Ohama selects seasonal produce from across Japan with a careful and practiced eye. Delivered to be enjoyed at their peak, they are prepared directly at the counter and served at the precise moment they taste their best.

The omakase opens with delicate seasonal flavors. Hokkaido botan-ebi, or spot prawns, arrive glossy and sweet, their creamy texture accented with plum paste, a light dashi jelly, yuzu blossoms and finely grated mountain yam.

The restaurant’s signature suppon-pan is a small pastry inspired by curry bread. Beneath its crisp shell lies a velvety filling of slow-cooked soft-shelled turtle, rich and savory, a playful dish that often surprises guests.

A spring soup pairs bamboo shoots from Yamaguchi Prefecture with Naruto wakame seaweed. The dashi making begins the night before, when ma-kombu is soaked in water, then gently heated for several hours the next morning before honkarebushi bonito flakes are added. The result is a broth delicate yet aromatic, its umami lingering long after the first sip.

Wild sea bream sashimi is rested briefly to deepen its flavor and served alongside Hokkaido sea urchin. Instead of soy sauce, the fish may be dipped in a house-blended salt made from Hiroshima seaweed salt, powdered scallop adductor muscle and dried shiitake.

A silky cauliflower surinagashi, or a purée soup, is served with wild tomatoes from Kochi Prefecture. Its gentle acidity refreshes the palate. In another course, crab meat is paired with a light vinegar jelly and presented in a cut-glass dish whose facets catch the light.

Ohama, who also holds formal qualifications in confectionery, likes to center his desserts around seasonal fruits. Musk melon slices are layered over fresh melon juice and a delicate almond milk pudding, and served in an etched glass.

INGREDIENTS
Ohama approaches sourcing with the same precision he applies to cooking. Many of the ingredients that arrive in his kitchen come directly from producers with whom he has built long relationships.

From Yamaguchi Prefecture, where he spent part of his childhood, bamboo shoots arrive each spring with their roots still attached. They are delivered in what he calls their “living state,” just as they were when lifted from the earth before trimming.

From the same region he also sources seafood such as Japanese tilefish and squid. Even the pufferfish served here carries a regional connection. The fish, known as “Koufuku,” are farmed using sake lees from Dassai, a renowned sake produced in Yamaguchi.

The meat course features Tankuro-gyu from Fukushima Prefecture, a rare cross between Japanese Black and Japanese Shorthorn (Tankaku) cattle. Raised without pesticides or vaccinations, only two or three head are produced each month, accounting for roughly 0.01 percent of domestic beef production.

For rice, the chef selects an heirloom strain of Koshihikari from the Minami-Uonuma region of Niigata Prefecture. Cultivated at an altitude of around 640 meters using mountain meltwater, it represents a traditional style of rice farming. Each year he travels to the fields himself to participate in both planting and harvest.

The wakame seaweed served here is the well-known Naruto Wakame from the currents of the Naruto Strait in Tokushima Prefecture, prized for its firm texture and deep flavor. The salt served with the sashimi blends Hiroshima seaweed salt with powdered scallops and dried shiitake. Fresh wasabi arrives from Gotemba in Shizuoka Prefecture.

While domestic ingredients are central to the menu, Ohama also incorporates outstanding products from abroad. The seaweed served with the sashimi is a premium variety from Korea. The caviar is Russian, harvested by gently massaging the sturgeon to extract the eggs without hurting the fish.

“Eating is ultimately the act of receiving a life,” he says. “For that reason, I try to source ingredients from producers who show genuine care and respect for the animals and environments they cultivate.”