At its most elemental, cooking is experimentation: a bit of this, some of that, hey presto. In Japan, the experimentation is mostly confined to the kitchen. It's unlikely restaurants such as London's Dans le Noir, where diners eat in darkness sans phones, would take off here.
Fortunately at Tan, a new restaurant opened by Yuko Kuwamura, the doyenne of Kyoto cooking, the experimentation extends from the kitchen to the dining room, where there's only one table and patrons share plates. In one sense it's a small step, but to borrow a phrase, it's also a giant leap.
Tan takes its name from the Tango Peninsula on the Sea of Japan, where Kuwamura hails from. It's an area rich in agriculture and Kuwamura makes great use of the region's produce, not just at Tan, but also in her Michelin-starred Wakuden restaurants. At Tan, the menu is washoku, Japanese home-cooking. Chef Yasunori Kitajima, who apprenticed at Wakuden, runs the show at Tan, and thankfully doubles, when he's done cooking, as the conversation starter.