In the ancient city of Kamakura, a traditional Japanese house built in 1855 has been fully renovated into a traditional Japanese house hotel.Kamakura KokonThe warm lights of "Kamakura Cocon" are lit, and preparations begin for a peaceful night!
Escape the hustle and bustle of Kamakura, and enjoy the tranquility of a detached house in a historic residential area—this will be the perfect place for adults to spend a peaceful moment of relaxation!
This stay includes a lodging plan that includes dinner at "Restaurant Cocon," an Italian restaurant that opened on the premises at the same time, so dinner time is something you've been looking forward to!
The restaurant is a famous natural food restaurant in Yamagata, an Italian restaurant.Al Checciano(Al che-cciano)Masayuki OkudaUnder the supervision of a chef, the restaurant offers healthy Italian cuisine that brings out the best of local ingredients, focusing on carefully selected Kamakura vegetables and fresh seafood from Sagami Bay, using simple and healthy cooking methods. While lunch and dinner are by reservation only, the restaurant is also open to the general public!
The space, imbued with the weight of the magnificent pillars and beams that remain from the time of its construction in 1855, feels like a guardian spirit that has watched over this residence for 163 years, and has been reborn as a restaurant with a peaceful atmosphere!
With only 10 counter seats and an open kitchen, each guest is in close proximity to the chef, creating an ideal setting where you can enjoy a lively performance as each dish is prepared!
That evening, we left the selection to the sommelier, asking them to choose pairings to match the course meal, and we started with Champagne!
Right next to me was a lovely couple: a handsome Frenchman and a charming Japanese woman. I couldn't help but think to myself, "Ah, even the customers in Kamakura are wonderful!" (laughs)
[Restaurant COCON Dinner × Pairing Set]
① Organic Carrot Mousse × François Moutard Brut Blanc de Noirs
The Kamakura carrot mousse is topped with consommé jelly and fresh sea urchin.
The core of the carrots is removed, and they are slowly roasted, turning them occasionally to prevent burning, before being made into a coarse mousse. The mousse is made without any salt or sugar, and the saltiness of the fresh sea urchin provides a nice accent, allowing you to enjoy the natural sweetness and flavor of the carrots themselves, which are not overpowered by the aroma and richness of the sea urchin!
② "Hokkaido-grown asparagus and Hime-sama eggs" × "Querbach Edition Riesling 2008"
Green asparagus from Hokkaido is coated with "Hime-sama no Tamago" eggs, known for their rich flavor and sweetness, along with sulfur-scented salt, caviar, and truffle oil, and served with a puree of petit vert and rapeseed blossoms!
"Princess Eggs" are special eggs from chickens raised by "Iwasawa Poultry" on the Miura Peninsula. These chickens are raised free-range at their own farm to minimize stress and are called "Princesses." 1 egg for 100 yen!
The princess, who is raised with great care, is fed only the finest ingredients: fresh seasonal "Miura vegetables" sourced in partnership with local farmers, sun-dried, mineral-rich freshly harvested "seaweed," and "Misaki tuna powder" which is added to the fish meal to give it a rich flavor.
They are given "Jiyoso" to bring out the umami and eliminate any unpleasant odors, 100% Hiroshima-grown "oyster shells" to strengthen the shells, and "natural paprika" to make the yolks even more vibrant! There's no way those eggs wouldn't be delicious!
The accompanying vegetables include green peas, broad beans, and green beans, as well as "Marmelas," a rare vegetable grown exclusively in Japan by Mr. Furuhashi, who is known as a bean expert in Shizuoka.
Despite being a local Shizuoka vegetable, this was my first time trying "Marmelas," and it was a delicious bean with a pleasant, crisp texture and a hint of sweetness!
For this appetizer, we recommend pairing it with a Riesling that offers a fresh, vibrant acidity and beautiful minerality, resulting in a very refreshing yet elegantly mature wine with just the right amount of body!
③ "Frozen Bluefin Tuna Sashimi" × "Rully Les Saint Jacques 2015 Francois D'allaines"
"Ruibe" is an Ainu word meaning "ru = to melt" and "ibe = food."
The Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido, would freeze raw salmon as a valuable preserved food during the harsh winters, and eat it little by little as sashimi or in hot pot dishes, letting it thaw over time. This dish, however, is made by coating bluefin tuna in kataifi pastry and deep-frying it, then combining it with a chrysanthemum green puree. It's a unique dish that offers a delightful contrast of crispy exterior and a cold, frozen interior!
Here, we'll enjoy a Chardonnay with a refreshing and soft aroma, clean acidity, and abundant, clear minerality free of any off-flavors, resulting in a crisp and pleasant taste!
④ "Sweet sea bream and clams" × "Denshu Yamahai-style Special Junmai Sake"
Grilled sea bream with its scales intact, clams simmered until tender in clam jus, and served with fried burdock root and Italian parsley!
We paired this with sake, specifically a renowned sake from Nishida Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. in Aomori Prefecture. This yamahai-style sake has a rich flavor yet a clean finish, making it a truly satisfying drink!
