Trivia

The Japanese word for chef, itamae, literally means "in front of the cutting board."

Many of the finest cooks in Japan work in diminutive premises. From the outside, all you may see is a sign in kanji and a sliding door with its simple noren curtain. This is the typical facade of the itamae kappo. As the name (literally, "chef cuisine") suggests, this is the domain of the itamae, the master chef who presides over a small team of assistants. The scale is intimate, usually little more than an L-shaped counter plus a couple of tables and perhaps a small room for customers requiring privacy.