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Melbourne masters of Japanese cuisine

Ruby Lohman

Koichi Minamishima at his Richmond restaurant.
Koichi Minamishima at his Richmond restaurant.Melissa Davis

Developed over centuries, Japanese cuisine is refined, elegant and deceptively simple. Chefs hone their skills for decades, perfecting dishes that showcase fresh, seasonal produce, and carefully balanced textures and flavours.

Melbourne is blessed with more than its fair share of great Japanese restaurants, each helmed by chefs who have mastered their art. We spoke to three top Japanese chefs to understand the craft behind their food.

The sushi master: Koichi Minamishima​

Seafood tartare at Kappo, where Kentaro Usami is a partner chef.
Seafood tartare at Kappo, where Kentaro Usami is a partner chef.Luis Ascui
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Minamishima is the Melbourne restaurant on everyone's lips this year, the sushi fine-diner taking out The Age Good Food Guide's Restaurant of the Year award in September.

Eponymous owner and chef Koichi Minamishima spent 15 years at Melbourne's renowned Kenzan (a role that has almost become a rite of passage for Melbourne-based Japanese chefs), before striking out on his own.

Hailing from Nagoya's Aichi prefecture, Minamishima was 20 when he landed his first job in a sushi restaurant.

Motomu Kumano launched his own venture, Komeyui Japanese Restaurant, in Port Melbourne in 2011.
Motomu Kumano launched his own venture, Komeyui Japanese Restaurant, in Port Melbourne in 2011.Supplied

"I had to learn all the basic skills, such as visiting the fish market with the sushi master, and cleaning and preparing the seafood," he says. "I also had to learn how to wash, cook and season the rice, and perfect the handgrips to create sushi rice balls for the nigiri."

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When it comes to sourcing produce, Minamishima uses only fresh and seasonal seafood from pristine oceans. The fish served in his restaurant comes from local Melbourne fish markets and Tsukiji​ market in Japan.

"Fresh seafood should smell like the ocean breeze," he says.

The finest sushi depends on skillful knife work, and Minamishima relies on his prized Sukenari​ fish knives. "Each type of seafood needs to be prepared and sliced differently and this comes down to the experience and skills of the sushi chef," he says.

But beyond fresh produce and deft knife skills, mastering the art of sushi demands absolute dedication to the craft.

"My philosophy, like many other traditional Japanese chefs, is to devote my life to perfecting the art of making sushi. I believe it is the dedication and obsession that makes Japanese cuisine so unique and special."

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The Melbourne veteran: Kentaro Usami​

For chef Kentaro Usami, simplicity is the key to Japanese cuisine: "The emphasis is on how best to capture and showcase the quality of fresh produce," he says.

Executive chef at Izakaya Den since 2009, Usami became a partner chef at sister eatery when it opened in late 2014. Kappo is an omakase-style restaurant (where a series of dishes are chosen by the chef), and has quickly claimed its spot as one of Melbourne's best.

Usami learnt the ropes as a sushi apprentice in Nagoya, before moving to Melbourne to join Kenzan in 1994. He then returned to Japan for two years, honing his skills and knowledge at Miyamasou, a 200-year-old restaurant in Kyoto.

Usami emphasises the importance of seasonality and provenance of produce, and says that selecting the right produce is fundamental.

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"Over the years we have established connections with certain suppliers who know their produce well," he says. "I also often go to the markets to check what is in season and in good quality."

When presenting dishes, Usami says balance and colour are key.

The storyteller: Motomu Kumano

Born in a small fishing town in Hokkaido, Motomu Kumano started cooking at 16. He attended one of Japan's top culinary schools and worked in Osaka's busiest and best restaurants.

In 2005, the chef moved to Melbourne to join Kenzan, and in 2011 launched his own venture, Komeyui Japanese Restaurant, in Port Melbourne.

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"The most important thing in Japanese cuisine is to take care of the ingredients and show them respect," says Kumano. "Japanese people also believe food is medicine, so we try to preserve the nutrition in ingredients."

Komeyui's signature ingredient is sea urchin (uni), sourced from Tasmania and NSW – a briny, delicate, highly coveted creature, which Kumano has seen become increasingly popular in Melbourne.

He points out that while freshness of seafood is vital, Japanese chefs age some fish to enhance their flavour. Tuna, for example, is generally aged for one to two weeks.

When it comes to food presentation, Kumano describes how each of his dishes tells a visual story, taking inspiration from nature. "When I present most dishes, I try to tell a story and achieve a flow, with elements representing a mountain, a river and an ocean."

This "flow" is also achieved through a careful balance of flavours. "I try to balance sour, salty and sweet on every dish," says Kumano.

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Above all, Kumano loves the simplicity and purity of Japanese cuisine, and the challenge that provides. "I'm always learning."

This article is sponsored by Kirin beer.

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