The name means ‘swallows in the willow trees’ and it encapsulates the hope that guests will come back to Ryuen just as the swallows return to the willows each spring. The chef’s apprenticeship taught him reverence for ingredients; he learned the skill of using everything in food preparation, wasting nothing. Beef dishes are served as a middle course, taking after Oniku Karyu, Ryuen’s sister restaurant. Each dish is inventive while preserving the traditions of Japanese cuisine. The chef’s quest for new flavours embodies the spirit of onko-chishin: discovering the new by studying the past.