The Hospitality of IZURUN’s Chef Nakatake, Who Wants to Convey the Abundance of the Basque Region
Aug 29,2022
On the top floor of Hotel VISON — part of the large VISON retail complex shaped to follow the side of a mountain in the town of Taki, Mie — is IZURUN, a restaurant that pays homage to the food culture of San Sebastián in the Basque region of Spain. It is here where you will find Chef Nakatake Akira flashing his culinary skills. Chef Nakatake was captivated by Spanish cuisine at an early age and trained at a three-star restaurant in San Sebastián, a city in the Basque region renowned for its gastronomy. He is one of only a few chefs in Japan who specialize in Basque cuisine. He also helps supervise several restaurants that line VISON’s San Sebastián Street.
Chef Nakatake describes his goal. “The most attractive part of the Basque region is the people. I want our guests to experience the region’s abundance, which is not at all materialistic, at IZURUN, where we have recreated the real Basque through our food and service.” We talked with Chef Nakatake about his commitment to the culinary arts and the secrets to fine hospitality.
The presentation before the meal is part of IZURUN-style hospitality
A dinner at IZURUN begins at the counter bar near the entrance. After enjoying an aperitif, guests are led through a hidden door at the back of the restaurant, not to their reserved table … but into the kitchen. Here, guests can observe close-up the chefs’ efficient and deft movements and listen to an explanation of the ingredients in the day’s dishes.
Moving farther to the back, you will discover a secret little room where Chef Nakatake Akira himself will tell you about Spain, his time in the Basque region and San Sebastián, and Basque gastronomy. His talk is fast-paced and keeps your attention.
He talks with the same passion and enthusiasm to all guests. For those who have never travelled to the Basque region, he sketches out what it is like to visit, and for those who have been there, he describes it in a way that makes the region even more attractive. When he finishes, you are left with the strange feeling that you are now an expert on the Basque region.
This entire process, including making your way to your dinner table, is all part of the IZURUN dinner course.
Dinner at IZURUN begins with an aperitif at the counter bar
Guests pass through this doorway and head toward the kitchen
“When people ask me what makes Basque attractive, I always say it’s the Basque people that make Basque attractive. The Basque people truly love people. If asked to choose between money and people, they would choose people without hesitating for a second.
“They value meeting other people. They are considerate of the people they meet and try to make them happy. That is the essence of the Basque people. They also place great importance on the time spent eating with family and friends. My mission is to think of ways to provide service that is authentic, not just in terms of the food, but also in terms of the heartfelt hospitality of the Basque people.”
IZURUN’s Chef Nakatake Akira
Chef Nakatake personally writes the message “We put our hearts and souls into everything we cook” and signs each of the day’s menus handed to guests. To him, hospitality is not just a motto, but something you practice. His sincere character is exactly like that of the Basque people he speaks of.
After training in Spain, he opened IZURUN
Chef Nakatake’s encounter with Spanish cuisine and Basque cuisine goes back to his teenage years studying at a culinary school.
He became interested in these cuisines when Fukaya Koji, who is known as the father of modern Spanish and Basque cuisine, came to his school as a guest lecturer. Once he graduated, he went on to work at Restaurant Basque, which Chef Fukaya had opened in Hakodate, Hokkaido. After five years of apprenticing there, Chef Nakatake traveled to Spain to study under a scholarship. By chance, he ended up working at Akelarre, a San Sebastián restaurant where Chef Fukaya had worked in the past. During his time there, Chef Nakatake was won over by the townscape and the people.
With the signing of the Gourmet Certificate of Friendship in January 2017 between San Sebastián and Taki, a concept was floated of creating a San Sebastián Street within VISON to mark the bond between the two cities. Asked to be the general overseer of the project, Chef Nakatake decided to return to Japan after two and a half years of training in San Sebastián.
Chef Nakatake’s motivation was “to see if I could somehow repay my obligations to both Japan and Spain by putting to use what I had learned in Spain into a project to revive a region of Japan.” In this spirit, he opened IZURUN with the concept of having a restaurant that brings together the best from the Basque region and the best from Japan.
At IZURUN, Chef Nakatake’s aim is to create a dining experience packed with moments that wow guests, not only with the tastes, aromas, and appearances, but also with the pre-dinner presentation. He has also long been interested in fermentation, as the dishes at his former workplace, Restaurant Basque, frequently used homemade anchovies, which are known for being fermented with lactic acid bacteria. This is why he features many fermented ingredients in the dishes served at IZURUN as a subtle way of expressing a Japanese sensibility.
You can enjoy many dishes at IZURUN that show off Chef Nakatake’s artfulness
I want to make VISON’s San Sebastián even more authentic
San Sebastián Street, VISON’s main street that Chef Nakatake supervises, has three bars where people can enjoy a casual drink along with pintxos (small snacks, often on a piece of bread, that are spiked with a skewer or toothpick) that are popular in the real San Sebastián. Other shops along the street include a sweets shop that recreates the cheese tart recipe from a famous shop in the suburbs of San Sebastián; Koji Saryo Produced by Uonuma Jozo where you can savor sweets made with koji amazake; and several lifestyle shops.
San Sebastián Street is also the main street in VISON
Cheese tarts from the Basque region
San Sebastián Street is a place where you can enjoy walking around sampling delicious food, striking up a conversation with strangers in a bar you happen to wander into, and then returning home after buying some lifestyle goods that match your interests. It is a place where you can enjoy your daily routine and take pride in, as it has so many things you like.
Chef Nakatake says he wants to recreate the atmosphere of San Sebastián exactly as it is and get closer to the essence, not just the form, of the city.
“I think both IZURUN and San Sebastián Street will become more like the real San Sebastián as time goes on. Nothing would make me happier than if people learn about Spain at VISON, experience the charm of the Basque region and San Sebastián, and become interested in the people who live in the Basque region. I would like to make this a place that conveys the attractions of both countries while also incorporating a distinctly Japanese and Mie feel.”
