A lot has changed for Esora since it first opened in 2018. For one, it's now run by head chef Takeshi Araki, whose resume boasts four years at three Michelin-starred Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo. He brings a pared-down and refined approach to kappo cuisine, choosing instead to let the beauty of the ingredients shine through.
The menu is inspired by the seasons, letting nature take the lead on what to showcase. As the leaves in Japan turn to fiery shades of red, ingredients like wild mushrooms, bonito and nodoguro take centre stage. Lunch is served from Thursday to Sundays only, where a seven-course meal is priced at $178; while dinner is available in seven ($238) or 10 courses ($368) from Wednesdays to Sundays. There's also the option to pair your meal with wine and sake or various teas.
In true Esora fashion, every meal begins with a sip of dashi, the cornerstone of Japanese cuisine. It's then followed by the restaurant's signature foie gras monaka, which has been on the menu since day one, but this time paired with sweet Yamanashi kosui pear and tangy Hiroshima candied lemons.
Other highlights include an incredibly juicy deboned chicken wing stuffed with five types of autumnal mushrooms as well as a bowl of somen served in a hamaguri consommé topped with caviar – the flavours are clean but the herbs add a layer of complexity, which really elevate the dish to the next level. You'll also want to leave room for the nodoguro donabe – the fatty fish is buttery smooth and its skin is perfectly charred and seasoned.
Like all of the Lo & Behold Group's other projects, Esora is also a visual treat for the senses. Even at night, the space looks washed in natural light streaming in for its cloud-like washi paper-dressed skylight – living up to the meaning of its name "painting in the sky". The overall experience is without a doubt modern and elegant yet deceptive in its simplicity. If God is in the details, then we’ve found a slice of culinary heaven here on earth.