The dragon has always played an important role in Japan. People believed it protected against evil and brought good fortune so the dragons can be seen at many places around Japan. Ryu means dragon in Japanese and RyuGin stands for the singing dragon. The dragons play an important symbolic role for Chef Patron Seiji Yamamoto and you will see them all over his fantastic restaurant.
Seiji Yamamoto was born in Japanese Kagawa in 1970 and his interest in cooking started early when he tried to impress on his mother. He finally succeeded to impress his culinary skills on both his mother and later on the rest of the world since he today is among the absolute most gifted chefs on the planet. Yamamoto started to work for Master Chef Hirohisa Koyama right after he finished his culinary studies. Chef Koyama taught young Yamamoto everything there is worth knowing about authentic Japanese cuisine and basic cooking techniques. Seiji Yamamoto worked eleven years in Hirohisa Koyama’s very traditional Japanese kitchen at Aoyagi. Yamamoto-san also worked a while as the Head Chef of Tokushima Restaurant before he established his own restaurant in the newly developed Roppongi area in Tokyo in late 2003.
Chef Yamamoto was only 33 years old when he founded his RyuGin and he was completely unafraid of combining all he has been taught about traditional Japanese kaiseki with the latest cooking techniques including molecular gastronomy. His work resulted in many new creations and a touch of avant-garde and the Chef’s curiosity and daring style has continued over the years, even if he is a bit more modest nowadays compared to his younger years.
The seven tables with less than 20 seats are quickly filled up so an early reservation is essential if you like to enjoy all the intelligence, the humour and creativity offered at the Singing Dragon. The menu is often changed and divided into cold and hot dishes. A hot rather exotic dish is the Japanese turtle tofu with green onion oil, and a cold dish can be the premium monkfish liver from Hokkaido with a variation of vegetables in a special miso soup. There are loads of more or less high-end created cuisine which will be a wonderful challenge for all your senses.
The contemporary Japanese cuisine offers a challenge to the Restaurant Manager and Sommelier Takeo Arimasa, but he manages to supply you with brilliant pairings from any of the three different beverage menus consisting of the inhouse tea, sake or wine. On top of that, not to forget, that Chef Yamamoto also is a trained sommelier so he certainly knows the best pairings for his cuisine as well.
A reservation at Nihonryori RyuGin is a must for anyone who calls himself a foodie and for anyone else as well for that matter so what are you waiting for?
Written by Andy
