko Lake in Shimane Prefecture. His elegant alcohol selection is chosen because it pairs beautifully with his cuisine without overwhelming it. The selection is compact with just five varieties of sake, one Japanese white wine and three French white wines, but you’re bound to find the ideal match for your meal every time.