In the remote mountains northeast of Nagoya, Japan, two Michelin-starred Yanagiya is famous for its traditional irori cuisine and for serving wild meats.
However, according to third-generation chef-patron Masashi Yamada, this was born out of tradition. "Our restaurant has been open for 74 years and we want to keep this charcoal grill style for the next generation while expanding to other countries as well. Irori used to be in every single house in the old days. Now, when life has become more convenient, it has died out. My grandmother and father believed that the charcoal grill style was the best way to cook food. Hence at Yanagiya, we promote this style of cooking," says the Japanese chef, whose favourite kitchen tool is the skewer.
Yamada's grandmother started Yanagiya when transport was not as advanced as it is today, especially in the rural areas. "Hence produce was hard to find, especially if they were in other places. You had to live off what was available in the surrounding areas. My grandmother got in touch with hunters and fishermen to supply Yanagiya. My father wanted to use only wild animals and wild fish as he wanted to continue the tradition that my grandmother started," he explains.
Yanagiya, which rose to international fame when it received the highest-ever ranking on the elite Japanese rating site, Tablelog, is famous for its wild meat menu. "We serve wild boar, deer and bear. Yanagiya is in the countryside and there are a lot of hunters around who supply us with these meats."
However, at Yamada's sister restaurant and the only branch outside of Japan, Bangkok's Shun By Yanagiya, the menu is not as wild -- even when he cooked special dinners in March.
Masashi Yamada at his Bangkok restaurant Shun By Yanagiya. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)
"Nowadays, people are trying not to kill bears but the wild boar and deer populations are expanding and the Japanese government is allowing hunting. The problem is that they destroy the flora around, so it's open season," says Yamada.
The extremely localised menu is not only affected by moral conscience but also the dreaded "C" words -- climate change. "The change in weather patterns also change the seasons when these animals are hunted. Our winters are not as cold as they used to be, though it still hasn't affected us as much. We serve duck that can be hunted only from November to February. We also serve meats that are in season. Our big menu changes every season, four times a year," says Yamada, whose favourite ingredient is the wild duck.
Despite serving wild meats, Yamada has been deer hunting only twice and it was when he was a student in Oregon, the US. "I have never hunted in Japan because I don't have a gun license," he states. Deer is also his favourite meat, he says, because the "tenderloin is very soft and it doesn't have a gamey smell if cooked right".
Yanagiya has a signature dish each season. "January and February is a good time for wild duck and the spring is good for wild trout. In the summer, wild unagi or wild freshwater eel is very good. It comes to us freshly caught from the Nagara River in the city of Guj, which is also in Gifu. Autumn is good for wild mushrooms and the winter is good for deer, bears and wild boar."
Surprisingly what is not on the menu at Yanagiya is Japanese wagyu. And it all comes down to a matter of taste. "Wagyu has a lot of fat and is very soft but has no real flavour. No real meat flavour. The texture is also a bit hard when you chew so we have never used it and I don't intend to. My favourite beef in Japan is Hida, which is from my prefecture. It doesn't have a lot of fat," stresses Yamada.
Yanagiya.
Perhaps an insider's secret is that Yamada is also extremely partial to virgin wild boar. "The hunters can tell if the boars are virgins or not," he laughs. "The female virgin wild boar has softer meat and is fat. It also has a very nice texture. Meanwhile, non-virgins have slightly tougher meat. We are always trying to use young, female wild boars. They are the best tasting."
A signature at Yanagiya is its soy and ginger sauce, which has been made in the same clay pot for the last 74 years. "We have the word called 'mottainai', which loosely means 'wasteful'. Our policy at Yanagiya is that nothing is wasteful and nothing goes to waste," he stressed.
Yamada's favourite food is wild unagi "because I can get power from the meat", he said frankly. Till date, 90% of his produce comes from Gifu, though a few vegetables are sourced from nearby prefectures. "We have farmers that grow vegetables just for us, like green onions, daikons, eggplants and tomatoes in the summer.
Getting a reservation at Yanagiya is hard and until a few years ago, it followed the "ichigensan okotowari" principle, which means that diners could only visit if they were invited by regular patrons. No first-time customers. There is a good reason for that points out Yamada.
"Yanagiya has only six irori rooms and we don't take more than one seating for lunch and dinner. This means only 12 people can make reservations at any given time. When I was young, my dad was the only chef and it was better for him to stick to regular diners. Now we are open for new customers but only on weekdays. On weekends, we are still partial to our regular customers. Now my mum and brothers cook too. At times, my wife, son and my sister-in-law help out also."
What makes dining here so special is that each of the four rooms comes with its own chef. "We want to keep our customers happy. Many have been coming here for years. It is not about having a full restaurant, it is about having a seat at the table for our loyal patrons."
Yanagiya.
