Respect for life and boundless ambition
This restaurant, located in a quiet residential area of Shoto, is by invitation only. We take a closer look at the background and philosophy behind the all-meat course meal, prepared by a chef with a hunting license.
Photographs by Yu Mitamura
The two in the foreground are the fillets of a two-year-old male deer. The one in the background is the heart of a one-year-old female deer. Served with French ceps and girolles, they are topped with a sauce of poivrevert, which has a noble aroma of brandy and green pepper. The meunière-style venison servelle (brain) is creamy and resembles milt. Dishes using rare ingredients such as venison servelle, brown bear, and Ezo ptarmigan depend on availability, but please specify if you would like these when making your reservation.
The meal begins with a clear Hokkaido venison consommé soup poured right in front of you, followed by a pure and smooth boudin noir and a platter of charcuterie made in-house. The main dish features two or more types of Hokkaido venison of different genders, ages and cuts, such as "tenderloin of a two-year-old buck and heart of a one-year-old buck," as well as shorthorn beef and free-range pork, allowing you to enjoy a tasting comparison. "We want you to take your dining experience a step further through the dishes," says Elezo founder and chef Shota Sasaki.
It all began in 2004. Mr. Sasaki returned to his hometown of Obihiro, Hokkaido, to help out at his family's restaurant. He was so impressed by the Hokkaido deer a hunter brought him that he decided to start Elezo. He built a laboratory in Toyokoro Town, Tokachi, and set up a system whereby the company could handle all of its meat hunting, distribution, and processing in-house. All employees were chefs and hunters, earning the company the nickname "The Meat Chefs Group."
There is a piece of paper that Sasaki wrote at the time of the company's founding. It details the company's integrated production management system, and from the role of each department to the types of game meat, it is as if it is describing the current situation, and it is clear that the goals of about 10 years ago have been steadily realized. All of this is the result of pursuing the essence, based on the creed of respect for living meat. Add to this his skills as a chef, and dishes with a story to tell have been born. "Elezo House" is also a place to express the unique style of "taking charge of everything from the living state to what is on the plate."
Standing on a hill in Toyokoro Town and overlooking Otsu Port, Chef Sasaki speaks in a calm and collected manner, yet with a strong sense of determination: "I will create an auberge here where people can spend their time centered around food."
Over the next 10 years, they will steadily realize their dream, which will have great significance in Japan's meat culture and will play an irreplaceable role.
Born in Hokkaido in 1981. After graduating from a culinary school, he honed his skills at famous French restaurants in Tokyo. He returned to his hometown in 2003 and founded Elezo in Tokachi in 2005. The company is made up of four divisions: "Hunting and Production," "Aged Meat Distribution," "Charcuterie Production," and "Restaurant," and operates under an integrated in-house meat production management system. In 2016, he opened an invitation-only restaurant in Shoto, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo.
Address and phone number are not disclosed due to referral system
Irregular holidays
Lunch: Thursday to Saturday 12:00pm start
Dinner: Starts at 19:00 PM
Lunch course: from 17,000 yen, Dinner course: from 25,000 yen
(If you would like rare ingredients, an additional 3000 yen will be charged.)
Both meals include wine pairing, consumption tax and service charge.
