Vegan Washoku: Restaurant Saido’s New Japanese Cuisine

Around the world, various dietary lifestyles thrive, such as "vegan" (or "vegetarian"), which centers on plant-based foods, and "halal," which avoids pork and alcohol for religious reasons.

Among the travelers visiting Japan from different regions, there are individuals who follow Vegan or Halal diets. While restaurants in Japan that offer menus catering to these preferences are steadily increasing, they still fall short compared to those in other countries.

While researching Tokyo’s vibrant restaurant scene, we discovered Saido, a Japanese eatery renowned for its dedication to excluding animal products and alcohol. Saido is also MSG-free and meticulously crafts its dishes without using vegetables like garlic, chives, and onions—collectively known as gokun—which are typically avoided by Oriental Vegans from regions such as Taiwan and India. This thoughtful approach has earned Saido an outstanding reputation.

Japanese-style vegan restaurant Saido is conveniently located near our office. Since its opening in 2018, Saido has garnered an excellent reputation both domestically and internationally. Remarkably, within just one year of its launch, it achieved the number one spot worldwide on "HappyCow," a prominent restaurant ranking site for vegetarian and vegan communities in the United States.

In Japanese cuisine, there exists a vegetarian culinary tradition known as shojin ryori, primarily prepared in Buddhist temples and traditionally consumed by monks. Saido’s policies—"no animal products," "no alcohol," and "no gokun"—align with the principles of shojin ryori. However, upon reviewing Saido’s website, unlike the typically simple and serene presentation of traditional shojin ryori, many of Saido’s menu items are vibrant and visually appealing, filled with lively colors that make the dishes look both delightful and appetizing.

Additionally, Saido offers casual dishes such as ramen, cutlets, and yakitori, which differentiate it from more formal Japanese cuisines like cha-kaiseki cuisine and kaiseki cuisine. This innovative approach to Japanese cuisine was a first for me.

Another intriguing aspect of Saido is its approach to dashi, the fundamental liquid broth in Japanese cooking. Traditionally, dashi is made by combining plant-based kombu “kelp” with animal-based bonito flakes to extract umami flavors, known as awase dashi. However, Saido’s dashi is entirely free of animal products, raising the question: What exactly constitutes Saido’s animal-free dashi?

My curiosity about Saido continued to grow, prompting me to request an interview. They kindly agreed, and during my visit, I had the pleasure of sampling their menu and speaking with Chief Chef Kusumoto Katsumi, the culinary mastermind behind Saido.

Nestled in a quiet residential corner approximately a seven-minute walk from Jiyugaoka Station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line, you’ll find Saido, a distinctive Japanese restaurant.

Upon entering through a door framed with glass windows bearing the restaurant’s name, we’re greeted by an interior enclosed by white walls, furnished with brown wooden tables and chairs, and featuring hardwood flooring. The ambiance resembles that of a bistro, diverging from the traditional interiors of most Japanese restaurants that prominently showcase Japanese heritage. In the back of the seating area, accommodating around twenty guests, the kitchen is situated opposite the counter, where Chef Kusumoto warmly welcomed our Team Musubi.

That day, we selected two dishes from Saido’s menu: their version of yakitori “grilled chicken skewers” and miso ramen called miso saimen. The tasting was led by Rebecca, an American team member from New York.

The first dish served was the yakitori. Typically, yakitori involves various parts of chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces, skewered, and grilled over an open flame. While Saido’s yakitori, naturally, does not use chicken, it still boasts an enticing reddish-brown glaze similar to traditional yakitori, achieved by brushing with a sweet and savory soy-based sauce. Additionally, spots of black char give it a striking resemblance to genuine grilled chicken.

Rebecca shared her impressions after tasting, saying, “In addition to the crispy exterior, there’s a perfect bite, and it has an amazing flavor that feels just like grilled chicken. I loved how the umami spreads in your mouth the moment you bite into it.” Curious about the ingredients, she asked, “What exactly is this chicken-like substitute made from?” Chef Kusumoto replied, “It’s a company secret, but we use vegetables that you can find in any regular Japanese supermarket.”

This method of recreating the appearance, texture, and flavor of animal-based foods using plant-based ingredients is common in shojin ryori and is often referred to as modoki ryori “imitative dishes.” However, it’s rare to find such imitations that are nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.

