Frieze Masters

Frieze Masters

Frieze Art Fair, the globally well-known event among the world of modern art, was held at Regent’s Park from 9^th to 14^th of October. Umu had a temporary pop-up branch at Frieze Masters, the site of comparatively exclusive exhibition secluded from the main event.

I must admit, since we received the request in opening pop-up few months ago, I’ve felt a tad of agitation from having to cater for such renowned event, also considering our rather small-sized team and this event being first huge opportunity since the Davos meeting last year. However, in spite of my concerns, we accomplished great success in credit to every member of my team who started the preparation a month back and those who came to help at the event from our sister restaurants of MARC.

During this exhausting week, some staff voluntarily helped at the main restaurant after working non-stop from dawn to evening at the site of event, or some selflessly gave up their day off to come join us at the event to support. The energetic faces of dedicated staff despite their hard schedule were very memorable and impressive.

To all the staff who worked hard and well in unfamiliar environment, to those who maintained the standard of Umu at the main restaurant even with shortage of hands, I would like to say massive thank you to all the people were involved in achieving this huge success.

１０月９日から１４日にかけて、リージェントパークでFrieze art fairが開催されました。近代アートの世界では世界的に有名になったFriezeのフェアーですが、その中でもよりハイクラスな出展がされる別会場、Frieze MasterにUMUはポップアップレストランとして出店しました。

数ヶ月前に依頼があってから、UMUにとっても昨年のダボス会議以来の大きなイベントとなり、小さなレストランでの大きなケータリングは不安で一杯でしたが、約１ヶ月前からスタッフ総動員で用意し、Marcの姉妹レストランで働く多くのスタッフや、臨時で手伝いに来てくれた人達に助けられ、大成功に終わることができました。

早朝、まだ暗いうちから夕方までノンストップでイベント会場で働き、そのままUMUに戻って夜の営業を深夜までこなしたり、休日返上で手伝いに来るスタッフの生き生きとした顔がとても印象的でした。

イベント会場で奮闘してくれたスタッフ、少ない人数で通常と全く変わらないサービスをUMUで続けていてくれたスタッフ、全てのUMUのスタッフに感謝、感謝の１週間でした。

White Truffle ホワイトトリュフ

The time of the year for white truffle to be at its peak and enjoyable to its full potential is here again.

A few of the culinary delights have arrived from a pedlar in Alba, Italy, and it only takes a couple to fill the restaurant with rich, unique aroma.

Served with Scottish lobster, Mediterranean fatty tuna or Australian wagyu beef, the combinations may be considered slightly conventional but the feedbacks from guests could not be better so far.

This heavenly season of white truffle comes and goes in a blink but let’s not forget the arrival of black truffle that follows. 

今年もホワイトトリュフを本格的に使う季節となりました。

ItaliaのAlbaの行商人から届くトリュフは数個お店にあるだけで客席中がトリュフの香でいっぱいになります。

スコットランドのロブスター、地中海のとろ、オーストラリアの和牛など、どれもオーソドックスなものとの組み合わせですが、とても好評を頂いています。

ホワイトトリュフのいい時期はあっという間に過ぎ去ってしまいますが、その後に続く黒トリュフもとても楽しみです。

From Bizen,備前から

The tableware I ordered last year has arrived from Mr So Isezaki, a ceramic artist based in Bizen.

Bizen-ware (Bizen yaki) is one of my most favourite types of traditional Japanese pottery – or it may be THE most favourite – and a monthly visit to the city of its origin used to be my routine while I was living in Kyoto. Out of the ambition to create my own, I began searching for a ceramist who would open-mindedly help me with kilning, and after 3 years of exhausting search, I finally came across with an artist I could feel connected to: It was late Mr Mitsuru Isezaki.

 The instant bonding began when I knocked on the door of a straw-thatched atelier of his by a strem after sympathizing with his desperate desire to preserve the nature around the stream, which was expressed on a handmade sign outside his workshop. Through my frequent visits, we became more understanding of each other, and also by sharing numbers of same interests and hobbies with his son, Mr So, the visit soon became my habitude.

