Dinner at Celaravird runs to a strict schedule. At 6:30 p.m., guests start to converge on the restaurant. Some climb out of taxis; others make the uphill hike from the nearby train station. By 6:45 they are expected to be at their tables, the buzz of anticipation growing as preprandial drinks are served. Then promptly at 7 p.m., the meal begins. It's show time.
Chef Koichi Hashimoto's creative cooking is like an interactive performance, in a setting that is always easygoing and relaxed. He offers only one tasting menu — a sophisticated multicourse meal that unfolds for up to three hours — and there is only one sitting each evening.
You need only glance at Hashimoto's compact open kitchen to understand why: Space is at a premium and his crew have to clear the equipment for each course before embarking on the next. But there is another reason: He doesn't want to spoil the element of surprise.