Hiroshima

Chisou Sottakuito

Name: Chisou Sottakuito
Address: 〒730-0043 Hiroshima, 広島市中区Naka Ward, Fujimicho, 5−1, Hiroshima, Hiroshima
Telephone: NA
Price range: ¥36,500

馳走　啐啄一十

Dressed in a kimono with the sleeves neatly tied up, Chef Hisama Hirano stands behind his counter at Chisou Sottakuito to serve a heartfelt meal that reflects his deep appreciation for the Japanese approach. Drawn to the purity of Hiroshima’s spring water, he builds his menu on dashi, the essence of Japanese flavors. Paired with an excellent sake menu, the result is a memorable omakase where every dish highlights the region’s seasonal ingredients, infused with rich and fragrant umami.

A short car ride from Hiroshima Station, the restaurant stands on a quiet street corner, marked by a nameplate inscribed in calligraphy by Hirano himself. Inside, a beautiful wooden counter stretches across the room, set with just nine seats. A charcoal grill is set up within arm’s reach, allowing guests to enjoy the crackling and aroma of the embers as they wait for the meal.

The name, Chisou Sottakuito, weaves together Hirano’s philosophy about hospitality. Borrowing from Zen expressions, Chisou refers to the act of seeking out exceptional ingredients far and wide for one’s guests. Sottaku describes the moment when a chick is hatching out of its egg, which Hirano sees as a metaphor for his encounter with his guests, and also with his apprentices. He, together with his English-speaking team, is committed to serving every guest with great attention.

The experienced sommelier, Rie Kimura, curates an exceptional sake menu that complements the chef’s seasonal cuisine. Highlighting the work of local breweries such as Enoki, Morikawa and Miwa, she leans towards junmai bottles that are rich and savory. She treats sake as a living product by aging unpasteurized bottles or blending them to create new flavors. She also offers a separate menu devoted entirely to Aramasa Brewery, a cult favorite among sake connoisseurs.

“By mixing the flavors of dashi and sake together in your mouth, the umami becomes even more pronounced,” she says.

A foundation of dashi

Hirano’s refined cuisine rests on a foundation of dashi. He draws from three distinct stocks which he prepares and tailors to each dish. The first is a classic broth of bonito and kombu; the second is made of Rishiri kombu and tuna; the third uses ma-kombu with a blend of dried bonito flakes. Each dashi has its own unique characteristics and usage.

The simmered abalone is a signature dish here, cooked gently for flavor and texture. Caught off the Seto Inland Sea, the shellfish is cooked for more than five hours until the meat is tender and yielding, and served with a rich liver sauce of egg yolk and red sea urchin.

The day’s soup is a clear broth of stonefish with freshly-picked matsutake mushrooms; the delicate fragrance infusing in the bowl. White horsehead is first grilled and then bathed in dashi. The sashimi platter offers fresh catches from nearby waters, with the leftover trimmings used to flavor the porridge.

For the grilled dish, Hirano selects fatty akamutsu, or blackthroat seaperch, from Yamaguchi Prefecture. Cooked over hot binchotan charcoal, the fish is served with stir-fried cabbage infused with dashi. As it cooks, the fat from the fish seeps into the cabbage, making every bite deeply flavorful. The shabu-shabu features gorgeous Takamori wagyu sirloin, prepared by meat specialist, Noriaki Numamoto. The dipping broth is a complex blend of kombu and dried sardine, mackerel, bonito and flying fish, creating a rich savory base that complements the meat’s sweetness.

INGREDIENTS
Water is an integral part of Hirano’s cooking. Brought in from three different sources in Hiroshima, each kind is chosen for its unique mineral profile. Takedayama spring water, with a hardness of 7 on the scale, pairs elegantly with kombu and is also used for brewing sencha tea. Mihara spring water, with a higher hardness of 20, offers balance to certain dashi. Water from a Hiroshima sake brewery, with a hardness of 60, is used for cooking rice, giving the grains their definition and perfect gloss.

Fresh seasonal fish comes directly from Naoki Maeda of Sasue Maeda Fish Shop in Shizuoka, one of the most respected fishmongers among top chefs. In order to access the best local catches and deliver them quickly, Maeda works closely with a Hiroshima-based supplier to prepare the selection for Hirano’s restaurant.

For meat, the chef turns to Noriaki Numamoto who has the expertise and access to some of Japan’s best producers. For Hirano, he sources Takamori wagyu from Yamaguchi Prefecture, a rare breed with only ten cattle shipped each month. These cows are raised on Dassai sake lees, which helps develop fine marbling and a low melting point.

A dish from the cuisine at Chisou Sottakuito: A foundation of dashi #2

CHEF

Hisama Hirano

Born in Ehime Prefecture in 1960, Hisama Hirano grew up watching his mother who was a teacher of tea ceremony and flower arrangement. Immersed in Japanese culture from a young age, he was moved when he discovered the works of Kitaoji Rosanjin, whose artistic approach to food proved a turning point. After attending culinary school, he officially began his training at Manshige, a renowned kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto.

At just the age of 25, he opened Shokuraku Hirano, a kaiseki restaurant in Matsuyama City. Once it was up and running, he passed over the reins and decided to venture abroad, teaching sushi making in Australia. Upon returning to Japan, he launched a lobster restaurant, serving a full course menu at a reasonable price. The restaurant was an immediate hit. He went on to design bento boxes for convenience stores, concepts for large-dish meals and restaurants with live jazz. These early successes were driven by his ambition to experiment.

In 1990, he moved to Tokyo and worked as a private chef, branching into ventures such as street food stall village, home weddings and members-only restaurants hidden in residential buildings. His work in promoting kaiseki and traditional regional cuisine earned him recognition from the Prime Minister. In 1992, he opened Hirano in Kamakura, serving only one group per day with a stunning dining room overlooking a panorama of cherry blossoms. He later launched Hisama in Nishi-Azabu which offered exclusive cooking classes. He quickly became a familiar figure on television and magazines, building a devoted following, especially among housewives.

After investing years in various projects, Hirano decided to return to the kitchen, focusing on where his culinary passion began. Choosing Hiroshima as his new base, he opened Chisou Sottakuito to commit to his craft and serve every meal there as head chef.

VISION
At the core of Hirano’s cuisine is the dashi, which has reached the hearts of many. A celebrated American chef from Arizona, was so moved by the meal at Chisou Sottakuito that he spread the word about the restaurant at home, and a wave of guests from Arizona began making the pilgrimage. Visitors have since arrived from various countries such as Sweden and Israel. He hopes more people from around the world can come and enjoy his cuisine.

His great influence extends to his apprentices as well. His son, Katsushi Hirano, runs Wagyu Lab K, a popular yakiniku restaurant specializing in Sakakiyama beef. Another protégé owns Chisou Nishi Kenichi, a French restaurant in Shizuoka.

SENCHA TEA

The closing act of the meal is entrusted to sommelier Rie Kimura, who meticulously prepares sencha tea for each guest. Adapting traditions of the senchado tea ceremony, she prepares two brews. The first is made with Takedayama spring water, steeped at a temperature just above freezing, creating a thicker liquid with great umami. After sweets are served, she prepares the second brew, made using warmer water heated over the charcoal in a ryoro stove. This brew draws out the tea’s richer note. Both are presented with beautiful teaware, and the graceful manners of traditional Japanese tea service.