Shippoku is a hybrid cuisine that combines elements of Chinese, Japanese and some European styles and is unique to Nagasaki. The city for over two centuries was the only port open to foreign trade in Japan. This meant Chinese and Westerner (mostly Dutch) merchants set shop in the city with their own traditions. Some fusion was inevitable.
Shippoku is today a type of high-end cuisine best enjoyed in banquets. Usually, six or seven people take seats around a round table and eat a variety of dishes together from various sized bowls. During my summer 2019 trip to Nagasaki I found a shippoku restaurant that also accepted single diners: Ichiriki.
The visit
The restaurant is located in a traditional Japanese house in front of a Shinto shrine. The day before my intended lunch I went there to make a reservation. They only serve set menus by reservation.
On the day of my lunch I followed a staff member to the communal dining room walking through a long corridor from which I could notice the various private rooms.
They had a shared dining room with three tables for diners like me. During my visit there was also a couple from Tokyo.
Food arrived quite quickly.
One bowl had some fresh sashimi.
The most interesting food was in the bowls. One for cold food and one for warm bites. In the cold box there was some ham, an egg omelet with spinach, black beans in a plum broth, jelly (I think from stock), a piece of white fish in a multicolored crust.
The warm box contained: a potato croquet, tofu, yam, a caramelized shrimp, braised pork belly (maybe with sake), a dumpling, a pie with pork meat, a mushroom, peas, and tofu skin. In this potpourri you could start seeing the Chinese influence.
The rice was presented in a way to resemble a pumpkin.
The pickles were pretty ordinary.
There was a clear-broth soup with some tofu and other ingredients I could not fully identify.
I was not finished yet, but the waitress decided that was time to bring the dessert. Service was a bit rushed. It was a jelly, some watermelon and cold green tea. Nice but quite ordinary. The all lunch lasted just 30 minutes.
The check
The check was 5,400 net (around 50 USD). Tea was included. The menu was called Hime-Jyu Shippoku Zanmai. The same menu without the sashimi and the dessert was only 3.240 yen (Hime-Jyu Shippoku). If you are alone and just wish to have a quick introduction to shippoku, the lower price menu is enough in my opinion. If you are in a group and are in for a splurge, this and other shippoku restaurants in Nagasaki can provide you with the experience of a full round table full of this kind of fusion dishes.
Where in Nagasaki:
8-20 Suwa-Machi, Nagasaki (Tera-Machi Street).
In Japanese: 長崎市諏訪町8-20(寺町通り).
Website (for menus): www.ichiriki.jp/top-e.