KYOTO--Visitors to the Summer Olympics this year in London can dine on the equivalent of gold medal-winning cuisine provided by a venerable Kyoto restaurant.
Ever since Michelin came out with a Kansai edition of its prestigious restaurant guidebook in 2009, Kikunoi, which will open a branch in London in June, has received the highest ranking of three stars for three straight years.
The decision by Kikunoi is based on the growing popularity of Japanese cuisine in Europe because it is said to be good for one's health.
"I hope there are more efforts to open up branches overseas in order to help the world understand how wonderful Japanese cuisine is," said Yoshihiro Murata, chef and owner of Kikunoi restaurant, which was established in 1912.
Restaurant officials were approached about the possibility of opening a London branch before the start of the Summer Olympics by officials of a company with a base in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Restaurant officials said it was rare for a high-end Kyoto restaurant to open a branch overseas. Murata, 60, is also chairman of the Japanese Culinary Academy, a nonprofit organization that seeks to expand Japanese cooking around the world.
According to Murata, the branch will be opened in a site of about 330 square meters on the first floor of a building in London's financial district known as the City. The restaurant outlet will have 130 seats, and Kikunoi will send chefs from its main outlet in Kyoto's Higashiyama Ward.
- « Prev
- 1
- Next »
