CRAFEAT

At CRAFEAT, every dish is a literal work of art. That’s not a sentence to be taken lightly, either. Every course at CRAFEAT is served on Wajima-nuri lacquerware, named for the Ishikawa city of the same name. A style of lacquerware that is particularly renowned for the beauty of its finish, Wajima-nuri is usually a striking shade of red or black, and often chased with delicate gold patterns. With multiple layers of lacquer required, and exclusive use of a special diatomaceous earth that can only be found in Ishikawa Prefecture, the process of creating a single Wajima-nuri utensil is intensively time-consuming and complex, with over a hundred stages involved. But the end result is something unlike any other lacquerware in Japan, or even in the world. The same could be said of the cuisine at CRAFEAT, which is as beautiful as the tableware. The confluence of warm and cold currents in the Sea of Japan off the Ishikawa coast make it uniquely privy to a staggering variety of seafood. All year round, from mountains to lowlands, the fertile climate of Ishikawa yields a cornucopia of seasonal produce. All of this comes together in CRAFEAT’s kitchen to be deftly crafted into traditional kaiseki. A kaiseki meal at CRAFEAT is the staff’s way of engaging in the act of “living preservation”, says the owner, who is a 10th-generation Wajima-nuri artisan. By partaking in a meal using Wajima-nuri lacquerware, guests help keep the tradition alive, by tangibly engaging with this historic art form.