If you’ve marked your calendar for a visit of summer notes at Yamazato this June, then this next article is for July! The Okura Prestige Bangkok’s award-winning signature Japanese restaurant beckons once again
The Tanabata festival is based on the celestial love story of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi who are represented in the legend by the stars Vega and Altair respectively. Traditionally this takes place across Japan in July and early August. It is also known as the Star Festival because of this heavenly link and activities during Tanabata include decorating homes, shopping malls and streets with colourful streamers. Boys and girls write their wishes on strips of paper which are then hung from trees and bamboo.
Tanabata is a time for family gatherings and food plays an important part during the festival. To transport this festival to Bangkok, Master Chef Shigeru Hagiwara at Michelin Plate restaurant Yamazato will prepare traditional Tanabata Gozen lunch platters and a Kaiseki dinner with a twist. Some dishes feature decorations and ingredients with a Tanabata theme: seasonal corn, sweet fish, cutlass fish and pike eel. In addition to delicious soups and noodles, expect fresh sashimi, tempura and grilled dishes. Diners can enjoy a Gozen starter of smoked duck, mussels, baby corn and star-shaped paprika with yogurt egg yolk sauce and a soup of shrimp, shimeji mushrooms and glass noodles with vegetables.
Highlights of the 9-course Kaiseki dinner include vermicelli with seasonal sweet fish (ayu), a hearty soup of pike eel dumplings and a grilled dish of Spanish mackerel and beef with leek miso sauce.
The Tanabata festival at Yamazato runs from 1 – 26 July 2020 with lunch 11:30 – 14:30, dinner: 18:00 – 22:30, priced at Baht 1,600++ for Gozen lunch and Baht 4,700++ for Kaiseki dinner. Yamazato Restaurant is located on the 24th floor of The Okura Prestige Bangkok. For information and reservations, please contact 02 687 9000