Jeeten

The Chinese home-style culinary offerings at the uniquely-named Jeeten are rooted in yakuzen cooking — literally “medicinal meal” in Japanese. A school of traditional Japanese medicine based on Chinese nutrition, yakuzen cooking is not only meant to taste delicious, but also be good for the body by “righting imbalances”. But Chef Katsuhiko Yoshida doesn’t just imitate yakuzen cooking — he puts his own spin on it that he enthusiastically calls “Yoshida-style”. Notably, the majority of the ingredients used are sourced from the northern Tohoku region of Japan, one of the country’s major breadbaskets. In particular, Chef Yoshida has a soft spot for the seasonal vegetables of Iwate Prefecture, his place of birth. The shiitake mushrooms and kikurage (wood-ear fungus) used liberally in his cuisine are from the city of Rikuzentakata, while vegetables are largely from the area around Sumita Town. Most notably, the Yoshida-style school of cooking involves complete abstinence from the use of monosodium glutamate and other chemical additives, relying on natural flavors to carry the dish. Chef Yoshida’s experiments with unorthodox combinations of flavor and texture — such as coconut milk with warabi-mochi, as opposed to the usual tapioca or sweet potato — regularly earn him a spot in the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand award. Michelin Guide: 2020 - Bib Gourmand