IYO Kaiseki opens autumn menu with owan of Manila clams
Milan, Italy
As the season turns, warmth becomes central to the experience. The opening course of IYO Kaiseki's new tasting menu arrives as an owan, a delicate broth that sets the tone for the journey ahead.
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The owan, that traditionally modest earthenware bowl, carries within it far more than its simple form suggests. At IYO Kaiseki, the autumn menu begins here, with Manila clams, enoki mushrooms and a broth drawn from mussels, each element chosen to announce the season’s arrival through taste rather than decoration.
This opening course embodies the philosophy underlying kaiseki itself: a sequence of carefully considered moments that build upon one another, each one revealing something new about ingredient, technique and the subtle art of restraint. The owan arrives warm to the hands, the dashi enveloping the palate with umami, that fifth taste that pulls the diner forward through the experience. Scent carries as much weight as flavour here. The marine notes rise from the bowl, mingling with the delicate earthiness of the enoki, their thin stems barely yielding to the spoon.
In Japanese dining, autumn demands particular attention. The season asks for warmth and comfort even as the air grows cool, for broths and preparations that acknowledge transition. The owan accomplishes this without fanfare. Its restraint is its eloquence. The cannolicchi, those small Manila clams prized for their sweet flesh, speak of coastal waters and careful sourcing. The enoki, cultivated for their pale, slender silhouette, add textural counterpoint. The mussel broth binds them together, its depth built through patient extraction rather than complicated technique.
This is how kaiseki distinguishes itself: not through abundance, but through precision. Each dish in the tasting menu that follows this opening course will build upon the foundation laid by the dashi’s umami, guiding the palate through an afternoon or evening of increasing complexity and subtle revelation. The owan functions as both welcome and prologue, setting expectation and appetite in equal measure.
IYO Kaiseki’s approach to the season’s menu reflects the Japanese understanding that luxury exists not in excess but in the clarity of a single idea executed with complete attention. The autumn tasting menu begins, as all kaiseki does, with recognition of what the season offers and the proper way to honour it.
Imagery courtesy of IYO Kaiseki (@iyo.kaiseki).
