Japanese kappo restaurants are defined as semi-formal dining spaces where the diners sit across the counter from the chefs, who’d serve them multi-course meals specially designed by the chefs themselves - a more “casual” form of a kaiseki meal. Kappo restaurants also tend to be small, cosy places, frequented by regulars.
Kappo by Arakawa is the newest kappo eatery in town, fronted by the affable Osaka-born Arakawa Seiichiro. It opened in early October 2020 - certainly not the best time to be starting an F&B business in view of the pandemic, and continuous lockdowns. I’d always marveled at London’s 3-Michelin-starred 9-seater Araki, often wondering how one sustains a restaurant that serves only 9 diners per sitting. Well, with the current “social distancing” regulations in place here in Penang, Kappo by Arakawa currently only serves 6 people for each lunch and dinner session.
We were 2 of the 6 lucky ones to snare a lunch spot today.
We sat at the counter, watching the master himself, Arakawa-san, flanked by his two young sous chefs, prepare each of the course we were to have today.
Our lunch today consisted of:
Appetisers - sweet, bouncy marinated sweet-fleshed shrimps and crisp, chilled cucumbers, and horse mackerel (“aji”).
Sashimi course - thick, very fresh slices of salmon, tuna and Japanese garoupa.
Simmered course (“nimono”) - perch fillets, with broccoli and shimeji mushrooms.
Grilled course (“yakimono”) - Longfin yellowtail (“kampachi”).
Fried course (“aburamono”) - Tempura moriawase.
The “shokuji” course, usually consisting of rice, soup & pickles, served at the end of a meal before the dessert course - Chirashi sushi, accompanied by a clear fish-and-seaweed soup. These were really the finest of their kind I’d had in Penang.
Dessert - yuzu sorbet and chilled nashi pear, which were both very refreshing and well-matched.
Absolutely enjoyed our meal here - top-notch quality ingredients, and a very Japanese-style meticulousness in their preparation techniques: Chef Arakawa has this typical Japanese OCD attention to the minutest detail, even adjusting the way the sous chefs arranged certain garnishes, e.g. the angle at which a tiny sprout should lay on the plate, for example.
Executive chef, Arakawa Seiichiro. See his lethal collection of ultra-sharp knives behind him?
We’ll definitely be back.
Address
Kappo by Arakawa
253G-1-4, Burmah Road, Premier Centre, 10350 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +6016-449 0647
Operating hours: 12 noon to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm daily, except Tuesday (closed).
