【Monday Food Feature】ibukibyTAKAGIKAZUO, “Soul of a Craft” Kyoto Flavors
Last updated 2026-09-25 — With centuries of history behind it, this authentic Kyoto kaiseki cuisine has earned the prestigious French Michelin two-star rating—yet it’s flawlessly recreated in a five-star Taipei hotel, leaving diners in awe of Chef Takagi Kazuo’s “soul of a craft”...
Written by TRAVELER Luxe, reported by Guzhenrong
This authentic Kyoto kaiseki cuisine, with its centuries-old heritage and France’s Michelin two-star honor, is masterfully presented in a five-star Taipei hotel, making one admire Chef Takagi Kazuo’s “soul of a craft” culinary ethos.
The painterly “hassun” (appetizer platter) is a highlight of Kyoto cuisine. Chef Takagi uses ingredients to mimic chrysanthemums, persimmons, rice ears, and maple leaves, evoking an early autumn ambiance. (Photo courtesy of TRAVELER Luxe)
Although Taipei isn’t yet on the Michelin guide map, many restaurants and hotels have recently brought in Michelin-starred chefs from Europe, so locals aren’t strangers to fine dining. But when the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel announced its collaboration with renowned Japanese chef Takagi Kazuo, making it Taiwan’s first Japanese restaurant helmed by a Michelin-starred chef, foodies flocked there. After all, Chef Takagi is serving meticulously prepared, intricate, painterly kaiseki.
Inheriting the Master’s Essence, Going Even Further
At 41, Takagi Kazuo excels at refined Kyoto kaiseki. Since 2007, he’s run “Kyō Ryōri – Takagi” in Ashiya, a suburb of Kobe, selecting seasonal ingredients to attract politicians and celebrities. The signboard was even handwritten by former Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa. So when the first “Kansai Michelin Guide” was published in 2010 for Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, and surrounding areas, “Kyō Ryōri – Takagi” earned two stars—and has kept them for four consecutive years.
Ibuki’s lunch set: Chef Takagi presents simple, elegant nigiri sushi in “imperial cuisine” style. (Photo courtesy of TRAVELER Luxe)
Takagi Kazuo’s grandfather and maternal grandfather were both great cooks, his father was a banquet manager at a hotel, and his mother taught cooking at home. Though good culinary skills run in the family, even a gifted horse needs the right trainer. The savior was Saenoki Mun, head chef of Kyoto’s high-end ryotei “Kyōyamato.” When Takagi graduated high school and wanted to start training like any other chef, the 86-year-old Saenoki—who had served 32 dignitaries including Grace Kelly—saw his potential and urged him to finish university: “With your talent, you could be a chef now, but if you wait until after university, you’ll become an outstanding one.” Those words changed Takagi’s life.
Listening to the advice, Takagi attended university and even spent a year in the UK studying language.
After graduation, he entered “Kyōyamato” for rigorous training, became deputy head chef at 29, and only opened his own 10-seat “Kyō Ryōri – Takagi” in Hyogo Prefecture after Saenoki retired. The place was so popular that reservations often required a one- to two-month wait. Now, his 31-seat restaurant in Ashiya—nicknamed the “Beverly Hills of Hanshin”—still has limited seating, because the essence of kaiseki must be conveyed through the chef’s transmission of centuries-old refined dining culture—not mass production.
To ensure authenticity, Far Eastern Plaza Hotel sent three skilled Japanese chefs to Japan for three months of intense training under Chef Takagi to master kaiseki and Michelin-level preparation, techniques, and processes. Chef Takagi also dispatched his top disciple, Kudo Masakazu, to Taipei to oversee cuisine. After all, Ibuki is Chef Takagi’s only overseas-named restaurant. Its lunchtime refined imperial cuisine and dinner kaiseki perfectly blend the essence of Kyoto cuisine with fresh, seasonal local ingredients.
Boston lobster with squid roe and golden seared topping features squid roe and cilantro, highlighting the main dish’s freshness with local Taiwanese ingredients. (Photo courtesy of TRAVELER Luxe)
The Mysterious First Broth: The Soul of Kaiseki
This is why every dish Chef Takagi serves resonates with the seasons, but the most important is the soup served first—“because the flavor and aroma of the soup represent the chef’s style and the restaurant’s identity.” And what’s the secret behind the “first broth,” used in almost every dish? It starts with “ma-konbu” (true kelp) from Rausu in Hokkaido’s Sea of Okhotsk, costing ¥8,000 per kg, plus tuna katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) from Kyushu—12 times the price of regular flakes. Chef Takagi even restricts the thickness of the flakes so they sink naturally without stirring, preserving the broth’s original taste.
So when the appetizer “sesame tofu with caviar, sea urchin, shrimp broth jelly” arrives, the thick, sticky sesame tofu—made with imported Japanese kudzu starch, bracken starch, and white sesame—surprises with its texture, but the jelly beneath steals the show. The crystal-clear jelly melts in the mouth, releasing a slightly salty, intensely umami flavor that doesn’t clash with the rich tofu. Why? Because the tofu itself is packed with broth too.
The “yuzu-autumn chrysanthemum lobster ball mushroom soup” not only uses the first broth but also includes four traditional elements of Kyoto soup: “one, fish or egg to fill the guest; two, vegetables or roots; three, green accents; four, strong aroma.” So the satisfying lobster balls, organic chrysanthemum petals, autumn mushrooms, and freshly grated Japanese yuzu peel open to a bowl full of autumn and umami. The droplets on the lid? A nod to samurai-era custom—chefs sprinkled them as a secret signal to prevent poison, a detail foodies will love spotting.
What looks like steamed egg—but is actually a perfect chawanmushi made with broth, soy milk, sea urchin, and lily bulbs. (Photo courtesy of TRAVELER Luxe)
In Kyoto cuisine, “hassun” is a pre-main-course dish, but it’s second only to the soup in importance. The word means “eight-inch,” referring to a variety of small bites to encourage drinking and conversation while the chef prepares the main course. For autumn, Chef Takagi’s hassun includes crispy crab roll, beef and veggie rolls with wasabi mayo; chrysanthemum-shaped squid sushi and persimmon-like salmon sushi; intricately carved vinegar-flavored chrysanthemum daikon; and sweet eggplant dengaku for a perfect finish. Surprisingly, even the garnish—a sweet potato leaf shaped like a maple leaf—evokes deep autumn hues, perfectly expressing kaiseki’s “painterly plating.”
The main dish “Boston lobster with squid roe golden sear” is half a lobster cut into chunks, grilled, then returned to the shell, finished with Taiwanese squid roe and cilantro to highlight local flavors. The steamed “sea urchin tofu chawanmushi” uses the first broth, plus soy milk, sea urchin, and lily bulbs for a tofu-like texture and seafood seasonality.
Entrance and wine cellar corner of Ibuki restaurant. (Photo courtesy of TRAVELER Luxe)
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