"Dîner de la Sincérité" ~ Yu Sugimoto's "Sincérité"~ is a special dinner event produced by Yu Sugimoto, Executive Chef of the Imperial Hotel, filled with sincere respect for food.
It was originally started in 11 by Nobuo Murakami, the 1978th head chef of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, as an event where the head chef would serve food. Sugimoto took over the event in 14 when he became the 2019th head chef of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
There are even fans who look forward to this event every time, where Chef Sugimoto encounters wonderful ingredients from all over Japan and creates one-of-a-kind dishes for his guests. I was given the rare opportunity to participate in this event.
Sugimoto's motto is "Changing society with delicious food." As part of his efforts to achieve this, he travels to local areas himself, interacting with producers and discovering new ingredients. He then incorporates the passion that producers have for their ingredients into his cooking, which he says he values so that his customers can enjoy.
The theme of this year's "Sincerité" is high-quality ingredients from Kyoto Prefecture. Chef Sugimoto himself has visited Kyoto many times to prepare the dishes. "The Imperial Hotel is home to a wealth of wonderful ingredients, but getting out of the kitchen and actually visiting the producing areas and discovering new ingredients is an extremely important experience for a chef," he said.
Chef Sugimoto has selected ingredients from Kyoto Prefecture. Kyoto is a treasure trove of rich ingredients. This time, he has gathered the bounty of Kyoto's sea and mountains, including Tango sea bream, Miyama sweetfish, Manganji sweet pepper, and Kamo eggplant.
This time, Chef Sugimoto has carefully selected ingredients from Kyoto Prefecture, including Manganji sweet peppers, Kamo eggplant, sweetfish, conger eel, Tango sea bream, and Uji matcha. He has also carefully selected wines and sake from Kyoto to pair with the dishes. What kind of dish will Chef Sugimoto transform with his skills and unique ideas?
A delicious course meal born from Chef Sugimoto's respect for ingredients
The collaboration with Kyoto had already begun with the menu placed on the table. When the sleeve was gently removed, the menu was found inside a cover made of Kurotani washi paper, which had been selected for this occasion. Kurotani washi paper is thick and has a unique, pleasant texture, and is so excellent that it can even be used as a book cover for a paperback book.
Chef Sugimoto served us an amuse-bouche. Chef Sugimoto, the Imperial Hotel's executive chef, came to our table in person. I was surprised at how close he was. Apparently, the idea behind "Sincerité" was born from the desire to serve Chef Sugimoto's food directly to guests, not in a banquet hall but in a restaurant, so that he could enjoy it while chatting with them. Chef Sugimoto's quick and well-paced explanations only heightened our expectations.
"Sweetfish and Early Summer Vegetable Tartlet with Oscietra Caviar" is a delightful dish with a light and crispy texture of the tart and Miyama River sweetfish beignet. The sweetfish of Kyoto's Miyama River are raised in clear streams, which gives them firm flesh and a distinctive fragrance and delicate flavor. They grow up eating algae, which gives them a subtle fragrant aroma.
"Hamo charcoal-cut, mushroom miso-tage and black truffle-flavored consommé soup." Charcoal-cutting is a Japanese cooking technique in which the conger eel is cooked by placing the skin side over charcoal. The aroma of charcoal and black truffle spread throughout the dish, allowing me to discover a new taste of conger eel.
"Blue lobster, shrimp Navarin and cognac flambé, Manganji sweet pepper tricolor zebra pepper." Manganji sweet peppers are really long! Their shape makes a big impact. Chef Sugimoto said, "When I saw Manganji sweet peppers, I wanted to express their potential as it is." That's why he made use of their attractive appearance. The lobster and the refreshing Manganji sweet peppers are a perfect match.
"Grilled Sweet Snapper with Crispy Scales and a Modern White Wine Butter Sauce." This dish features red tilefish, known as "guji" in Kyoto. The crispy grilled skin of the guji coats the white butter sauce perfectly. The texture, aroma, and smooth sauce create a rich flavor. The "Tango Guji" used in this dish is a brand fish that is caught by longline fishing and shipped at a high level of freshness under strict quality control. In 24, it was certified as a "Kyoto Brand Product."
"Kamo eggplant with aitchbone misonade and prosciutto beef ham in vitello tonnato sauce." Kamo eggplant is a representative of "Kyoto's traditional vegetables." It is said to be known as the "Queen of Eggplants" due to its size and meaty texture. Kamo eggplant is soft and fluffy, and its unique sweetness goes perfectly with the aitchbone.
"Kyotanba Japanese Venison Loin Caillette with Black Pepper Jus." The game meat is venison. Kyotanba venison is minced and formed into balls, then wrapped in a mesh grater and grilled. The flavor of the game meat is concentrated. The venison is procured from "Kaniku no Kakiuchi," a specialty store that provides venison with excellent hygiene and quality, and is the first to receive "Domestic Game Certification."
"Venison brioche" was served alongside "Loin caillette with black pepper jus." Brioche filled with minced venison! This dish allows you to enjoy the sweetness of the brioche and the juicy venison.
Chef Sugimoto begins preparing dessert. He apparently received lessons from a tea ceremony teacher in preparation for this dessert. The matcha that Chef Sugimoto is using is from Maruri Yoshida Meichaen, a long-established tea plantation in the Kokura district of Uji City that has been in business for 16 generations.
Chef Sugimoto prepared the "Maruri Yoshida Meichaen Matcha Uji Tartlet with Koicha Affogato and Chamomile Ice Cream" right in front of us. The tartlet was flavored with Maruri Yoshida Meichaen's high-quality matcha and the chamomile ice cream was a wonderful combination. The chamomile ice cream was a memorable taste.
The pairings, which mainly feature Kyoto produce, are unique and go perfectly with the food.
With the exception of the champagne, the pairing lineup is entirely made in Kyoto. From the right: Kyoto Uji Gyokuro Gyokuto, Palmer & Co. Blanc de Blancs, Kankura Junmai Unfiltered Undiluted Namazake Clear, Kyoto Tamba Pinot Blanc Sur Lies 2023, Kyoto Tamba Tana 2020, and Toki no TEA Kyoto Gin.
Experience Executive Chef Sugimoto's passion for cooking
This time's "Dîner de la Sincérité" ~ Sugimoto Yu's "Sincérité" ~ was a chance to feel Chef Sugimoto's insatiable interest and pursuit of ingredients, as well as his passion.
Guests enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime meal at their own tables. They have the joy of witnessing the moment when the various Kyoto ingredients selected by Chef Sugimoto are transformed into this single dish. As the course progresses, guests interact with Chef Sugimoto, learning about the history of the ingredients and his ideas for the dishes. This was a rare experience, learning about Kyoto ingredients and experiencing the land and the lives of its people through the food.
This was only possible thanks to the high level of the service staff, including Chef Sugimoto, who were attentive to every table and provided both friendly and flawless service.
Kyoto Prefecture is a long, narrow prefecture stretching from north to south, and is divided into five regions, including Kyoto City, Yamashiro, Nantan, Chutan, and Tango. It's a land rich in ingredients, blessed by the sea and mountains. It was a wonderful evening, as I was amazed by Chef Sugimoto's ideas for each dish, and captivated by the passion of the entire staff, as they transformed Kyoto's ingredients into delicious dishes.
Chisa Nakajima
Daili, aka Editor N, is the editor-in-chief of Premium Japan. He loves watching Japanese movies from the 1950s and 60s and drinking wine. He's a bit of an otaku whose hobby is collecting postwar women's magazines.
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