Kajitsu

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
August 20, 2009

KAISEKI MENU
414 E 9th St
(1st Ave & Ave A)
New York, NY 10009
212-228-4873

Dickson Chin

Kajitsu is the best culinary gift to the City this year. Opened in March in the East Village, it’s my favorite new restaurant. I eat Japanese almost daily, and there’s no other Japanese restaurant of this caliber serving real kaiseki ryori in New York. I’ve had four meals there in five weeks! The subtlety and attention to detail alone are outstanding from countertops and tabletops made of wood hundreds of years old to the thinness of the glassware, the delicate knife work of Chef Masato Nishihara, the artful composition of each dish, and the understated but attentive service.

Kajitsu specializes in Shojin cuisine — vegetarian dishes evolved from Zen Buddhist tradition. I must confess, when I think vegetarian restaurant, my initial reaction is apprehension. But the seasonal vegetables, herbs, legumes, seeds and grains at Kajitsu are so refreshing and their flavors so distinct that I never miss the meat. After every meal at Kajitsu, I feel cleansed, not something I can usually say about course meals. Even the deep-fried foods are light and crisp with no trace of grease. The meal is like a journey to Kyoto, conjuring the poetic beauty of Japan’s ancient capital, bringing with it all its refinement and tranquility, feeding my nostalgia for the place where I studied years ago.

The monthly menu offers two options: the four-course kaze (wind) and the eight-course hana (flower), which includes two more courses (one being homemade soba) plus dessert and matcha (green tea). Chef Nishihara’s last post in Japan was at a soba kaiseki restaurant where the buckwheat noodles were handmade, so he continues the tradition here. He’s also trained in tea ceremony and flower arrangement. At the end of the hana meal, it’s a pleasure to watch him make the matcha with all the elegance and orchestrated movements of a traditional tea ceremony, so make sure to sit in the front room.

Here are some highlights from the past two months’ menus:

Celia Cheng

The clear broth with layers of shredded red, white and green cabbage was delectable. I never understand how the Japanese make clear broth so flavorful, this one abundant with yuzu aroma. The mixture of shredded cabbages in a jelly tower culminated in a beautiful purple shade, topped with flower-shaped okra slices. Thin summer noodles accented the dish as all parts worked in unison to create balance.

Kajitsu’s specialty is fu, wheat gluten common in vegetarian cuisine, as the restaurant was opened by the third generation owner of the 130-year-old fu shop in Kyoto, Fuka. Fu is pure gluten that becomes spongy when left standing at room temperature. Fennel and potato croquettes coated with crushed rice crackers, grilled fava beans, mushrooms and eggplants, plus nama-fu — a wheat gluten and rice powder blend that’s soft and smooth like mochi — sautéed with teriyaki sauce was last month’s unforgettable entrée. The croquettes were deep-fried to perfection, and the crushed rice cracker added texture to the crunchy outer crust, while the fennel and potato purée inside was smooth. The nama-fu with teriyaki sauce was by far the richest flavor of the meal, and the grilled vegetables were simple and pure.

Dickson Chin

My favorite item on this month’s menu — perfect in peak root vegetable season — is the red daikon and kohlrabi with white miso in a chilled celery root soup. A thin slice of red daikon like the red sun on the Japanese flag is the centerpiece of the soup set atop fine pieces of kohlrabi. The white miso makes the texture of the soup lighter than those made with milk. With its subtle mix of vegetables, it’s a refreshing dish that cuts the August heat.

Along with the matcha served by the chef come tea sweets in the shape of Kajitsu’s logo — a square, triangle, and circle — made by different specialty wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) stores in Kyoto.

Besides the excellent, refined cuisine, the service is also impressive. On my first visit, I mentioned my allergy to yama imo (Japanese mountain yam), and Chef Nishihara warned that though there was no yama imo in the dishes, one dish contained nagaimo, a relative of the evil yam. When Kajitsu called to confirm my second dinner reservation, they asked if I’d like some slight modifications to the menu since it was my second visit in the same month, and that they had duly noted my allergies from the first visit. Now that’s professional service — keeping one step ahead.

One of the most exciting things about Kajitsu is that it’s reasonably priced. It’s almost inconceivable that you can find this quality in craftsmanship, service and atmosphere at the price point they offer: $50 for the kaze menu and $70 for the hana. And that’s why I look forward to next month’s menu, as well as the menus for all the months to come.

Also in East Village, Japanese, Vegetarian