Celebration of the seasons in a culinary theatre

Kaiseki, the pinnacle of Japanese dining, is not just food – it's a way of thinking. AFR Magazine's monthly Anatomy of a Dish column discovers the precision and detail of zensai, the appetiser course.

Zensai is just one of 11 courses but Hitoshi Miyazawa, head chef of Ishizuka, uses every technique of kaiseki in its preparation. Georgia Gold

Jill DupleixFood writer

Oct 18, 2019 – 10.30am

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Devotees of kaiseki refer to it as a culinary art form. To them it represents the pinnacle of Japanese dining by staying true to the integrity of the produce and the changing of the seasons. They never mention it has anything to do with showing off.

But take a look at the zensai (appetiser course) prepared by Hitoshi Miyazawa, head chef of Melbourne’s discreetly hidden, subterranean kaiseki restaurant, Ishizuka.