Japanese Michelin Star chef Takeover, Oku Japanese Restaurant

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It's been a pretty exciting week in October with the arrival of a chef from a 2 Michelin Star restaurant in Japan to be precise in Kanazawa, a regional capital on main Honshu island. Chef Shinichiro Takagi, from Zeniya is a legacy from his late father. On this occasion, chef Takagi-san collaborated with Oku Japanese Restaurant to offer the experience of enjoying the dishes by Michelin Star restaurant chefs that we have often heard about in the global cuisine world.

This week I chose lunch with a 4 course set menu on Saturday. Well, even in this special chef week, Oku Restaurant still provides a regular menu for guests. Let's go straight to the menu that I tried this time starting with the appetizer, Sakizuke. It's one of the popular Kaiseki dishes which is arguably the Amuse-Bouche in France. A beautiful pan-seared tuna dish with a mixture of chili vinegar. The soft texture of tuna with fresh sour dressing and edible leaves provides a balance of taste.

Followed by Shiizikana (main course), one of the main dishes at lunch this time, Wagyu Beef Jibuni. Using quality Japanese beef, with soft and delicious fat marbling. Served with tofu, watercress, carrots, and shitake mushrooms. Then combined with a thick sauce, this Jibuni technique is one of the traditional food styles in Kanazawa, Japan. Complete with wasabi stirred into the sauce gives a different sensation.

The next dish is Gohan (rice) with Chirashi Sushi which of course is familiar to Japanese culinary connoisseurs. For this dish, it is quite common and indeed the sashimi ingredients used are the key to this dish. Consists of several fish such as salmon, maguro, hamachi, and shimaji. I think the dish doesn't need much explanation, good quality sashimi, and the right cut. What is interesting about this dish is complete with Tamago which has a smooth texture, and a sweet and savory taste.

The final dish was dessert with Purple Sweet Potato Mont Blanc. A dish with a fairly simple taste, the sweet taste of sweet potato with the shape of noodles swirling soft cream inside, complete with silver leaf on top. Balanced sweetness blends perfectly when enjoyed together.

Every dish that I tried this time really gave me the experience of enjoying traditional Japanese food with a touch of modern presentation. Chef Takagi, he also provides several modern innovations in his cuisine, following the current culinary era that continues to develop. However, it still retains the traditional taste which is the root of the dish.

Yovent, a full-time content writer and social media influencer who loves to travel overseas with high passion and enthusiasm to explore the world of gourmand. Living in Jakarta with the diversity of cultures, foods, trends, and lifestyles gives him much inspiration to create the stories. Blogging since 2014, with more than 5 years of experience, he has a good capacity to work in food writing & photography.

Chef Shinichiro Takagi x OKU Japanese Restaurant,

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