Exiting the central entrance of Kyoto Station, about 5 minutes on foot to the right, there is an Italian restaurant located on the 2nd floor of the hotel "THE THOUSAND KYOTO".
Our companion is a huge fan of Chef Keita Shiba, so we decided to visit him during our trip to Kyoto for a dinner meal.
シェフ・芝原は京都出身です。ナポリの有名レストランで修業を積んだ後、かつて東京の外苑前にあった「iCas storia」でシェフを務めました。2021年9月からは「SCALAE」のシェフに就任しました。非常に有名なシェフであり、メディアにも頻繁に登場しています。
Just recently, I also encountered you on “JobThoun” again, lol.
This time, I enjoyed a unique course called "Plant Forward Kitchen" at the counter table, where Chef Shirahara showed his remarkable skills right in front of me, with vegetables as the main focus. (※Available only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.)
According to the notes provided by Chef Shibara in advance... "Plant-Based" refers to a cooking style that primarily uses plant-based ingredients. However, it differs from a complete vegetarian diet in that it includes a small amount of animal-based ingredients in order to make vegetables more enjoyable to eat. This approach not only focuses on eating but also emphasizes awareness of the environment.
The version of this concept that was interpreted in a "SCALAE"-style manner is the "Plant Forward Kitchen" course that we have received this time.
シェフ・芝原は自ら京都の農園や牧場を訪れ、様々な体験を積みました。その体験の中で、シェフが見出した「京都の恵み」である地元の農家さんが提供する食材を活用し、それぞれの食材の持つ特徴を最大限に活かした料理を提供しています。
According to what I heard, the vegetables used can change significantly depending on the season. The ones I had that day were as follows:
【Claires and Fruited Cucumbers】
The watercress was initially left in its raw state, but after the meal began, it was transformed into a salad.
This dish is made with Parmigiano Reggiano and balsamic vinegar produced in Toyama Prefecture. When you eat it, your mouth is immediately filled with a fresh, crisp taste of clover. Even a small amount makes this dish extremely fragrant and flavorful!
The flower-covered mini cucumbers are served with mayonnaise sauce made from peas. You can enjoy them at any time that suits you, as they have a crisp texture and the flower parts are not uncomfortable to eat. (I’ve eaten cucumber flowers for the first time…!)
It tastes delicious even without any additional ingredients added, and this sauce is also extremely tasty.
【カリフラワー】
A dish where cauliflower is served on a mousse, with cauliflower that has a sour taste reminiscent of pickles, as well as a crisp texture.
Calf flowers have a somewhat unique taste, so to speak... They can be tricky to handle, and I believe some people may not be comfortable with them. But when you pick them up and eat them, you're completely surprised... The taste is absolutely delicious!!! As the mousse melts away, you can truly experience a rich sweetness and umami flavor.
This dish is made by cooking cauliflower in a small amount of aburajiolike broth, and then turning it into a mousse. However, it's not an aburajio-flavored dish; the cauliflower is the main ingredient. It seems that animal-based ingredients are used to enhance the flavor of the vegetables. This is what I learned from this dish.
By the way, Italians often eat this cauliflower stew for lunch. Is it a dish inspired by my Italian training experience?
【フラワーズキニ】
This zucchini was placed to the left, but I thought it was just some decorative flowers. Lol.
A dish where beautifully crafted zucchini is filled with homemade smoked mozzarella cheese and then fried. The sauce also contains zucchini, and it is prepared by marinating the sliced zucchini in lemon and garlic oil. It’s truly a dish that is nothing but zucchini.
When you put the knife in, mozzarella cheese will overflow smoothly...!
The sourness of marinade, combined with the smokiness of mozzarella cheese smoked with cypress and cherry chips, and the softness of sweet zucchini, create a truly delicious combination…!
What impressed me the most was the part at the base of the stem where the zucchini clung to it. It was so delicious…! I felt that they were attentive enough to not waste any ingredients and to deliver them completely without leftovers.
【New Onions】
Next, they said "bread". The 153 women who love bread were overjoyed.
