Honouring Each Vegetable’s Natural Flavour. Omakase Kobayashi’s Seasonal Vegetable Roll

This vegetable roll contains several different vegetables—

cucumber, okra, shiitake mushroom, kanpyo and shiso.

Although they are all “vegetables,” each one has its own aroma, sweetness, and texture.

Their water content, firmness, and flavour direction are all completely different.

For that reason, I treat each component as its own dish and season them individually,

so they can shine in the final roll.

Cucumber

Lightly salted and turned into a simple pickle to preserve its crisp and refreshing texture.

Okra

Gently blanched and rested in a kombu–bonito dashi to soften its green edges and round out the flavour.

Shiitake & Kanpyo

Slowly simmered in a sweet–savory broth, allowing the flavours to soak deep into the centre.

They are the quiet backbone of the roll, releasing richness with every bite.

Shiso

Added just before rolling for a clean, fresh aroma that ties everything together.

Each preparation is different, but they all come together to form a single, harmonious bite.