Anyone who remembers Kei and Werner Pilz's exquisite Japanese Dinner House at Ahakista will know that Cork has been a treasured destination for its authentic Japanese dining experiences in the past. So, it is wonderful that a new generation of Japanese fine dining is now taking Cork city by storm - Takashi Miyazaki opened Ireland’s first kappou style and kaiseki restaurant here in April 2018 and, such is his reputation from the tiny Miyazaki takeaway on Evergreen Street, that ichigo ichie was immediately booked out for weeks.
Loosely translated as 'once in a lifetime', ichigo ichie is set in the former Fenn's Quay premises (always home to good food), where you’ll be greeted warmly and shown to your place in one of three areas - Takashi's Kappou Counter (Miyabi or 'Refinement') with exclusive seats for five diners; The Nagomi Room ('Harmony Dining'), which seats up to 12 guests; and the Zen Japanese Garden dining area, which seats a further eight diners. There is no physical divider between the three - indeed the diners at the counter are back to back with those in the Nagomi - and all get the same set menu.
Kaiseki is a traditional seasonal tasting menu served in a Japan, and kappou is the counter which gives its name to a style that involves the preparation of the cold dishes on the menu - sashim, sushi - being prepared in full view of diners, so the lucky few seated at the counter can enjoy a close-up of the chef in action and also get to interact with the great man himself.
The meal consists of a sequence of dishes, each likely to be small (not too small - you will be well fed) and artistically arranged with great precision. Decor in shades of grey, dim lighting and the calm voices of the staff create a soothing ambience in which to explore the series of beautiful dishes that will be set down for your enjoyment.
For many diners, sushi and sashimi will be the most familiar elements of the 12-course menu, on which each course has a formal name before the description. Sushi features on the second course - the formal name is Oshinogi and it consists of two pieces of nigiri (a form of sushi with rice) - while Sashimi lovers will find Mukouzuke irresistible, with its beautifully presented combination of Spring bonito, garlic, ginger, Castletownbere squid, quail egg yolk, 6-day aged turbot momiji, chive and ponzu gelée...
Fish appears in many exciting interpretations - everything from conger eel to Castletownbere brown crab, to squid from the same port to turbot fin and clams, and vegetables and other fresh local seasonal produce also feature throughout - rhubarb may be the star in one spring course, for example, cherry blossom from Cork in another.
You will also sample the Sunomono, featuring Takashi's granny's pickled veg recipe of rice bran, aubergine, purple ninja radish and cucumber. And then there’s the Nimono ('simmered dish') featuring daikon, Castletownbere brown crab, mitsuba, ginger and bonito dashi - and it's unlikely to be your only encounter with the flavoursome dashi stock, which is something of a trademark for Miyazaki.
Although the Japanese are not famed for desserts, you will finish here with a small but flavour packed Kanmi - soy milk, chocolate, mochi rice cake, mocha and Jameson Cask Whiskey, perhaps.
To accompany, the drinks list includes a good range of saki and Japanese beers as well as a short but excellent wine list, mainly organic and natural, supplied by Le Caveau.
Takashi Miyazaki says that it was his ambition for many years to open a fine dining Japanese restaurant - and, now that it is here, his excellent food, great staff and carefully crafted setting make it well worth the long wait.