⑤ "Cocon Mini Square Bread"
The restaurant's original mini square bread is stylishly finished with the "Cocon" brand mark! A small chunk of salted butter is hidden inside when it's baked, so when you bite into it fresh, you can enjoy the rich, buttery flavor that bursts forth from the inside!
⑥ "Comparison of Herbal-Fed Beef" × "Bourgogne Rouge Cuvee Prestige 2016 Philippe Charlopin Parizot" and "Montecucco Rosso Scarafone 2014 Palmoletino"
This dish features beef from Sekimura Farm in Miyagi Prefecture, specially raised using herbal medicine. The beef is smoked in an earthenware pot with freshly harvested rice straw to create a fragrant aroma, and the dish allows you to compare two different cuts: misuji and tomosankaku!
When you open the lid of the pot, you'll find plump, perfectly cooked Wagyu beef, and the savory aroma will fill the air, whetting your appetite!
This Wagyu beef is raised on a diet of 14 kinds of herbal herbs, and its distinguishing feature is that the melting point of its beef fat is low at 22℃, resulting in high-quality fat that does not remain in the body and does not accumulate. Compared to typical Kuroge Wagyu beef, it contains 1.5 times more amino acids and twice as much glutamic acid, a flavor component, making it a healthy Wagyu beef that allows you to enjoy a concentrated umami flavor!
The elegant tomosankaku, with its moist, smooth texture and beautiful, fine marbling, and the misuji, with its rich flavor and bursting fat when you bite into it, are served with smoked salt to enhance their aroma even further!
The accompanying vegetables include wasabi greens and baby radish, served with a komatsuna puree and a Chateaubriand sauce infused with the aroma of tarragon!
To allow you to compare two different cuts of herbal-fed beef, two different wine pairings are also available!
Philippe Charlopin-Parizot, who was mentored by the late Henri Jayer and has a passionate following worldwide, pairs Pinot Noir with the finest fibers of the grape. This Burgundy Pinot Noir is characterized by its powerful yet elegant character, born from rich fruitiness and soft acidity!
For the juicy sirloin cut, pair it with a Tuscan wine that boasts a sweet and alluring aroma with hints of dried herbs and a touch of spice, offering the elegance of Sangiovese and the fruitiness of Cabernet Sauvignon!
⑦ "Organic Brown Rice Risotto" × "The Gyokuro Houjicha KAHO"
Organic brown rice is infused with the flavors of clams, whelks, and crab, then finished with three types of extra virgin olive oil to create a perfectly textured risotto. Large pieces of bamboo shoots and mountain udo, delicacies of the spring mountains, are added for textural contrast, and the dish is enjoyed with the bitterness of a puree of overwintered radish leaves and the aroma of sansho leaves!
The risotto, which also has a Japanese feel, is finished with hand-picked high-grade tea made from carefully selected tea leaves from Hoshino Village, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, a region known for its gyokuro tea production.ROYAL BLUE TEA (Premium Tea, Non-Alcoholic, Tea Ceremony Cha-En) Pair it with "ROYAL BLUE TEA / KAHO"!
"Royal Blue Tea," a premium tea packaged in a wine bottle and a popular gift item, is also available for purchase at the shop inside this lounge!
This "Gyokuro Hojicha" boasts a luxurious flavor created by advanced roasting techniques. Selected by tea master Shinya Yamaguchi, a 10th dan tea master, only the stems (karigane) from the first flush of gyokuro tea leaves are carefully chosen and roasted. The result is a light and gentle taste, free from bitterness or astringency, with a delicate, sweet, and mellow aroma that leaves you utterly captivated by its exquisite aftertaste!
⑧ "Shiso Granita" × "Rosehip Herbal Tea with Shiso Leaves"
A refreshing palate cleanser! Enjoy the aroma of shiso leaves in this granita, topped with fresh Mikan oranges for a delightful treat!
⑨ "Pistachio Terrine" × "Chateau de Malle 1996"
Inspired by opera, this pistachio terrine features hints of raspberry and white chocolate and is served with coconut sorbet!
For dessert, pair it with a noble rot wine made in a stately old castle, and a glass of Sauternes that is exquisite, sweet, and leaves a lingering finish like flower nectar!
⑩ "Cafe"
Enjoy your after-dinner coffee with three kinds of baked goods as small treats (snowball cookies, blueberry macarons, and matcha madeleines)!
This restaurant will be welcoming a new chef, Shinichi Ikeda, from April 26th (Friday), and will be completely redesigning its menu. Therefore, this dinner menu may not be very representative, but we hope it will give you a sense of the restaurant's atmosphere!
After enjoying a leisurely dinner, we returned to our room and soaked in the microbubble bath, which was available anytime, warming us to the core and providing the ultimate relaxation!
It's an extraordinary experience, yet enveloped in the tranquility of Japanese beauty, making you feel as comfortable as if you were in a private villa, as the quiet night deepens in Kamakura!
Kamakura Cocon
Address: 836 Nikaido, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
TEL: 0467-81-4435 (Phone reception hours: 9:00 - 18:00)
Restaurant Cocon
Opening hours: Lunch 12:00-14:00 (last order), Dinner 18:30-21:00 (last order)
*Reservations required by the day before.
Closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays
https://www.kamakura-cocon.jp/