Last year, I gave him a call after a long silence, hoping to ask him a favour to participate in creating new tableware for Umu, and it was only then that I learned he had passed away. I cannot begin to explain how much I regret for not getting in touch with him sooner. I still recall his smile when he stopped his hands from work to have a chat with me.

As for the tableware I requested, Mr So kindly offered to create them himself. The series of ceramics mainly comprises rectangular shaped plates for my taste (called Ita-zara/Manaita-zara in Japanese), and they have been finished kiln-baked in small batches since I ordered last year. When I received the ceramics, I was overwhelmed with its astonishing finish and the sentimentality I felt for Bizen. I already enjoy using them for our main dishes and I find joy in decorating them into a presentation of authentic Japanese culinary. 

Recently, Mr Ishida, a ceramic artist who also based in Bizen and I have been introduced by Mr So, came all the way to my flat to lecture me how to handle Rokuro (a pottery wheel). After many hours of training, I gained the knowledge which cannot be grasped by self-learning, and moreover I was enchanted by peeping into the insight of the wider field of ceramic art.

 

 備前から

備前の陶芸家、伊勢崎創さんから去年注文した皿が届きました。

備前焼は日本の伝統ある陶器の町の中でも最もと言っていいぐらい私が好きな焼き物で、京都で暮らしていたきは毎月のように車で通いました。自分で作ってみたいという思いから陶芸家を探していた時、3年ほどかかってやっと気持ちが通じたのが創さんのお父さんである故伊勢崎満さんでした。小川沿いにある、藁ぶき屋根の工房の戸口に“川の自然を守りたい”という思いがつづられた色紙がかかっており、それに共感してお話を伺ったのがきっかけでした。それからお宅に通ううちに、一緒に陶芸をされていた息子さん達とも釣りの話などで盛り上がり、いつも伺うのが楽しみでした。

昨年、ＵＭＵで使う食器を依頼するために久しぶりのお電話をしたときに満さんの訃報を聞き、しばらく連絡をしていなかったことが悔やまれました。土を触る手を休めてお話をされるときの優しい笑顔が偲ばれます。

食器は代わりに創さんが作ってくださるとのことで、ＵＭＵに合わせた私の好みの板皿と俎板皿を去年お願いしてから、幾度かの窯焚きに分けて焼いてくださいました。手元に届いたときはその素晴らしい出来栄えと、備前への懐かしさとで嬉しい限りでした。すでにＵＭＵでもメインになる皿を盛る時に第一線で楽しみながら使っています。

昨日、創さんからのご紹介で同じ備前の陶芸家の石田君が轆轤を教えに私のフラットに来てくれました。数時間にわたる特訓により、今まで独学のみで不思議に思っていたことなどが理解できるようになっただけでなく、陶芸にまつわる多くの話が聞くことができ、楽しい時間が過ごせました。

Petit renewal プチリニューアル

In September, Umu reached the 8^th anniversary and has undergone few refurbishments for renewal.  

The distribution system to receive fish, which is preserved in the special method I mentioned here before, finally started to operate smoothly. The stabilization of fresh fish supply, and also better understanding in great food resources of Europe, resulted in significant changes to our menu. Our a la carte menu, which had been firmly fixed throughout a year unlike the Kaiseki tasting menu, became more reflected on daily market availability to include fresher, more seasonal fish. The presentation of menu itself has changed in its style to imitate Japanese scroll, and I personally prepared the background with watercolour painting. I was also aiming to replace the series of tableware completely to comprise only my own ceramics, the ones made by a familiar artist upon my request or organic British slates, however, as suspected, my amateurish creation did not go according to the plan and we started off with a limited selection.  

Removing black cod – one of the most popular dishes – from the menu, and instead concentrated on the ingredients by being particular about their origins and quality, I could say we have created the menu most suitable for the character of Umu.