The yakitori was served on a traditional Japanese charcoal grill called a shichirin. When the metal grill was removed from the shichirin, “edible charcoal” emerged from beneath—it consisted of yams sliced into sticks, fried like potato fries, and dusted with black bamboo charcoal powder. This playful element of entertainment is something that Saido also highly values.

Next, we sampled the miso saimen. Rebecca slurped the green algae-infused noodles and exclaimed, “Ah, this is delicious!”

She continued, “I have a vegetarian friend who loves ramen, but it’s always a struggle because most restaurants use seafood-based broths. With this soup, my friend can enjoy it without any issues. I’d love to bring them here. What ingredients go into this umami-rich broth?”

Chef Kusumoto explained, “Our broth is based on kombu and several types of dried mushrooms, which provide a rich aroma and deep flavor. We mix in various ingredients, including sesame seeds known for their fragrant aroma and rich taste. The key to the flavor is our blend of three types of Japanese fermented miso.”

The synergy of kombu, various mushrooms, and miso—the umami components of each ingredient—creates the deep and complex flavors of the ramen broth.

The toppings were equally impressive, featuring vibrant green vegetables, bright yellow corn, and beautifully contrasting pink and white slices of red daikon radish, all of which are visually appetizing. Additionally, there was a special vegan boiled egg made from agar-agar filled with pumpkin paste to mimic the yolk, known as the vegan egg, and narutomaki “fish cake” crafted from rice crackers instead of actual fish paste. These playful touches, reminiscent of the edible charcoal served with the yakitori, added an element of fun to the meal.

What kind of person is Chef Katsumi Kusumoto, the creative mind behind such unique dishes?

Born in 1975, Chef Kusumoto began his career as a French cuisine chef. Seeking to broaden his culinary horizons, he transitioned to Japanese cuisine and spent ten years crafting dishes at a high-end, bespoke, members-only restaurant in Tokyo before being appointed head chef at Saido.

Chef Kusumoto first encountered the concept of "Food Diversity" at this members-only restaurant. In 2014, during his fifth year there, he received a request from a regular customer for halal-compliant dishes. It was also at the same restaurant that he created his first meal for vegan customers.

“That restaurant catered to affluent clients who used private jets, providing in-flight meals. It was there that I received an order for a vegan menu. Both Halal, which has dietary restrictions, and vegan were completely new food categories to me at the time, and I found them very refreshing,” Chef Kusumoto explained.

As he continued to respond to the requests of customers with dietary restrictions by venturing into unfamiliar culinary creations, Chef Kusumoto began to ponder a particular question.

“There were cases where even after delivering what I was confident was a delicious dish, customers were not satisfied. I was puzzled as to why. After considering various factors, I had insights that eventually led to the current culinary direction of Saido.”

“For example, traditional course meals are designed with the assumption that alcohol will be enjoyed alongside. However, for those following a halal diet that completely abstains from alcohol, this assumption is irrelevant. Therefore, a traditional full-course Japanese meal starting with appetizers, followed by rice, pickles, and miso soup, might feel too restrictive for them. I realized that cooking is not just about taste and appearance; it must also thoughtfully consider the diners' lifestyles, including their eating habits.”

Chef Kusumoto continued his explanation.

“After working at that exclusive members-only high-end restaurant, I was appointed head chef at Saido, where we offer Japanese cuisine. However, what we consider Japanese food isn’t necessarily the traditional Japanese dishes that many Japanese people think of. For our international guests, dishes like ramen, okonomiyaki, and takoyaki are also legitimate 'Japanese food,' not just sushi and sashimi. Consequently, many items on our menu originated from requests by foreign customers. Additionally, Saido is a restaurant where everyone can enjoy their meals together, whether they have dietary restrictions or not, which is another important aspect.”

For those who are accustomed to eating animal-based foods, dishes made solely from plant-based ingredients might often feel lacking in flavor. How does Chef Kusumoto approach this challenge?

"Indeed, that's a valid point. For example, shojin ryori, a traditional Japanese vegan cuisine, is a valuable part of our food culture. However, compared to when this cuisine began to flourish around 700-800 years ago, the variety of ingredients, dishes, and cooking methods surrounding us has greatly increased. Therefore, even for Japanese people who historically had strong vegetarian dietary habits, it's questionable whether modern individuals living in Japan would be fully satisfied when eating traditional shojin ryori, or whether they would not get bored eating it every day. Needless to say, for those from Western countries who have primarily meat-based diets, it's even more challenging. While it's very important for food to be delicious and pleasing to those who eat it, I believe that in order for shojin ryori' to be accepted by a wide range of modern customers regardless of their dietary styles, we need to update ancient methods to fit the current state of our eating habits."

