Chuka Takase offers only one omakase menu featuring courses that change depending on the season or the market conditions of the day. The omakase dining experience will take approximately two and a half hours, and each course packed with the flavors of “Takase’s World.”

At Chuka Takase, you can savor high-end dried ingredients often used in Chinese cuisine such as shark’s fins, sea cucumbers and swallow’s nests, but also you can also enjoy Japanese fish and seafood such as Tonsen-hata (star grouper or leopard coral trout). This fish has delicious white-flesh that is also highly regarded also in Cantonese cuisine. Freshly steamed Tonsen-hata is one of his signature dishes, served with ginger, spring onions, and a flavorful fish sauce made with fermented tuna.

His way of dressing unagi eel is very unique. He first removes the rib bone, hangs the eel, and flips the flesh inside out. He only uses large eels weighing more than 500 grams. His grilled eel has an extra crispy exterior and exceedingly tender flesh. The dish is often served along with a sauce that has irresistible flavors of sweetened soy sauce and Sichuan peppercorns.

You may notice that he uses a sauce called “JXO jiang”, instead of using Chinese-style XO Jiang. The letter “J” stands for “Japan”, and this original JXO jiang is made with Japanese ingredients such as dried scallops from Hokkaido and dried shrimp from the Seto Island Sea. It has a relatively mild taste, and he likes to use it when he wants to accentuate the flavor of a wok-sautéed dish.

Each of his dishes is quite robust in portion size, and most of the courses are like a main dish. For most dishes, he and the manager believe that a Burgundy is the best pairing, and so the list is Burgundy-centric. Additionally they offer approximately 10 types of Champagne and 10 varieties of Shaoxing wine on the list. Guests may inquire if they would like to request a beverage pairing with the menu.

INGREDIETNS
Chef Takase puts emphasis on incorporating more Japanese ingredients. He sources his fish from Toyosu Market, but he also purchases fish directly from fishermen in Hokkaido, Tokushima, Yamaguchi, or Okinawa. His black abalones come from Yamaguchi, and his Tosei-hata come from Okinawa.

High-end Chinese restaurants in Japan typically use Japanese vegetables, meat, and fish yet use Chinese seasonings and sauces. However, Takase wanted to make his own seasonings and sauces using Japanese ingredients, like his famous “JXO jiang.”