“Japan canbea little
boxedinwhenitcomes
totheir food,andwhat
we’redoinginTokyo
now has no box.”theculture.Japanis obsessedwithfood
and[itspeopleare]veryproudwhenan
outsiderwantstodiscovertheirfood
cultureandtheirproduce.”
Fromthere,Frebeltookwhathis
palatelearntand,alongwitha team
of 30 includingSydneysiderandformer
BennelongsouschefShuiIshizaka,
createdtheScandinavian-Japanese
dreamworldthatis Inua; hehandedover
thebulkoftheinteractionwithJapanese
supplierstotheteam’sJapanesespeakers.
(“Ican’tevencalla plumber!”saysFrebel.)
Thefood– servedas 12 or 14 courses–
sharestheNomanon-negotiablethatall
theingredientsmustbesourcedlocally
andseasonally,sothey’reascloseto
thatmythicalflavourpeakaspossible.
Whenit opened,Inua’smenuread
likeit hadbeengatheredthatveryday
froma particularlyabundantforestfloor
orpasture.Disheslikeagedandbraised
maitakemushroominpinedashiwith
saltedsakura,orNanatsuboshi rice, crisp
beesandwildflowers
wereFrebel’sway
ofbringinghisdiners
ascloseashecould
tothosepowerful
momentsofjust-
pickedperfection
thatheexperienced
onhistravels.The
restauranthasbeenworkingonitsnext
menu,whichwilllikelyincludea bouquet
offlavoursthatsoundasfreshonthe
pageastheyareontheplate,including
favabeans,driedfruits,marjoramand
smokedparsley,andnew-seasonpeas
cookedintheirownjuiceswithplum
kernelcreamandhabaneromiso.
Theteamis constantlyexperimenting
andinnovatingwiththebestwaytouse
theingredientstheytrackdown– in
factarounda quarterofInua’steam
at anytimeis focusedonresearchand
development.“Wejustfinisheda very
long-termproject– makingvegancheese
outoftofu,”saysFrebel,explainingthat
thisadventurewasIshizaka’sbaby.“We
founda waytocooksoyintoa semi-firm
tofuandthenbrineit infig-leafbrine
andinoculateit withcamembertspore.”
Therestaurantitselfis as much
ofanadventureas themenu,andguests
areinvitedtoexploreit as partoftheir
experience– a journey that begins beforeyouwalkinthefrontdoor.“Whenyou
arrive,you’veprobablybeenlookingforus
forfiveor 10 minutes,”Frebelsaysofthe
restaurant’sobscureentryat thebaseof
a ten-storeyofficebuilding.Fromthere
you’regreetedandledtotheninthfloor
totherestaurant,withitsmixofNorthern
EuropeanfurnishingsandJapanese
crockeryandtextiles.(Frebelfound
manyofhisJapaneseplate-makersand
otherartisansonInstagram;thatcursed
languagebarrieroncemoremakingit
mucheasiertofigurethingsoutvia
photographsthanwords).
Aftereating,youmightbetakenona
kitchentour,whereyou’dgettoseetwo
oftherestaurant’sthreekitchensinaction.
If youheadonefloordownyou’llfindthe
restaurant’svastfermentationchambers
andtestkitchenandperhapsbeoffereda
fewofthelatestcreationstotasteby“two
orthreecrazypeople”whowillbeworking
inthisspace,tryingtocomeupwithnew
things. If you’re stillintriguedbywhat
elsemightbehidden
inthisAlice-in-
Wonderlandrabbit
hole,youmightbe
ledbackuptothe
tenthfloortoa
morechilledarea
withhammocks
andviewsofthe
Tokyoskylinebeforereturningtothe
mainrestaurantforlastdrinks.“Fora lot
ofguests,thistourhelpsthemtobetter
understandwhatwe’redoing,”hesays.
“Japancanbea littleboxedinwhenit
comestotheirfood,andwhatwe’re
doinginTokyonowhasnobox.”
Becausehe’sconstantlyflexinghis
imagination,Frebelsayshe’sneverreally
“off”. Whenhecanhetakesa Sunday
awayfromwork,butmoreoftenthan
not,he– liketherestofhismanagement
team–useseverysparesecondtohead
backto thecountrysidetodiscover
a newmagicalingredientorprocess
toaddtohisrepertoire.
“Everythingwedois relatedto
therestaurant.Butthat’snotreallya
complaintbecausewegettoseemore
ofJapanthanevenmanyJapanese
wouldeversee.A lotofpeoplewouldpay
moneytodothis,andwecandoit and
callit work.Thosekiwiandamadokoro
moments? Those are why we came.”●Below:outside
Inua,Tokyo.
PREVIOUS
PAGESLeft:
plumleatherwith
fresharomatic
flowersatInua.
Right:chef
Thomas Frebel.
GOURMET TRAVELLER 59