 

  

9月に入り、オープンしてから6年が経つＵＭＵでは幾つかのリニューアルがされました。

ようやく活けじめの魚が漁師からコンスタントに直接届くシステムを軌道に乗せることが出来たことと、欧州の素晴らしい食材の事情が分かったことからメニューを大幅に刷新しました。懐石のコースメニュー以外はほぼ固定だったメニューを、より市場を反映したものにし、その日に漁で獲れたもの、より季節を反映させたものを日替わりで載せられるようにしました。そのメニューの台紙も日本の“巻紙”をイメージし、下絵を水彩画でしたためました。

食器も9月からほとんどの食器を自作のもの、知り合いの作陶家に依頼したもの、英国の自然からできるスレートなどのもので揃えたかったのですが、素人の私の作陶がそれほど思うように行くわけもなく、ごく限られたものからのスタートとなりました。

今までベストセラーの一つであった銀ダラなどをあえてメニューから外し、より地元で取れた最高の食材にこだわった、ＵＭＵらしいメニューになったと思います。

 

London 2012 ロンドンオリンピック

As the city got excited and enthusiastic for London 2012 and prepared for chaos that might be brought together with this global festival, Umu also got ready by planning ahead meticulously, adjusting menus and securing ingredients. Nonetheless, contrary to everyone’s expectation, the city became deserted as the games had begun and its severeness was even widely broadcasted. 

As much as we appreciated visits from the event’s contributors and athletes and they sure did put us in better mood at the restaurant, we also firmly persisted on keeping our style/motto which is to value every single guest on daily basis, by not excessively attending special events. In other words, we are having our usual summer here.

 Meanwhile, Ms. Midori Endo, a ceramic artist of Bernard Leach Pottery who I have mentioned few times in this blog, kindly made time out of her busy schedule to help firing my creation of ceramics so I had a quick, brief day trip to St. Ives in very limited time. I cannot thank her enough fro finishing up to the very last touch of my ceramic works in significantly short period of time, even though all the while, she had preparation for her own exhibition at Takashimaya, Nihonbashi (renowned department store in Tokyo) as well as her duties in working with Mr. Jack Doherty, a chief potter at Leach Pottery. Moreover, she generously delivered back part of the finished ceramics all the way to London in person, just a day before her flight back to Japan.

 Also I found some time fro myself to photograph new ideas of food presentations on newly made dishes, together with some of Ms. Midori’s works I have borrowed. This was my first attempt to use soda-fired potteries, a speciality method of Ms. Midori/Leach pottery, for purpose of food arrangement. Regardless to slight struggle in combining foods and the unique ceramics into beautiful unison, I had very blissful time.  

While the world is experiencing the fever and excitement of the Olympic game, at Umu we are experiencing rather typical relaxing summer ‘12.　　 

大混雑が予想され、ロンドン中が大騒ぎになっていたオリンピック開始前、当店でもスケジュールやメニューの調整、材料の確保に追われましたが、始まってみると予想に反して街の中心はゴーストタウン化してしまったことは報道でも大きく取り上げられていました。 

  
ＵＭＵにも多くの関係者や選手の方がいらっしゃり、ムードは高まっていましたが、日常を崩さず、お店に来られるお客様を大切にするというスタンスは変えまいと特別なイベントには基本的には参加しませんでしたので結果的には普段の夏とあまり変わらないといった感じです。

さんの手伝いが控えていながら、ほとんど寝る間も無く短期間で全てをこなしてくださり、感謝感激です！日本に帰られる前の日に、わざわざロンドンまで完成品の一部を届けてくれました。そんな中、バーナード．リーチ工房で活動されている遠藤みどりさんが私の形作った食器の焼成を忙しい合間を縫ってやってくださることとなり、ほとんど日帰り状態でセントアイビスを往復してきました。みどりさんは日本橋高島屋での自らの個展と主任陶芸家であるJack Doherty

みどりさんの作品も一部お借りし、時間を見つけて料理を盛り付けて写真の撮影もしました。リーチ工房、みどりさんの用いる特殊な技法である“ソーダ釉”の独特な風合いは今まで料理では使ったことが無かったので写真撮りも少々苦労しましたが楽しい時間でした。

世界がオリンピックで沸く中、ＵＭＵはいつもと変わらない夏です。