The owner-chef cut his teeth in the counter kappo trade. There, he learned that a counter chef must be able to respond spontaneously to customer requests. Menus are omakase, but with plenty of flexibility to accommodate preferences. His Kyoto experience shines in his use of Kyoto vegetables and in soup stock of Rishiri kombu kelp and dried bonito flakes. Seasonal small hotpots are well worth the wait: flower of Japanese pepper in spring, pike conger in summer; Matsutake mushrooms in autumn and wild boar in winter.