Luxury Hospitality Magazine speaks with Chef Daisuke Hayashi’s about Roketsu Restaurant
Firstly, thank you for taking the time to speak with us, could you please tell us about your journey into the industry?
When I was a child, I went fishing every week with my father and we would cook the fish that we caught. It was here that I started to enjoy cooking and learnt how to cook fresh ingredients.
How long have you been working at the Roketsu Restaurant, and what do you love most about it?
I’ve been working at Roketsu from the very beginning. I decided I wanted to open Roketsu and offer authentic Japanese cuisine abroad providing guests with an authentic Japanese dining experience.
What is your signature cooking style?
My cooking style is one that expresses the seasons by making the most of the seasonal ingredients. The heart of Kaiseki cuisine is the Dashi (stock) which is made from dried fish, and it is this that is considered the most important element of Japanese cuisine.
Where is the restaurant located and does the menu focus on traditional Japanese Cuisine?
Roketsu is based in Marylebone, London, and focuses on traditional Japanese Cuisine.
What is Kaiseki dining?
Kaiseki dining is a meal in which seasonal ingredients are served in accordance with the formulas of Japanese cuisine, allowing the customer to experience the seasons through each dish.
How does the menu change monthly?
We use seasonal ingredients and structure them in a balanced way within the formulas of kaiseki cuisine.
How do you change your dishes dependent upon seasons?
Our menu changes monthly to express the freshness and seasonality of the local ingredients.
Why do you only have a small number of diners per evening?
We want to offer food and service that is attentive to our eyes.
What experience do you feel you provide to your guests?
We offer guests a sensory experience. We believe that we can truly enjoy the time and atmosphere without thinking about the means. We don’t need words to establish a heart-to-heart conversation and understand each other, we can do this through the joy of food. This is the ethos at the heart of the experience we would like to create and the reason why we named the restaurant “Roketsu”.
Tell us why everyone needs to add the Roketsu Restaurant to their must visit lists
Roketsu is a genuine Japanese restaurant and was one of the first Kaiseki restaurants to open in the UK. Kaiseki courses are made with meticulous attention to detail from the intricate flavours extracted from seasonal ingredients, aesthetics of each dish and portion sizes to ensure there are no waste.