Chef Seiji Yamamoto – Creating Delectable and Highly Creative Dishes

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This year gave Nihonryori RyuGin a very good news indeed as the restaurant earned a most-coveted spot in the San Pellegrino’s list of the best 50 restaurants in the planet. Of course, the credit is given to its staff for providing an excellent service, but the most credit is given to its head chef, Chef Seiji Yamamoto for creating delectable and highly creative dishes.

Chef Yamamoto was born on 1970 in Kagawa, Japan. His first steps in the culinary profession started when he was a very young boy. He first started out to cook for his mother, whom he wanted to impress; and impress her he did. With her encouragement, he went to Chef Hirohisa Koyoma and became his apprentice for 11 years. At Chef Koyoma’s Aoyagi, he learned the secrets and the art of cooking and became a master in preparing bona fide Japanese cuisine. He has perfected the basic culinary techniques of cooking traditional Japanese dishes and have began to create a name for himself in the Japanese culinary world.

After he completed his training, he finally decided to open his own restaurant in 2003 at the age of 33 years old. Chef Yamamoto called it Nihonryori RyuGin. His restaurant, located in Roppongi, created only a moderate buzz in the local scene, but it began receiving praises and positive feedback from some of the best western chefs.

Although the business was slow at first, the momentum soon grew that it began attracting more and more local gourmands, aside from the tourists. Pretty soon, his restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 2007, and in 2010, it received its second Michelin star as well as a spot in the San Pellegrino list.

He is well-known in the area as a very innovative and very creative dish. His culinary methods are so advanced that few can copy his techniques. When some chefs find it hard to debone an eel even with the use of traditional knife techniques in removing very fine fish bones, Chef Yamamoto devised a way to make deboning an eel easy. With the use of modern medical technology, he had an eel CT scanned to get a good look at its anatomy. From what he has seen and learned from its anatomy, Chef Yamamoto developed a way to carve the flesh from the bone in a very precise manner that he could even craft chrysanthemum flowers out of it.

His culinary skill has also allowed him to be very creative in creating never-before-seen presentations. Take for example his molecular morsels. He is probably the only chef who can create a delicate QR barcode from squid ink. Chef Yamamoto has the knack for using ultra-modern culinary techniques in creating bizarre yet very delectable cuisine.

Right now, Chef Yamamoto is very active in the culinary world. Aside from creating the most innovative cuisine, he also participates in several national and international forums. He is also oftentimes invited by culinary schools to give speeches and lessons on modern culinary techniques. It is in his vision to make a big name for the Japanese cuisine, and, in fact, he never fails to promote their native dish.

Image Credit: italiaatavola.net

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