Tokyo

Kappo Muroi

割烹　室井

Learning from the old to seek the new. Inheriting his father’s restaurant, Chef Go Muroi’s menu at the renewed Kappou Muroi incorporates his own unique approach to traditional Japanese cuisine. Using selective ingredients from Okinawa soft-shell turtle to charcoal-grilled eel, his seasonal dishes have impressed gourmands, adding to the excitement for his future potential.

Reopened at its new location in Nishi Azabu in 2023, Kappou Muroi is a find for those looking for an exclusive and sophisticated experience. Chef Go Muroi, the son of the previous owner, comes with years of top-level training, having learned at renowned kitchens such as Kichisen, Yamazaki and Michelin-star Nihonryori RyuGin.

Situated on a quiet corner in a residential neighborhood, the restaurant with its tasteful Japanese entrance has a warm and inviting feel. The wooden interior is softly lit, with a long counter, made of a single plank of hinoki wood, stretching across the room. There’s space for only 8 guests to enjoy the special evening.

The dining room is set with beautiful details of Japanese craftsmanship such as the fusuma sliding doors behind the counter and the lacquered oshiki trays, made by woodcraft artist Shingo Tsukuda. The traditional flower arrangement is put together by the chef himself.

As the guests start arriving, Muroi stands behind the counter and swiftly moves his hands back and forth to make a fresh batch of shaved bonito flakes. As the subtle aroma of the fish fills the air, he gives a warm welcome as he explains the day’s omakase menu.

Unique approach to traditional Japanese cuisine

The seasonal omakase menu is made up of about 10 or 11 courses, each contributing to the tempo of the entire meal. The evening is curated for guests to enjoy the contrast between subtle flavors such as steam vegetables and more bold ones like eel.

When asked about his philosophy behind his cooking, Muroi says that a dish should be like “a slice of the most incredible moment.” It’s about elements like the aroma, temperature and texture that make seasonal ingredients taste their best, he says.

To start, Muroi carefully prepares a mouthful of rice. The dish, called niebana or cooked flower, is sweet and flavorful rice that is cooked al dente. Served with cod milt and salted mullet roe, the grains unleash a deep flavor.

Ebi-shinjo shrimp balls bathe in a warm broth. The chunks of shrimp are plump and sweet. Steamed radish with kombu seaweed is also full of flavor. The broth is made of clams and topped with ginger.

Fried Okinawa soft-shell turtle is juicy and tender. The marinated meat is fried with rice flour coating until crisp and golden brown.

Mastering the technique he learned at Yamazaki, the eel is grilled over kishu binchotan charcoal. Dabbed with the sweet sauce, the skin crispens up over the strong heat, allowing it to get rid of the extra fat. The fish is served with ground sesame and vinegared shungiku greens.

Cooked over straw, blackthroat seaperch offers two flavors with the soft meat and the crispy blackened skin. The fish is tender after being marinated in shio-koji, a fermented salty marinade.

INGREDIENTS
Muroi sources many of the ingredients directly from selective vendors. When it comes to making the broth, the quality of the ingredients is the most important, he says. The dried kombu seaweed, used to make the broth, comes from Okuikaiseido in Fukui Prefecture. He likes to use a blend of Rishiri kombu and Rausu kombu. Honkarebushi, a higher grade of bonito flakes, comes from a vendor called Tenpaku in Mie Prefecture. They only use the “male” flakes, which are shaved off the back side of the block.

Even the rice is selected carefully based on the dish as they offer different flavors. The rice used for niebana, the appetizer dish, are Kimishirazu grains from Fukuoka Prefecture. The rice served at the end of the meal is a brand called Shinnosuke from Niigata Prefecture. The water used to cook the rice comes from a hot spring in Kagoshima.

CHEF

Go Muroi

Go Muroi was born in 1987 in Tokyo as a son of a Japanese chef who ran Kappou Muroi at its former location in Ginza. Growing up, he watched his father manage the private restaurant and learned about the business from an early age. He began working with his father at the age of 18 before he left the family business to learn from different chefs.

He first joined Kichisen, a famous Japanese restaurant in Kyoto. He later moved to Tokyo to train at Michelin-star Nihonryori RyuGin and Yamazaki. He returned to his father’s restaurant where the two often discussed how to evolve the cuisine to fit the changing times. Working side by side with his father, he said his focus was to learn the old ways to seek the new.

In 2023, Muroi reopened the restaurant at its current location in Nishi Azabu with his own menu.

VISION
Given the shrinking number of good talent in Japan, Muroi wants to incorporate new ideas and work styles to make sure his chefs and staff are happy. He thinks it’s important to always be rethinking his business strategy from sales to marketing. As a next step, he is eyeing opportunities abroad.

BONITO FLAKES

For Muroi, simple acts like making bonito flakes is at the core of his culinary philosophy. As he makes a fresh batch whenever new guests walk in, it reminds him of what’s important in his cooking. Only made in small quantities, the honkarebushi bonito blocks come from an old maker, Tenpaku. The flakes are aromatic and deep in flavor. The special shaver is custom-made by Shayo, an artisan in Tsubame in Niigata Prefecture. The box underneath that collects the flakes is made by craftsmen in Okadaya in Ishikawa Prefecture.