I then asked the chef how he updated the dashi (broth) in the miso ramen mentioned earlier.

"First, I want to clarify that Saido's dishes are made with the same ingredient specifications as traditional shojin ryori, but I myself do not intend to make shojin ryori. Regarding the recipe for the miso ramen broth, we use kombu and dried mushrooms like shiitake to make the dashi, which is the same as shojin ryori. However, what differs is that traditional shojin ryori uses dashi in a clear state, like a consommé soup, whereas my miso ramen broth is blended in a mixer with kombu and mushrooms to create a cloudy, potage-like consistency to better extract the umami. Additionally, if we want to enhance the umami while keeping the same dashi clear, we sometimes add vegetable broths used in French cuisine. So, while shojin ryori and my dishes share the same 'input' (ingredients and basic cooking methods), their 'output' (final presentation as dishes) are different," explained Chef Kusumoto.

Chef Kusumoto's dishes at Saido seem to be possible precisely because he has mastered techniques from both French and Japanese cuisines.

"Another key point in Saido's cuisine is that when creating substitutes for boiled eggs in ramen or chicken for yakitori, I never use so-called 'alternative foods' that are chemically manufactured by complexly combining various ingredients."

"Instead, I use natural ingredients available in Japan and apply traditional methods that have been passed down in this country to create something natural and simple. For example, Japan has a food ingredient called konnyaku, made from yams, characterized by its smooth, translucent appearance and its chewy and elastic texture. I think about whether we can use the manufacturing techniques of konnyaku to create new ingredients that can replace existing animal-based foods."

In fact, Chef Kusumoto also mentioned that such methods are easier for Japanese chefs to implement and can be more pleasing to those who actually consume the dishes.

Chef Kusumoto’s Saido-style Japanese cuisine is now beginning to expand overseas. In January 2023, a pop-up event titled "SAIDO’S VEGAN WAY" was held in Los Angeles, USA, where Saido's dishes were introduced and served to the local community, resulting in consecutive days of great success. Chef Kusumoto mentioned that this event, marking Saido’s first foray into the American market, achieved significant results.

“Regarding the ramen we served at this event, there was an incredibly surprising outcome. We used thick donko “dried shiitake mushrooms” grown in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, which we simmered to absorb the flavors and used as a topping. Contrary to what we had been told in advance—that dried shiitake mushrooms were unpopular locally—we received numerous compliments such as, ‘What is this amazing texture?!’, ‘What is this umami that intensifies the more you chew?!’, and ‘I’ve never tasted mushrooms this delicious!’”

Chef Kusumoto analyzed and shared his thoughts on this result as follows:

“If we had served the dried shiitake mushrooms as traditional Japanese dishes like shiitake no nimono “braised shiitake mushrooms,” would we have been able to evoke such strong emotions from the local people? I believe it was the presentation within the context of ramen, a form of 'Japanese cuisine' that the local audience was seeking, that led to the positive response. As I mentioned earlier, even ingredients and cooking methods that are commonplace for us Japanese can become so well-received overseas simply by changing the 'output'—the final presentation. This experience confirmed my long-held hypothesis that Japan possesses traditional ingredients, cooking methods, and food processing techniques like donko, which have the potential to be embraced worldwide as treasured 'gems.' It was a very gratifying experience.”

Through interviewing Chef Kusumoto and exploring his culinary creations, I came to understand that "innovation and updating are essential for preserving the value of traditional elements both now and in the future," and that "these updates must never compromise the inherent charm and appeal of the original."

Additionally, a statement the chef made towards the end of our interview—"In the realm of 'food,' people can connect fairly, transcending differences in country, religion, language, and status"—deeply resonated with me.

The "food" referred to here can be seen as "the emotional experience of 'deliciousness,'" and I believe it holds a clue to creating a society where "food diversity" is genuinely recognized.

Furthermore, I am gradually beginning to feel that the "emotion" driven by such "innovation" is the key phrase that encapsulates Chef Kusumoto’s Saido-style Japanese cuisine.