Star-studded stories, recipes and cooking lessons from a legendary Japanese restaurant!

From Robert De Niro, Charlie Chaplin and Grace Kelly to Nobel Prize-winning author Yasunari Kawabata and even the Showa Emperor, Kyoto's Hamasaku restaurant has been a celebrity hotspot for nearly a century. Founded in 1927, it is one of Japan's most famous restaurants, serving artistically presented kaiseki kappou meals featuring the finest seasonal seafood and produce.

This unique cookbook shares recipes for Hamasaku's signature dishes along with detailed information about the techniques, tableware and history of the restaurant. It includes:

• Essays and stories about the restaurant's long history, including the meals of celebrity writers, artists, actors and nobility

• Lessons on cutting fish and vegetables; preparing perfect dashi broth; delicately simmering, grilling and frying seafood and meats; and other techniques used by skilled kaiseki chefs

• Over 80 recipes that allow fresh, seasonal ingredient to shine—like Spanish Mackerel in Miso, Vinegared Crab with Chrysanthemum Greens, and Silky Sesame Tofu

Written by Hiroyuki Morikawa, the restaurant's third-generation owner, this book offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes at one of the world's most elite restaurants, yet its tone is surprisingly warm and humble. Readers will want to curl up with it in bed, then head into the kitchen to prepare the exquisite dishes presented in these pages.

About the Author

Hiroyuki Morikawa is the third-generation owner of Hamasaku restaurant in Kyoto.

He has a deep love for the arts, including fine arts, kabuki, and music, and many of his dishes are served on beautiful pottery made by Kanjiro Kawai and other legends of the folk craft movement.

He can be found every day in his restaurant kitchen, ensuring that all guests have a once-in-a-lifetime experience.