The Fukui cuisine at the Yamazato and Teppanyaki Restaurant Sazanka of the Hotel Okura

From the 1st to the 14th of November the traditional Japanese Yamazato Restaurant and Teppanyaki Restaurant Sazanka have presented at the Hotel Okura the haute cuisine of the Fukui prefecture of Japan.

Japanese specialty restaurant Yamazato received its star in 2002 and is still the only traditional Japanese restaurant with one Michelin star in Europe. Executive Chef and Manager Akira Oshima was made a Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau on 25 September 2006.

In this way he was rewarded for his dedication to the promotion of both Japanese culture in the Netherlands and Dutch culture in Japan. By inviting a guest chef over from Japan every year to introduce the cuisine of a particular province, Mr Oshima creates unique opportunities for cultural exchange. In connection with this, various television crews from Japan have visited the Netherlands to film Mr Oshima and the Country.

Akira Oshima travelled to Japan again last summer, where he got to know the prefecture of Fukui and the Grandia Housen Hotel. After visiting this hotel he invited the owner, Yuki Yamaguchi, and Grand Chef Tamotsu Heya to present the kaiseki cuisine and sakes of Fukui in Amsterdam.

 

 

 

 

In addition, Miss Fukui Yoshie Sakakibara came over for the cultural exchange, and a number of very well-respected sake brewers presented various kinds of sake.  I was one of the lucky people who could enjoy the press presentation of the Fukui evenings: I couldn't stop smiling, so happy about the international and inter-cultural atmosphere.

The Hotel Okura staff, including his President and General Manager Marcel P. van Aelst and the famous Chef Akira Oshima, was incredible friendly and the Japanese guests from Fukui were amazing!
At the Okura Hotel I spent one of the most beautiful evenings in my life in Amsterdam: the food, the people, the service and of course' the sake' everything was perfect.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before the dinner, some speeches: the President and General Manager of Hotel Okura and the Executive Chef and Manager of restaurants Yamazato and Sazanka, the Japanese Ambassador to the Netherlands Kyoji Komachi, the Vice Governor of Fukui Mr Yamamoto, the charming owner of the Grandia Housen Hotel Yuki Yamaguchi and the 11th President of the Japanese sake 'Born' Brewery Atsuhide Kato.

 

In each speech everybody showed the happiness for the increasing success and developing of the Japanese cuisine in The Netherlands. Furthermore we could have some information about the Fukui region and its food.

The Fukui region is renowned for the exclusive echizen-gani or snow crab, sweet-tasting crab available in Hotel Okura Amsterdam's Japanese restaurants during the whole 2 weeks event. Rice from Fukui, Koshihikari rice, known for its excellent quality, was shipped to Amsterdam right after the harvest, especially for Hotel Okura Amterdam, guaranteeing optimum quality.

The sakes from Fukui are of the highest quality. One local brewery, Born, is one of the five best breweries in Japan and its Chogin, available to guests for the whole Fukui event, is one of Japan's most exclusive sakes. After the Japanese sake-ceremony, we had a demonstration of the making of soba noodles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then the dinner-buffet: everything was gorgeous to look at and delicious to eat, fish, meat, rice, vegetables' even the special sake ice cream (recipe is top secret!).

 

Mr. Kato of the company Born has been spoiling us with his sake for the whole evening. I spent the evening with a small group of International people: a Canadian and an American journalist, Mr. Yamamoto, Mr. Kato, Mr. Takai of the company Denso Europe, my French colleague Sophie and a Dutch journalist.

 

 

 

We were the last ones to leave because we wanted to enjoy until the end.

For more information: www.okura.nl