Oryori Hanagaki

Though its interiors may be serene, filled with natural wood and warm light, a battle rages within the walls of the two-Michelin-starred Oryori Hanagaki every day. Against what? Against nature, according to chef Furuta Toshihiko. Even with all the techniques of boiling, grilling, stewing and the various other methods that humanity has come up with over centuries of culinary tradition, the most skilled chef can only do so much with inferior ingredients. As such, Chef Furuta and his staff can only take up their knives and make do with the sizes, flavors and textures that nature so chooses to bless them with on any given day. This is why the restaurant places so much emphasis on the quality of the ingredients it uses, taking advantage of its longstanding relationships with suppliers and producers to give its guests only the best that they can offer. Each cut of wagyu beef, each fillet of seasonal fish, each harvest of root vegetables; each one is raised in the best possible environment. Oryori Hanagaki is extremely exclusive, only serving one party per service at a time for lunch and dinner. There is no fixed menu; in accordance with the restaurant’s philosophy of being subjected to the whims of nature, the restaurant only offers five tiers of omakase courses, letting the menu be decided entirely on what the best ingredients that can be procured from the local markets that day are. Michelin Guide: 2012 - 2 Michelin Stars 2024 - 2 Michelin Stars