Tokuwo treats its guests with original recipes that ride on authentic traditional techniques. Their signature suppon (soft-shell turtles) soup “is all about the freshness,” the chef says. He takes a live turtle and simmers it in a simple broth of kombu, sake and soy. Finished with some ginger juice, the bowl is served with baked mochi that adds an accent to the texture.

“By working carefully with the freshest ingredients, you can create a clear soup.”

Uzaki, vinegered eel and cucumber, adds a nice contrast to the traditional dishes and shows variety in the chef’s skills. Unlike the typical salad that sits in the marinade, his recipe is made fresh right in front of your eyes. Charcoal-grilled eel, smokey yet soft, go beautifully with pieces of cool cucumber, flavored with Tosa vinegar and sansho peppers.

Next is guji, the Kyoto dialect for seabream. An authentic local delicacy, the head is grilled over charcoal with the skin so perfectly crisp and the meat inside so soft and moist. Instead of fuki, Japanese butterbur, the side dish is sauteed celery. Flavored in dark soy, the unusual combination is a pleasant surprise to many.

The platter of sashimi is a beautiful assortment of colors, textures and flavors. Selecting only the freshest seasonal catches, the day’s picks included seabream, fatty tuna, squid, white shrimp, sea eel and torigai clams.

The soup of the day is hamo (pike conger), a Kyoto summer classic. The bowl of warm broth is a product of true craftsmanship. The fish, which has many small bones, is sliced up using a special knife without cutting into the skin. The meat is then dusted with kuzu starch and gently boiled for that smooth texture. The ring of yuzu citrus skin on top adds a refreshing finish.

The round Kamo eggplant, a local favorite, is draped with thick ground meat sauce. First fried and then simmered in dashi broth, the eggland is tender and creamy. Every dish contributes to building a deeper appreciation for the season that surrounds you. Delicate, subtle yet profound, Tokuwo’s other repertoires bring about the best flavors of the season such as shabu shabu of hamo and matsutake mushroom, Matsuba crab, simmered bamboo shoots and grilled smelt.

INGREDIENTS
Using honkarebushi bonito flakes from Makuraki and kombu from Rishiri, Tokuwo’s dashi broth is elegant and smooth. Only careful work and highest quality ingredients can make this kind of dashi possible. The chef makes daily trips to the central market and returns with a truck full of fresh finds. He wants to see with his own eyes on the selection and quality of the produce. Not limited to local grown, he seeks for the tastiest seasonal foods from across the country.