Crony

One of the peculiarities of the Japanese language is “wasei-eigo” — a phenomenon in which English words that have been adopted into Japanese take on entirely new meanings. For instance, “flying” in Japanese means “false start”, while “high tension” means “a state of excitement”. In a similar vein, the explosive success of two Michelin-starred Motoazabu restaurant Crony has resulted in a linguistic redefinition of the word “crony” in the Japanese culinary lexicon. Chef Michihiro Haruta and sommelier Kazutaka Ozawa, the joint owners of Crony, repurpose the word to mean a close friend and dining partner, to enjoy tea and conversations with. Everyone involved in the dining process — from suppliers, to staff, to diners — becomes a crony. It seems hard to believe that two men could change the definition of a word, but these are no ordinary men. Chef Haruta’s presence in a restaurant’s kitchen is a Midas touch, with his having served in the three Michelin-starred Quintessence, Ledoyen, Saison and MAAEMO in Tokyo, Paris, San Francisco and Norway respectively. Sommelier Ozawa, meanwhile, is one of the foremost wine experts in Japan, with decades of experience in wine production and import, plus a distinguished career of service in the aforementioned Quintessence, Tokyo haute cuisine restaurant Apicius and even Kenzo Estate in the Napa Valley. Becoming a “crony” to these two culinary giants necessitates an engagement in conversation, particularly that of sustainability in cuisine. Both Haruta and Ozawa believe that their responsibility goes beyond simply making food that is good — it must also be sustainable. In keeping with this philosophy, their salt is sustainably farmed from Kochi, eschewing traditional kiln drying for sun- and wind-drying methods to minimize carbon dioxide emissions. In the spirit of reducing strain on the marine ecosystem, juvenile and endangered fish find no place in their kitchen. Food mileage is carefully calculated to minimize carbon emissions and support the efforts of local farmers. Chef Haruta takes vegetables not presentable enough for commercial sale from his suppliers and transforms them into beautiful French dishes, paired immaculately with sustainably-produced wines from sommelier Ozawa’s partner vineyards and wineries. Each ingredient is personally chosen by the two, both to ensure freshness, and also to ensure that each dish it is used in adequately tells its “story” — not just of the expertise that went into crafting each of them, but also of the journey that each has taken to end up in front of the guest. Michelin Guide: 2018 - 1 Michelin Star 2021-2024 - 2 Michelin Stars, Green Star