Modern take on seasonal traditions

TO REACH the latest offering by the Proper Concepts group, one enters their handroll bar Rappu and heads through the curtains on the right. Beside the staircase that leads upwards, a neon sign on the wall proclaims: "GOHO or go home."

GOHO’s aesthetic – dark wood, concrete, neon accents – complements the restaurant bar’s modern take on the traditional concept of kaiseki, a Japanese multi-course meal rooted in seasonality.

The menu for spring, for instance, features seasonal seafood such as Spanish mackerel, aged and served as sashimi; and firefly squid, lightly grilled for the "donabe" or claypot rice dish, with the rice also cooked in a squid broth.