Balance is the guiding philosophy behind the cuisine at CITABRIA ANNEX. The omakase menu is designed to nourish the body while complementing the restorative rhythm of the sauna experience. Seafood, meat and vegetables arrive directly from the producers, allowing the menu to change constantly with the day’s harvest. Because the restaurant hosts only one party each day, the chef is able to work with exceptional, rare ingredients.

A trio of amuse-bouches opens the meal: a croque monsieur made with house-cured prosciutto, a smooth puree of avocado brightened with lime and Hokkaido sea urchin set delicately in jelly. Tartare of wild Hokkaido scallops is topped with caviar. Beneath the scallops lies a subtle base of tomato jus blended with kombu water, finished with the fragrance of perfectly ripened bergamot.

A signature salad is served throughout the year, though its character shifts with the seasons. Nearly forty varieties of vegetables are arranged across the plate, each prepared according to its natural qualities. Some are lightly cooked, others served raw. Vegetable purees provide both color and dressing, creating a dish that feels vibrant yet composed.

Seafood courses reflect the restaurant’s close ties with fishermen across the country. Longtooth grouper from the Goto Islands in Nagasaki, handled with the ikejime technique to preserve its freshness, may be gently grilled over charcoal and served with seasonal rapeseed blossoms and surf clam. The sauce blends a reduction of the clams with the subtle bitterness of rapeseed blossom puree.

For the meat dish, Baba often prepares Hokkaido-raised Chara lamb, using both loin and belly to offer different textures. Each cut is cooked according to its character before being served with sautéed green asparagus and a light scattering of Gruyère cheese. On other occasions, lamb may be finished with a traditional straw-smoking technique. The meat is placed in a pot and straw briefly ignited, allowing the smoke to perfume the dish before it reaches the table.

The final rice course changes with the seasons. In spring, guests may enjoy a memorable kuma-nabe hotpot, featuring Asiatic black bear and generous amounts of fragrant hana-sansho pepper. The meat is cooked shabu-shabu style in a broth made from pheasant stock and served alongside rice.

INGREDIENTS
Baba’s seasonal menu is shaped by close relationships with producers across Japan. Asiatic black bear is sourced from trusted hunters and carefully selected to ensure meat that is free of gaminess. Chara lamb from Shiranuka in Hokkaido is purchased by the half carcass so that each cut may be used thoughtfully.

Fish also arrives directly from the fishermen. It is not unusual for Baba to receive an early morning call with news such as, “We caught kue (longtooth grouper) today. Would you like some?” In such cases the menu naturally evolves around the day’s catch.

The prosciutto used in the amuse-bouches is made by the chef himself at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains in Yamanashi Prefecture. The rice served here is Musubi no Kami, grown in Mie Prefecture and traditionally offered as a sacred tribute to Ise Grand Shrine. Baba participates in the planting and harvest each year. He also keeps several varieties of honey for sweetness in his cuisine, rather than relying on refined sugar.