At first glance, Chazenka, located in a residential area in Hiroo, Tokyo, does not seem like a Chinese restaurant. However, once you step inside the store, you'll notice that Chinese taste is scattered throughout. It was a platter with a five-clawed dragon on it, and an alcohol lamp for boiling water that he had bought in Taiwan. The calm and calm interior matches the simple appearance of the food.
Chef Tomoya Kawada worked at the Chinese restaurant ``Azabu Nagae,'' and later gained experience in Japanese cuisine at ``Japanese Restaurant Ryugin.'' If he wanted to use Japanese ingredients, he wanted to know how to cook Japanese cuisine. Among Japanese restaurants, he thought he would like to learn from Ryugin, which has both delicacy and power.
``I asked Mr. Seiji Yamamoto of ``Ryugin'' to work for me in Tokyo for three years, and then as the sous chef at the Taiwanese restaurant for two years when it was launched. I learned a lot from my perspective.My job in Taiwan was the complete opposite of what I do now, using local ingredients.That experience was also great. It was 3 years ago, so it was influenced by Japanese cuisine, so bonito flakes and kelp are used as a matter of course.I thought this was interesting as well.''
After training in Japanese cuisine, Kawada opened Chazenka in 2017. The cuisine is made with the philosophy of ``Wakon Kansai.'' It has a delicate taste with a long lingering aftertaste, allowing you to fully appreciate the characteristics of the ingredients.
Cold tea is served in wine glasses. The shape of the glass allows you to easily discern the aroma. The cold tea that day was Gyokuro from Kyoto.
Chinshan Tekkan Noncha, which slowly opens. A refreshing scent rises.
Feel the depth of tea leaves just like cooking,
Proposing a new "tea pairing"
Furthermore, by combining Chinese tea and cuisine, which Kawada has researched for many years, ``Chazenka'' has created a unique world. This is called ``tea pairing,'' a course in which tea is paired with dishes. In addition to hot tea, there is also cold tea that is slowly infused, and since the tea leaves come from different regions and the manufacturing methods are different, you will never get tired of drinking it.
``The tea making area is visible to the customers, and it feels like cooking the tea leaves, so I think of it as an extension of the kitchen.Tea is part of the ingredients, so it's like making the first dashi.'' While saying this, Kawada made me some tea.
When Kawada prepares the tea, his words, ``I intend to make the best dashi soup stock,'' are memorable.
``The taste of tea changes depending on the utensil you use to brew it.If you use a porcelain lidded bowl (gaiwan) and then replace it with a glass container, the characteristics of the tea will be brought out neutrally.The characteristics of the pottery clay will also affect the taste of the tea. When the Chinese told me that it would change the taste, I thought it was a joke, but it turned out to be true."
1. Taihei Koukai
Green tea is made by pressing large tea leaves, about 7 cm in length, into a pot. Legend has it that it was extracted from a tea plant that grew from the tomb of the Monkey King.
2. Ancient silver needle (Kojuginshin)
Tea leaves taken from an ancient tree that grows in Yunnan Province and is over 600 years old. White tea with a delicate taste.
3. Daisetsuzan Wild Tea
It is made using an old method called raw Pu-erh tea. Fresher and fruitier than regular Pu'er tea.
4. Suihocha
A medium-fermented tea leaves harvested in the mountains of Cuifeng in Taiwan. It smells like apricot.
They always have 40 to 50 types of tea leaves on hand, and the brands change depending on the season. ``I'm not good at drinking, so I've been experimenting with tea for a long time since my days at Azabu Nagae.There are a lot more types of tea than in Japan, from green tea to highly fermented Pu-erh tea.Tea is used in cooking. We believe that this will further extend the aftertaste of the dish, so we decided to propose the perfect tea pairing for the dish."
In China, it is common to drink tea made in each region. In Beijing, jasmine tea and Tieguanyin are the mainstream, while in Longjing it's Longjing tea. Kawada believes that having a variety of tea leaves available in Japan is also a form of originality. ``In spring, I want to drink light, low-fermented oolong tea, in summer, I want to drink refreshing high mountain tea, and in fall and winter, I want to drink rock tea or Baochun tea from Shandong province. We serve things that people want to drink.”
Currently popular is a system called mixed pairing, which serves both tea and alcohol. ``We can add more alcohol or more tea depending on the customer's preference.We try to make sure that both tea and alcohol do not overpower the aftertaste of the food.''
A style of Chinese cuisine not found in China or Taiwan. Tomoya Kawada creates a world of flavors that can only be found in Japan.
→Continue to “Chazenka” Tomoya Kawada’s philosophy of Japanese soul and Chinese wisdom (Part 2)
(Titles omitted)
Tomoya Kawada
Born in 1982, from Tochigi Prefecture. After graduating from culinary school, he worked part-time at Azabu Nagae at the age of 18 and joined the company two years later. After becoming the sous chef at the age of 2, he began training at the Japanese restaurant Ryugin at the age of 26. He joined Taiwan's Ryugin from its launch and left the company after serving as sous chef. After returning to Japan, he opened "Chazenka" in February 28 after a period of preparation. In December of the same year, he received two stars from the Michelin Tokyo 2017. She participated in MADRID FUSION 2 the following year, and also participated in DINNINGOUT Kunisaki with Lexus in May. . In 12, it debuted at 2018rd place in Asia's 2018 Best Restaurants.
Sazenka
4-7-5 Minamiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Reservation only TEL: 050-3188-8819
info@sazenka.com
Business hours: 17:00-23:00 (Last order 21:00)
Regular holidays: Irregular holidays mainly on Sundays and Mondays
https://sazenka.com/
Text by Akiko Ishizuka
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