The dish consists of bread mixed with onions and raquette cheese. It is topped with a cream made from fresh onions, as well as crispy fried onions.
The cute-sized bread, placed on plates that resemble frames, is hot. The cream inside is melting away, so I hurry to take a bite... Uwaaah, this is delicious...!!
It's a soft and chewy bread. The rich sweetness of the onions is clearly felt, along with the creamy texture of fresh onions... And the fried fresh onions are crispy and incredibly sweet—absolutely delicious!
Just the fries alone are already delicious enough, so I can understand why the potential of onions themselves is extremely high. But the idea of incorporating bread into the menu as part of the meal—that's something I really appreciate. It was a bread that made even bread shops cry, lol.
【トマト】
This dish features yoghurt cheese mousse, tomatoes from the Hitoguchi Farm, and a jelly made from the extract of those tomatoes and their seeds. Additionally, there’s basil oil added to the mixture. In terms of category, it can be described as… something like a cold tomato soup? That’s how it sounds.
“ヒトゴ農園”さんは、京都で代々400年間農業を営んでおり、一般的な市場ではほとんどその野菜が流通していないそうです。料理店や直売所でのみ手に入るものだとのことです。（リーガロイヤルやフォーシーズンズなどのホテルでも「ヒトゴ農園」さんの名前を目にしたことがあります…！）
According to the menu of Chef Shibara, I ordered a [Toscana Rosato Fuori Misura 2022] wine, which was carefully selected by the sommelier. I enjoyed it alongside the wine.
According to the review, tomatoes are simply salted to remove a slight greenish taste; they remain in a nearly raw state. However, their flavor is truly intense, which is quite surprising. There isn’t even a trace of that greenish taste at all. In other words, it feels like the freshness and sweetness of the tomatoes have been perfectly preserved and concentrated in one bite.
The goat cheese laid on the bottom is absolutely delicious again...! The unique taste of goat cheese, so to speak, complements the tomatoes perfectly. It's like a combination designed to enhance the flavor of tomatoes. The combination of tomatoes and cheese is a classic pairing, but this particular taste is something that can only be enjoyed here.
When paired with rosé wine, the tomato flavor becomes even more intense…! Even I, who has no knowledge of wine, found it extremely delicious. The pairing with rosé wine is highly recommended.
【ナレンドラ】
Spring Flower Capellini Pasta.
On top of it is a mixture of eel fish sauce and slightly fermented flower heads. It’s also mixed with homemade salmon katsuomi and oranges.
It seems that the sauce for the flowers dish uses clam broth. It's a very springy combination of seasonal ingredients, and it's really wonderful.
The tips of the flowers are very soft. As I mentioned, they have a fermenting taste, or rather, a sour flavor. However, they combine with various kinds of sweetness to create a complex taste experience.
The pasta is thin, so it bonds tightly with the sauce, allowing you to taste the bitterness of the wild flowers. Ah, this pasta is absolutely delicious… It’s simply outstanding!
【しいたけ】
A risotto made with Calabrese rice from Italy. It is cooked with onions, carrots, and fresh ham broth. The risotto is then topped with marinated shiitake mushrooms soaked in red wine, truffle, and honey. A delicious dish indeed.
From the time it was being prepared, the aroma of shiitake mushrooms became unbearable. And when truffle was added… well… it’s just too much!
It's a ricotta that is rich and sweet, leaving a lingering taste in the mouth. The way the flavors have been concentrated is truly remarkable! The shiitake mushrooms also have a unique flavor that doesn’t overpower the other ingredients; they are extremely delicious and full of umami. I tried Carnaroli for the first time, and it had a solid texture with a firm texture that retained its structure.
We pair this with 【Crystallum】, a South African red wine. It complements the richly flavored risotto perfectly…!
【絹さや スナップエンドウ エンドウ豆】
The side dish before the main course is called "bean". It includes green peas and snow peas. It is topped with a powder made from dried omlet shrimp, seasoned with soy sauce. It is served with sour cream that adds a refreshing flavor.
