Kotaro Nakajima
Affiliation
Kutan
Modern classic kaiseki with non-traditional ingredients and playful sequencing like tempura first or hand-rolled sushi mid-course
i. Biography
Kotaro Nakajima is the owner and chef of Kutan, a modern kaiseki restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, which he opened in 2018. Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1978, he began his career at a local Japanese restaurant at age 19, trained at Matsuhisa in Los Angeles at age 24, spent ten years at the three-Michelin-starred Kanda restaurant under Hiroyuki Kanda, and earned one Michelin star for Kutan in 2019 and two stars in 2021.
The Archive
Selected Works & Focus Areas
Focus 01
Modern classic kaiseki with non-traditional ingredients and playful sequencing like tempura first or hand-rolled sushi mid-course
Focus 02
Signature dishes including green yuzu, ankimo on ankou sashimi with hot sauce, maguro tossaki temaki, and grilled snow crab leg