By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Akazuka Ryoichi, 61, master of kaiseki or the traditional multi-course Japanese dinner, is visiting Seoul to promote specialty dishes here. He is a third-generation member of a Kaiseki practicing family. Kaiseki is a form of food preparation praised in Japan for its beautiful traditional cuisine.
``The beauty of Kaiseki is you can enjoy dishes using your five different senses for tastes, flavors and colors,'' Ryoichi said at Hakone, the Grand InterContinental Seoul's Japanese restaurant. ``What's most rewarding is when you see customers fully enjoying your creations.''
Born in Fukuoka, he is one of the leading figures in kaiseki tradition. He succeeded at his family restaurant, Sinise, which his grandfather established, and is also an owner of the family business Shiratori Foods, which provides kaiseki ingredients to local restaurants in Japan.
Kaiseki is known to originate from temple dishes but it is now considered a type of art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance and colors of each dish, which is also good for health.
To offer top quality, kaiseki masters use only fresh seasonal ingredients and finished dishes are carefully presented on colorful plates that are chosen to enhance both the appearance and the seasonal theme of the meal.
``It's hard to simply define kaiseki dishes as they are all different from each region and season. But what's most important is you should be very careful in the selection of ingredients,'' he said.
Citing the recent melamine scandal in Chinese ingredients, he emphasized that the temptation to use cheap and low quality ingredients can only spoil not only the taste of the dishes but also the reputation.
Originally, kaiseki comprised of a bowl of miso soup and three side dishes. But it has evolved to include an appetizer, sashimi, a simmered dish, a grilled dish, and a steamed course, in addition to other dishes at the discretion of each chef.
While Ryoichi works as a guest chef at Hakone, he is featuring special set menus for lunch and dinner and various a la carte dishes.
The price for the two set menu's is 70,000 won for lunch and 150,000 won for dinner. A la carte choices range in price from 12,000 to 70,000 won. The promotion by the guest chef ends today.
The veteran chef said it was a pity to see the tradition dying out because of the influence of Western fast food.
``Young people seem to prefer Western food to traditional Japanese cuisine, which is pitiful. I'd like to show people how it is pleasant to enjoy the tradition,'' he said.