Restaurant
The memory of Kurohime,
on a plate.
Time spent in this place
becomes a memory of flavour.
The quiet of the forest. A breeze across the lake. Time in Kurohime continues at the table, in the character of an ingredient, the aroma released by heat, and the space around a dish. Dining is another part of your stay at Lomä.
Terroir
Discover the land.
Taste the season.
The scent of earth. Fresh green growth. A hint of harvest. Seasons encountered in Kurohime become anticipation at the table: a moment to sense the place through a plate.
Ember
Drawn out by heat,
the character of ingredients.
Aromas emerge with heat. A gentle finish that strength alone cannot describe. Time spent with an ingredient becomes flavour on the plate.
Stillness
Landscapes shaped by water,
lingering in the dining experience.
A breeze across the lake. Light moving on the water. A sense of coolness and freshness as you make your way to the table. The landscapes of a journey become part of the time spent dining.
Caralia
Special Interview with Chef Furuta
Each dish created at Caralia amid the tranquility of the Kurohime Highlands possesses a quiet, understated strength. Chef Furuta engages deeply with each ingredient, intervening when needed and knowing when to step back. Through an accumulation of such delicate choices, the food becomes aroma, space, and ultimately memory. We explore the culinary philosophy of Chef Furuta.
Satoshi Furuta
Satoshi Furuta
Born in Gifu on May 12, 1984
February 2009: Opened Satoshi.F in Gifu City
December 2016: Renamed the restaurant CHIUnE and relocated to Higashi-Ginza, Tokyo
August 2021: Relocated to Hiroo
April 2024: Relocated to Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioicho
The Essence of Chef Furuta’s Cuisine and the Principles He Values
I value what I call “the deliciousness of space.”
I devote time and care to each dish, but never excessively. My priority is to keep the preparation simple so that the essential character of the ingredients can emerge. Rather than layering so many elements that the ingredients lose their clarity, I aim to create dishes that clearly communicate exactly what the guest is eating.
I am fond of the phrase, “Fresh through fire, natural through transformation,” as it expresses my view of cooking well.
When heat is applied, an ingredient awakens, its aroma rises, and it begins to speak quietly.
“Fresh” does not necessarily mean raw; it can describe a state that emerges precisely because an ingredient has been cooked.
Likewise, I do not believe that “natural” means doing nothing. It is something created through deliberate and considered intervention.
The following expressions also embody my culinary philosophy:
“By stripping away, aroma begins to speak.”
“Memory resides in the spaces between flavors.”
“The silence of a single dish fills the five senses.”
Aroma becomes scenery and awakens memory. Cuisine becomes a form of expression that transcends words. That is the kind of dish I strive to create.
Expectations for the Cuisine to Be Created in Kurohime
At the restaurant in Kurohime, I would like wood-fire cooking to take center stage.
More than the aroma of the wood itself, I am interested in the gentle far-infrared heat created by the moisture within the firewood, which allows ingredients to be cooked slowly and delicately. I hope to use this approach in a way that complements the soft, subtle flavors of ingredients from the surrounding mountain region.
Wood-fire cuisine in Tokyo often emphasizes power and intensity, but in Kurohime I would like to focus primarily on gentler cooking over glowing embers.
Within the menu, however, it may also be interesting to include one dish that deliberately makes use of the full strength of the wood fire.
My aim is to create cuisine that does not overwhelm the diner, does not feel heavy the following day, and ultimately leaves them feeling energized.
Caralia
3884-298 Nojiri Kurohime, Shinano-machi, Kamiminochi-gun, Nagano 389-1303, Japan
TEL: 026-262-1260
Hours: 5:00 PM–8:00 PM