“お口直しって、どうやらソルベみたいなものだと思っていましたが……まさかの、豆！ でも、ただの豆と侮ってはいけません。シャキシャキでホクホク、新鮮で、素材自体がとても美味しいのはもちろん、使われているのは「オマール海老の味噌」のパウダーというこだわりです……！ 先ほどのリゾットがかなり濃厚だったので、かなりさっぱりしました。”
【筍】
The main bamboo shoots were arranged at the tables from the very beginning, alongside zucchini flowers. They were quite large in size, and appeared to have white specks on them along with a coating of oil. It turned out that these were fresh bamboo shoots, which had been quickly debranched and then soaked in salt-based lees solution and olive oil for three days.
It's a variety from the Hitoguchi Farm, similar to tomatoes. These plants have grown quite large. Interestingly, they are used not for the tips of the stalks, but specifically for the parts at the base.
This segment features a type of shellfish dressed in black olive skin, paired with the current peak season's Crayfish.
The sauce is a combination of bamboo shoots and hotaru ikka in miso. It is also served with taro sprouts and hotaru ikka meat. It is served alongside wood sprout oil. This dish looks and feels like a springtime feast! ♡
When it comes to "shou" (bamboo shoots), I naturally imagined that the tips were sweeter, softer, and more delicious. They are indeed sweet and have a great bite. It seems that the bottom part of the shoots is deliberately used as the main ingredient... And that's quite agreeable! Oh, what a wonderful texture! In other words, one can feel the vitality of the shou... It has a crisp texture. There isn't any fiber-like substance either. It's absolutely fresh.
そして、それに相応しいホタルイカ。今年はホタルイカが豊作で、本当に美味しいとのことです……！味噌のほろ苦い旨みと筍の甘みが合わさったソース。そして、柔らかな身と青々しいタラの芽。春の美味しい食材が、この一皿にぎっしりと詰まっていました。
Even without focusing solely on meat or fish, it’s amazing that such a powerful main dish can be served. It was delicious…!!
【パッションフルーツ】
【라즈베리 / 아르글레이】
ドルチェには2種類あります♡
The first item is a passion fruit sorbet placed in a very beautiful and refreshing container—like a water tank, with water swirling around. It was accompanied by stivias, those sweet and mysterious leaves.
This sorbet was so sour that it made my face hurt. At the bottom, there were dried pachisou fruits, which gave it a crispy texture. There wasn’t any unnecessary seasoning, allowing the freshness of the pachisou fruits to be fully appreciated.
The second item is raspberry baba. It is served in a dome-shaped alu-grey mousse, with alu-grey cookies laid on the bottom.
This was truly delicious...!
Firstly, the appearance of this dessert is simply stunning… It features crispy cookies with a rich ayr gray fragrance, soft and sweet mousse, and sweetly sour raspberry baberai. The combination of these elements makes this dessert truly outstanding. I really thought that just this dessert alone could win the competition. Laughing.
Indeed, I always find that Italian restaurants are exceptionally delicious every time I visit.
シェフ・芝原さんはとても気さくで楽しい方で、様々な話を聞かせてくれました。特に農園の話をされる時には、熱意が溢れていて、生産者に対する深い敬意を持っていることが伝わってきました。
This is a relatively new restaurant that opened in 2019. I hope they will continue to carry out interesting initiatives like this upcoming menu plan in the future.
The pairing by the sommelier and the service provided by all the staff were also outstanding.
In a comfortable space, we were able to fully enjoy the carefully selected "Kyoto's blessings" ingredients!
It was delicious, thank you for the hospitality!
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Reference:
▼芝原 健太｜注意
https://note.com/shibahara_scalae
▼“瞬”の畑を感じる「Plant Forward Kitchen」が始動-まだ知らない京都の恵みをいただくプラントベースのイタリアン-｜THE THOUSAND KYOTO
https://www.keihanhotels-resorts.co.jp/the-thousand-kyoto/plan/special-offer/Plant-forwardKitchen.html
