The Japanese Zen monks who practice on behalf of them must strictly abide by the precepts to endure the hardships of hunger and cold. In order to find a little warmth in the predicament, they often put a warm stone in their arms, which they call "warm stone". Closely linked to Zen Buddhism and the Japanese tea ceremony, kaiseki emphasizes the delicacy of tableware and presentation. Each dish is skillfully served on a small and elegant plate, reflecting the spirit of cherishing things and enlightenment. The core of this kind of cuisine is to present the original taste of the ingredients, select seasonal ingredients for cooking, and pursue pure, simple and natural authenticity. Aburi Hana is located in Toronto's Yorkville district, hidden in the basement. Last year, it became one of the first restaurants in Toronto to receive a star in the Michelin Guide, focusing on Kyoto kaiseki cuisine. As soon as I stepped into the restaurant, the author was immediately attracted by the modern decoration, with wood and black as the main tone, matched with Japanese flower arrangements and hanging paintings, creating an elegant dining environment. The restaurant offers a dining style in front of the board, where you can appreciate the chef's cooking skills up close, and there are multiple private boxes for you to choose from.
This time the author tasted the late spring menu, inspired by blooming flowers, which echoes the flower meaning of the restaurant name "Hana" in Japanese, and is the most colorful menu throughout the year. The author first enjoyed the "eight inches" appetizer – A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Tata, inspired by the first blooming of Japanese cherry trees. The black truffle slices on the top are full of aroma, the ribeye meat is rich in fat, and the deep-fried bamboo shoot tempura on the bottom brings a crispy taste. With a small pot of clear and crystal-clear Yulu, the taste is sweet and refreshing, with endless aftertaste. This is followed by an "imperial bowl" of soup, served in exquisite lacquerware. This bowl of soup uses bracken, white onion and other seasonal vegetables as the main ingredients, paired with cooked clams, and exudes a fragrant aroma like grass after rain.
The next dish is sashimi – tuna flower love, this dish is presented in a unique way, the use of dry ice creates a dreamy atmosphere, combining traditional ingredients with modern presentation methods. The restaurant uses naked and oily Zhongtuoluo parts, which are delicious and fragrant with fish oil, and are decorated with edible perilla flowers. Paired with sparkling Aomori apple juice, the taste is sour and refreshing. It can neutralize the greasy feeling of sashimi and balance the taste buds. "Cooking" tonkotsu is inspired by the rich local ingredients. The chef cuts Ontario pork belly, duck liver and other ingredients into small pieces, and carefully stews them to make them tender. The ingredients are served in containers carved from Ontario onions, and the dewdrops on the green leaves add a touch of natural beauty, showing the chef's mind. Hana's executive chef Ryusuke Nakagawa reinterprets traditional kaiseki cuisine with a modern perspective. He subtly integrates Canadian food culture into it to make it closer to the preferences and needs of local diners, but still maintains the basic soup and The two core traditions of seasonality remain unchanged. As a chef in Canada, one of his missions is to use local ingredients whenever possible, he said. In addition to typical ingredients such as duck and foie gras, he has a keen interest in Ontario fish and plans to buy local fish and use it in the creation of summer menus. Ryusuke Nakagawa hopes to present kaiseki cuisine in a way that can touch the hearts of local diners by combining Canadian ingredients, and to spread the value and essence of Japanese cuisine. He said: "Kaiseki is a culture to be proud of, but it is still not widely recognized globally, and is relatively unknown even in Canada. Educating people on a new cuisine is a long process, but I believe Over time, it will embrace Canadians like concepts like omakase." He has a unique vision for food as a form of art and expression, bringing beauty, taste and creativity into it.
Towards the end, this fried food brought back the chef's childhood memories, presenting trevally, a specialty of his hometown Ehime Prefecture, on the table. His mother often made fried food with trevally as the main material, which left him with a taste that he will never forget. The chef uses a five-day aging method in this dish to make the scadman's umami taste more prominent. In the dessert after the meal, the symbol of spring in Japan – cherry blossoms and matcha tea became the source of inspiration. The cherry leaf French caramel baked brulee is crispy on the outside, moist and delicate on the inside, paired with Kyoto matcha ice cream, the rich matcha flavor balances the sweetness of the brulee. Cherry Blossom Petal Sauce brings visual splendor and adds a touch of floral fragrance. Finally, it is embellished with gold leaf, like a ray of bright light, to draw a perfect end to this meal. When tasting kaiseki cuisine, we live in harmony with nature with a mood of being at ease with the situation, which is the Zen spirit contained in kaiseki cuisine. This spirit inspires us to slow down in our busy lives, focus on everything in front of us, and appreciate the beauty of the moment. Every meal is a special experience, as if a connection with nature and self. Such a spiritual feast allows us to find balance and tranquility in kaiseki cuisine.
