The omakase, served for lunch and dinner, offers a carousel of fresh seasonal flavors. The meal typically begins with a few light appetizers, followed by a dozen tempura courses and a hearty dish of kakiage over rice or chazuke. The tempura portion is served in a delicious sequence that alternates between seafood and vegetables. With an exceptionally light batter, guests enjoy the meal until the very end.

The kuruma prawn tempura is a signature dish here. The heads are first fried at low temperature until crisp, then one body is cooked rare, and the next more well done, offering a comparison of different textures. Butterbur sprouts, with their crisp bitterness, are a seasonal treat in the spring. Kisu, or Japanese whiting, is sweet and delicate, while fried conger eel, served with clay pot rice, offers great richness.

The tempura batter is made from free-range eggs from Hyogo Prefecture and chilled mineral water from Nose. Wheat flour is incorporated differently for each ingredient, and even the airiness of the batter is modulated. The frying oil is a delicate blend of two sesame oils, replaced up to three times during the meal to keep the flavor light and clean.

With each course served immediately while hot and crisp, guests are encouraged to savor the tempura with no sauce first, unless recommended. A pinch of Andean rock salt or Amakusa salt will help bring out the ingredient’s natural flavor, the chef explains. The closing kakiage, made with a mix of prawns, kobashira and mitsuba, is deeply satisfying, whether served over rice or steeped in tea.

INGREDIENTS
Numata sources his ingredients with discernment, building close relationships with producers and wholesalers across Japan. Special ingredients shift with the seasons—scallops and kasugo in spring, abalone and sweetfish in summer, grouper in autumn and cod milt in winter. Kuruma prawns, white tilefish and grouper are delivered directly from the chef’s hometown of Amakusa.

In addition to sake, beer, shochu, champagne and a wine list of rare vintages, the non-alcoholic offerings include a selection of Chinese, Taiwanese and Japanese teas, as well as homemade ginger ale. Champagne and wine are available by the glass or bottle, allowing guests to enjoy pairings that suit their liking.