Traditional Japanese 3-star Chef from Tokyo Visits Yamazato

Tuesday, 13 October 2009 09:52

For two weeks only the specialties of another Michelin-star-awarded traditional Japanese restaurant can be savoured in The Netherlands.

From November 2 through November 15, Hotel Okura Amsterdam's one-star traditional Japanese restaurant Yamazato will be organising the culinary event ‘Tokyo Fair 2009'. During this period Hiroyuki Kanda, Executive Chef & Owner of Tokyo's famous Kanda Restaurant, will be our guest for a few days. Hiroyuki Kanda's restaurant ‘Kanda' has been awarded three Michelin stars in recognition of his exceptional cuisine. Like the Okura's Yamazato Restaurant, the Kanda Restaurant also presents traditional Japanese kaiseki cuisine - the authentic haute cuisine of Japan. This is the first time that a three-star Japanese Chef visits the Netherlands.

The Yamazato Restaurant annually organizes a culinary fair featuring a specific Japanese region or city. This year the specialties of Tokyo City will be presented. Thanks to a total of 227 Michelin stars - distributed among 9 three-starred, 36 two-starred and 128 one-starred restaurants -Tokyo is regarded as the new culinary capital of the world, with more Michelin stars than any other city. Chef Kanda and his two assistants will bring the city of Tokyo to the Netherlands by presenting Tokyo's specialty: sukiyaki. Sukiyaki was originally eaten with fish, but when in 1872 beef was introduced into Japanese cuisine, in the Kanto area (Tokyo) it replaced fish as an ingredient of sukiyaki.

Hiroyuki Kanda, Executive Chef & Owner of the Kanda Restaurant, Akira Oshima, Executive Chef & Manager of the Yamazato Restaurant, and Masanori Tomikawa, Chef de Cuisine of the Yamazato Restaurant, will be preparing a special menu together. Tomikawa briefly worked at Kanda Restaurant to get acquainted with Chef Kanda's cooking. This culinary teamwork will result in the finest dishes, including Kanda's signature dish: sukiyaki of thinly sliced wagyu sirloin prepared with tomatoes and matsutake mushrooms in a silver pan at your table. Guests will also be surprised with a unique appetizer of lobster & champagne. More details will be revealed in the restaurant.

he Tokyo Fair 8-course menu is priced at € 130, wine & sake pairings not included. The adjoining Sazanka Restaurant also presents a special menu suggested by Kanda from November 2 through November 15. During the Tokyo Fair guests of the Yamazato and Sazanka Restaurants can prolong their stay at Hotel Okura Amsterdam with an overnight stay in a Deluxe Room at € 150 excluding breakfast (subject to availability). Reservations are required and prices are exclusive of 5% city tax.

About the Yamazato Restaurant
The Yamazato Restaurant has com¬pletely been designed in Suk¬iya style and is one of the most tradi¬tional Japa¬nese restaurants in Europe to have been awarded a Michelin star. More than 50 Japanese specialities are prepared there by the skilful hands of Executive Chef and Manager Akira Oshima. When he came to the Netherlands in 1971, he had only one desire: to acquaint as many Dutch people and other Europeans as possible with traditional Japanese cuisine. Oshima also has an eye on the future, as is obvious from the fact that his successor, Chef Masanori Tomikawa, has been working as Oshima's right hand man for almost 20 years. Tomikawa continues the kaiseki tradition established by Oshima. Tomikawa's strength is his ability to develop new innovative techniques in line with the Yamazato's traditional character and high quality.
/////
Note to Editors (not for publication)
For additional information and/or visual materials please contact:
Nicole Pauptit / Assistant Public Relations Manager
T: 020 - 67 87 488 E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it W: www.okura.nl / www.yamazato.nl