ONtheTABLECHINESE (Shibuya)
A unique course using Kyushu ingredients and spices
The appetizers include a selection of wine-inducing dishes, such as a Spanish omelette flavored with Japanese pepper, pickles, and pate de campagne with cashew nuts. Or, there's carpaccio of fresh fish marinated in kelp. The main course is stir-fried Japanese black beef in black vinegar, accompanied by milk-braised potatoes with plenty of herbs and a green sauce, served on focaccia.
"Kumamoto Amakusa Black Wagyu Beef Stir-fried with Black Vinegar"
The restaurant uses finely-grained red meat from Amakusa, Kumamoto, a region Hiraga has been working with since his time in Fukuoka. The dish is served with a fragrant sauce made with Tochigi-grown chives, pickled mustard greens, and ginger, which complements the flavor of the black vinegar. Hiraga-san is known for letting the bun dough rise a second time and serving it with baked focaccia. All dishes start from the 6,600 yen course.
"Appetizer platter"
Clockwise from top left: Spanish omelette flavored with Japanese pepper, pate de campagne (Chinese spices), stir-fried pickled Kagoshima bamboo shoots, stir-fried shrimp potatoes and pine nuts in peanut oil, pickled beets, and radish pickled in soy sauce.
"Stir-fried pig's trotters and yam with chili peppers"
"Pig's feet are a common dish in Fukuoka, so I wanted to create something different," says Hiraga. He got his inspiration from tonporo, a braised pork belly dish, and then stewed the pork feet in black vinegar, removed the bones, cooled them, and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Deep-fried and then stir-fried with chili peppers to finish.
Owner-chef Daisuke Hiraga, known for his free-flowing arrangements that transcend genres, is originally from the Wakiya Group, led by Tomoyuki Wakiya. While working at a restaurant in Fukuoka, he would spend his days off visiting farms, ranches, and fishing ports across Kyushu, searching for ingredients. Because of his emotional attachment to the area, he is proactively incorporating selected ingredients, including herbs from Kubota Farm in Itoshima, into his new restaurant.
The pig's trotter dish, seasoned with two types of chili peppers and cumin, also shines with its synergistic effect of aroma and spiciness.
"I love curry, so I'm good at using spices," says Hiraga. It seems he still has a lot to learn.
"In the future, I would like to offer small dishes that go well with wine," says Hiraga. 
Counter seating with a glass-walled kitchen.
