Have you ever wanted to know what it’s like to dine like royalty? Japanese cuisine offers an opportunity to do so to those of us who weren’t fortunate enough to be born into the appropriate bloodline. The kaiseki meal, a traditional Japanese multi-course dinner, was once reserved for emperors, but now you too can experience it without even having to travel to Japan. The word kaiseki can actually have two meanings. The first, often referred to as cha-kaiseki, or “tea” kaiseki, refers to a simple, austere meal that originated as an accompaniment to the Japanese tea ceremony. It was thought that the inclusion of food might help to improve the flavor of the tea. Literally, the characters used to write “kaiseki” when referring to this type of meal translate to “stone in robe.” Legend has it that monks would carry heated stones in the folds of their robes to warm their bellies and soothe their pangs of hunger. The other translation of kaiseki is “cuisine for a get-together”–the more formal meal derived from the tea ceremony. Prepared by highly skilled chefs, kaiseki is an art form that features fresh, seasonal and local ingredients and highlights the taste, texture, appearance and colors of the food. Kaiseki began as a soup followed by three side dishes, but throughout its evolution it has grown to include many other dishes, some of which, like soup, are always present, while the inclusion or substitution of others is at the discretion of the chef.
Kaiseki can be found in Japan at high-end restaurants as well as in ryokan, traditional Japanese inns. If Japan is not in your travel plans for this month, you can experience kaiseki right here in Phoenix. Roka Akor’s kaiseki menu is available nightly for $68 per person. The seven-course menu changes monthly, so be sure to visit our website to see what we’re serving this month. There is a two-person minimum when ordering the kaiseki menu, and it must be ordered by the entire table. Make your reservation today for a truly regal dining experience- call (480)306-8800 or visit OpenTable.com.