Main Dining Itozakura at The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike (Sakyo Ward, Kyoto) is offering a special dinner course called "Cinq Saveurs" for the summer to early autumn season, running from July 1 to September 30, 2026. The course brings together Chef Noguchi Sawako's refined French culinary style with the Japanese cuisine expertise of head chef Goto Takahiro.
The Concept Behind "Cinq Saveurs"
"Cinq Saveurs" — meaning "five savors" in French — draws its inspiration from the Japanese culinary philosophy of go-mi go-shiki (五味五色), which recognizes five fundamental tastes: sweetness, acidity, saltiness, bitterness, and umami. The presentation embraces five colors — red, yellow, green, white, and black — while engaging all five senses through taste, appearance, aroma, texture, and sound at the table.
Since spring 2025, Chefs Noguchi and Goto have been collaborating to develop this hybrid French-Japanese course, discussing cooking techniques, seasonal ingredients, plating, and tableware together. The menu is renewed every two months to spotlight seasonal produce at its peak.
Summer Menu (July–August)
The summer menu features:
- Salmon marinated in Saikyo miso / Corn potage with olive oil / Tuna with three kinds of pepper and hanaho shiso
Conger eel beignet with ume burnt butter sauce / Sweetfish kadaif roll with zucchini and knotweed purée
Charcoal-grilled Wagyu with bekko-an sauce, Kamo eggplant miso gratin / Unagi and Manganji pepper risotto
- Peach gelato with coconut blancmange, green yuzu and sake jelly / Mizumanjū
Early Autumn Menu (September)
The September menu shifts to early autumn ingredients:
Salmon marinated in Saikyo miso / Taro potage with bacon croustillant
Mussels from Mont-Saint-Michel steamed in sake with sudachi and lemon oil / Shrimp dumplings fried in rice crackers
- Miso-grilled coral grouper with green yuzu and wild arugula / Charcoal-grilled Wagyu with bekko-an sauce and grilled matsutake mushroom
- Unagi and Manganji pepper risotto / Fromage gelato with grape jelly / Ohagi
Course Details
Venue: Main Dining Itozakura, The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike
Available: July 1 – September 30, 2026
Hours: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM (last order: 8:30 PM)
Price: ¥20,000 per person (tax included; 15% service charge added separately)
Reservations can be made via the hotel's official website. A dinner-inclusive accommodation plan featuring the Cinq Saveurs course is also available.
Menu ingredients are subject to change depending on availability. For food allergy accommodations, the restaurant addresses the eight specified allergens (shrimp, crab, walnuts, wheat, buckwheat, eggs, dairy, and peanuts). Guests with special dietary requirements are asked to inform the restaurant in advance. Photos are for illustrative purposes only.
About the Chefs
Chef Noguchi Sawako (Main Dining Itozakura) has a strong competition background. Highlights include placing third overall at the 28th Club Gastronomique Prosper Montagné French Cuisine Apprentice Chef Competition in 2009, winning the Kyoto Governor's Award at the All-Japan Shukushi Association Kyoto-Shiga Branch Idea Cuisine Contest in 2012 and 2014, earning honorable mention at the 25th Toque d'Or Cooking Contest in 2014, and advancing to Japan's national selection rounds for the S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition in both 2016 and 2017.
Goto Takahiro was appointed head chef of Japanese cuisine at The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike in 2022. He has competed in the Prince Hotel Cooking Competition and the U-23 Japan Skills Olympics in the Japanese cuisine category, earning awards across various competitions.
