Читать книгу Shunju - Takashi Sugimoto - Страница 9

food for all seasons

Shunju's cuisine begins with the pursuit of the finest ingredients and seasonings available to us. Energetic vegetables free of chemicals grown from seeds harvested from organic crop, free-range chickens which roam the foothills of mountains, soy sauce made from spring water and aged in wooden barrels, sea salt which has been dried by the strong, tropical Okinawan sun, the list is endless.

Our philosophy is to present these ingredients in their purest form. Japan is blessed with four distinctive seasons—we have been bestowed with a lavish variety of food materials and the luxury to savor the best of what each season has to offer, traditionally referred to as shun in Japanese. We believe that in order to present this shun in its finest form, cooking methods should be kept simple. When we serve shun vegetables raw as an appetizer, they are often neither cut nor torn but, rather, served whole with some sea salt and a miso dip. Guests are delighted to bite into vegetables which were plucked from the fields that very morning.

The most important element in Shunju's cuisine is to be able to truly appreciate the four seasons and the abundant blessings which mother nature has bestowed upon us. Ultimately, this is what we consider to be the new Japanese cuisine.

The tomato freshly plucked from the fields in the early morning, still glistening with morning dew, is far more delicious than the salad you find in a restaurant. The fisherman's breakfast of freshly caught sashimi on board the boat stirs a greater appetite than the refined fish dish at a well-established kaiseki restaurant. There are times when the simple act of procuring one's own food is the ultimate gastronomic experience. The more realistic the experience of knowing what and how one is eating, the better it tastes.

At Shunju, we strive to serve the seasons and regional climates instead of culinary expertise or vanity. The interest focuses on the ingredient, and extends to a realm much greater than that of the limited confines of the platter.

If we are really searching the truth about vegetables, we should first seek knowledge about the soil, for the truth about fish, we should seek knowledge of the fishing ports. So we embark upon our journey leaving behind the pots and pans and travel throughout Japan to discover unknown food materials and regional cuisine that has been passed down for generations.

One of the first things we discover on these journeys is that the talk of the trade is truly superficial. The undiluted voice of the real producers, the farmers and fishermen, is the most relevant source of our education and inspiration.

Shunju's cuisine is supported by a countless number of regional producers. The people that we have encountered on our journeys have become our marketplace. Wonderfully fresh ingredients arrive on a daily basis, and our chefs 7 only task is to face them in a sincere manner and recognize a dish befitting them.

Bamboo lanterns (far left) stake out the paths through the trees to the utage (forest banquet). A noren —a traditional Japanese curtain which marks an entrance—serves as the doorway to the utage site (second from left). Onions and sato imo (taro potatoes), grill on a charcoal pit (second from right). Campari with freshly squeezed orange juice is served at our al fresco bar (far right), opposite A dining table set for the utage (forest banquet) with sake cups and chopsticks crafted from freshly cut bamboo, wild flower chopstick pillows and fir branch cushions.

utage As the sun sets, roaring flames from the log fire illuminate the forest. Candles flicker in the freshly cut bamboo stands and scent the air with their fresh aroma. A Balinese xylophone echoes faintly in the background, signaling that the utage will commence shortly.

The utage is a grand banquet held periodically to entertain valued guests in the most eloquent Shunju style—in montane forest far away from Tokyo. The utage commences at dusk, just as the forest begins to darken, echoing the darkness that fills a theater before a performance.

In fact the banquet is very much a theatrical performance in a natural stage setting. Candlesticks, chopsticks, and dishware are fashioned from bamboo, leaves become chopstick rests, hundreds of lanterns made from handmade washi paper light the dark mountain paths and lit glass chunks shimmer in the river flowing far below the hanging bridge at the entrance of the site. The whole mountain is transformed into Shunju.

A hearty soup is prepared with oxtail and plenty of vegetables to warm our diners in the chilly evening. The utage is a major event for us. We repeatedly go to the site to plan the layout and display. No mistakes are allowed in entertaining our most valued guests. The previous day is spent on digging the fire pit, setting up the bar counter, installing the lights, hauling the supplies up the rugged mountain path and cutting the bamboo to make the candle-stands, chopsticks and dishware. The actual day is spent cooking and displaying. Bamboo skewered iwana (a river fish), bamboo shoot, soramame (broad beans) and white asparagus ready to be grilled on the charcoal pit. The chefs preparing crabs in the makeshift kitchen.

Guests sitting on the tatami flooring (woven from rush) set around the charcoal pit, to indulge in the grilled crabs and vegetables, above Hundreds of lanterns made from handmade washi paper light the dark mountain paths to the site (far left). The buffet table, improvised from branches cut on site, is laden with crabs (second from left). A solid glass bar counter, complete with kilim carpets, is lit by bamboo torches (second from right). Preparing the utage is truly a race against time and year after year we find ourselves rushing about madly to get everything finished (far right).

Our clients from Tokyo have reached the hanging bridge, the logs and candles are immediately lit and the banquet commences with a big roar of fire and our greetings of welcome.

When the guests cross the bridge they are met by the sight and aroma of crabs and vegetables grilling on an immense fire pit, soup bubbling in a large cauldron, and large platters laden with home-smoked duck, pickled beets, whole raw vegetables with sea salt and miso dips, and homemade pickles.

We catch glimpses of our guests laughing, drinking and devouring the various dishes by the flickering flames of the candles and fire pit. This is the essence of our utage. The genuine experience of eating—of indulging oneself to one's heart's content—in a natural environment such as this, is to experience life itself.

When the roaring flames have turned to red coals and the ambience mellows, it is time for the banquet to come to a close. It gives us great pleasure to hear our parting guests say that they would like the evening to continue forever. We share those same lingering thoughts and sorrow of parting.

The utage is a major event for us. It really is hard work but we thoroughly enjoy ourselves and, ultimately, that is what it's all about. Enjoy!