The key to owner-chef Shinji Ishida’s recipes is texture. He searches for compatibilities among ingredients to draw out the aromas of each season. His two-course pasta menus are where his creativity shines; for example, if the first pasta course is dry noodles, the second will be a pasta of different texture, such as hand-made ravioli or gnocchi. Examples of seasonal pairings are firefly squid, bamboo shoots and young pepper leaves with spaghetti in spring, and boar and burdock with ragu or tagliatelle in winter.