********** Yoshinori Ishii Executive chef of Japanese restaurant UMU in London ******************

------------------ 英国の日本料理店 UMU 総料理長 石井義典 のつれづれなる話 ------------



Friday 23 March 2012

Spring in Mayfairメイフェアの春

Beautiful spring sunlight started to shine through the clouds that have been covering the sky for many unbearable months, and I spotted on the way to work the daffodil and the crocus began blooming in Berkeley Square, which makes me start warming up inside despite some still occasional cold cloudy days.
The menu at Umu has also been renewed to welcome the spring and is full of seasonal ingredients such as red mullet and arctic char from Cornwall, wild garlic and morel mushrooms which grew in a stream, the live sea urchins that arrive from France and Iceland are still beautifully shaped and full of flavour, and last but not least, locally raised asparagus brings high spirits with its spring greenness to both me and the menu.
来る日も来る日も曇り空の続いたロンドンにも、ようやく春の日差しが見られるようになってきました。まだまだ寒い日もありますが、通勤途中に歩くバークレイスクエアの芝生の中に咲く水仙やクロッカスを見ると心が和らぎます。
 UMUでもメニューは春のメニューに変わり、Cornwallから届く脂の乗ったヒメジや北極イワナ、どこかの沢で取れた行者ニンニクや編み笠茸などが登場しています。フランスやアイスランドから届く生きた雲丹もまだまだ粒が揃って美味しさが続いています。近郊で育てられたアスパラガスが届くのも楽しみです。