Specialist subjects
Olive|July 2022
Immerse yourself in a particular cooking style, regional cuisine or treasured ingredient to enjoy a new, hyper-focussed eating experience
TONY NAYLOR
Specialist subjects

Most restaurants are generalists: be they French or Chinese, seafood or vegan, brunch or dinner spots, their menus blend national or global influences. But, for a minority of chefs and owners, food is all about specialisation, in a service style, regional cuisine or product. This month, olive salutes the deep-divers who, absorbed in their niches, enrich food for all.

PIONEERING KAISEKI

Roketsu, London The Japanese influence on Western dining is profound. Modern tasting menus, for example, owe a debt to kaiseki, a formal, multi-course Japanese dining style that has fascinated European chefs for decades. Trained at Yoshihiro Murata's three-Michelin-starred restaurant Kikunoi, Daisuke Hayashi learned the principles of kaiseki from one of its masters, and now shares its holistic ethos at London's Roketsu, a serene, minimalist counter-dining space (pictured, below). Daisuke's use of exceptional micro-seasonal ingredients, exquisite plating and bespoke Kyoto crockery are recognisable kaiseki hallmarks. More abstract kaiseki guidance gives his cooking further rigour (for example, that food should engage guests' five senses using five flavours: "saltiness, acidity, sweetness, bitterness, umami"). Across its 10 courses, Roketsu seeks to embody perfect balance in dishes such as Cornish crab, pear, air-dried onion, carrot, fennel, yuzu and dill, or smoked trout, horseradish miso and walnut. Daisuke describes himself as a humble interpreter of ingredients: "Not too much seasoning on a fresh, seasonal product. When I plate a dish, I never use the entire space." Such respectful, precise treatment of ingredients is today evident in many European restaurants, and Daisuke feels Japanese cooking will continue to influence fine dining: "Less oil, calories and plenty of umami will get attention in coming years." £190pp; roketsu.co.uk

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2022 من Olive.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2022 من Olive.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من OLIVE مشاهدة الكل
kitchen therapy with Rosie Birkett
Olive

kitchen therapy with Rosie Birkett

Give salad the Jersey Royal treatment with Rosie's rustic new potato platter

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2023
PUB MENU The Barley Mow
Olive

PUB MENU The Barley Mow

Put aside some quality time at the weekend to recreate this relaxed Anglo-French pub menu from a newly restored Mayfair landmark

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2023
BOLTHOLE Fort Road Hotel, Margate
Olive

BOLTHOLE Fort Road Hotel, Margate

Kentish ingredients, local artists and extra touches of hospitality give this distinctive seafront hotel the perfect combination of contemporary style and seaside nostalgia

time-read
1 min  |
May 2023
COOK LIKE A LOCAL South Korea
Olive

COOK LIKE A LOCAL South Korea

Su Scott introduces the deep, complex flavours of this East Asian country

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2023
READY? SET MENU? GO!
Olive

READY? SET MENU? GO!

Delegate decision making to the experts - say feed me, thrill me. Rather than poring over menus, opting for a great-value set menu or a blow-out tasting experience allows you to kick back and relax, confident that incredible food will follow

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2023
Speedboat Bar SIGNATURE DISH
Olive

Speedboat Bar SIGNATURE DISH

Whip up a spicy chillispiked dish and zingy ginger cocktail from Thai canteen Speedboat Bar in London's Chinatown

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2023
Coronation chicken cups
Olive

Coronation chicken cups

Give this gorgeously creamy filling the canapé treatment - perfect for easy entertaining

time-read
1 min  |
May 2023
3 WAYS WITH Pickles
Olive

3 WAYS WITH Pickles

Whether it's cornichons, onions, beetroots or dill pickles, you can do so much more than you might think with these vinegary beauties

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2023
Keep it sweet
Olive

Keep it sweet

Show-off desserts to end your meal with a flourish, from food writer Claire Saffitz

time-read
9 mins  |
May 2023
Cook with the season
Olive

Cook with the season

That sweet spot between spring and summer brings with it some of the very best produce

time-read
8 mins  |
May 2023