The latest restaurant from Chef Izu Ani showcases the flavours of Japan.
Chef Izu Ani has dabbled with Japanese cuisine in Dubai before, with the likes of AYA in City Walk and Kai Enzo in La Mer, yet KIGO is an entirely different beast. Driven by years of passion and research, this new dining experience at Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre has been honed to perfection, prioritising premium produce and an air of exclusivity.
The name points to the intent. “Kigo” is the seasonal word used in Japanese poetry, a small anchor that tells you where you are in the year. Here, seasonality shapes a restaurant built around two experiences only: sushi omakase at the counter and a seasonal kaiseki menu in the dining room.
The arrival experience is deliberately quiet. A serene dry garden, then a descent down rough stone stairs that evoke the feeling of meandering down a mountain pathway, leaving DIFC far behind. Inside, the 44-seat room is shaped by Wa, the Japanese idea of harmony, with a rare Aji stone sushi counter, sourced from a single mountain in Japan, backed by a custom blue-and-gold mural by Kyoto artist Hideki Kimura. The interiors, realised by Japanese designer Izumi Sugimoto, use stone, wood and washi textures that are intended to deepen with time rather than demand attention.
The details are where KIGO starts to charm its clientele. Shoji-style walls soften the lighting, and there is a tatami mat for your phone, a gentle hint that you are not meant to scroll through the meal. Staff wear plum-coloured kimonos, and place settings include origami elephants (a symbol of discipline favoured by Chef Izu Ani). With our name brushed in calligraphy across the placemat, it is all marvellously meticulous.
Service mirrors that precision with an almost fully Japanese team. Courses are introduced clearly and succinctly, spinning a narrative around the experience, while timing is fully controlled. If you want more privacy, there is a dedicated private room, designed for bespoke dining.
The kitchen is led by head chef Akinori “Aki” Tanigawa, in collaboration with Chef Izu Ani. Much of the produce is flown in from Japan, and it shows. We opt for the seasonal kaiseki menu, designed to reflect the rhythm of the seasons.
The meal opens with sakizuke, a pretty plate of firefly squid, young wakame and wild shoots dressed in mustard-vinegar miso. It is bright and bracing, with that gentle bitterness for which Japanese spring vegetables are prized.
Oshinogi follows with a dish that will divide the room. Pufferfish is a delicacy that requires a license for preparation due to the poison that exists within the fish’s internal organs. Here, the fish is charcoal-grilled and served with sushi rice inside a yuzu fruit, creating a creamy, almost risotto-like showcase. A pipette of dashi and soy sauce adds depth, and the resulting plate is a masterclass in Japanese restraint.
Owan, a clear clam broth with young bamboo shoot, is the course that fully realises the kaiseki concept. The broth is transparent, but not light. There is sweetness from the shellfish, a quiet perfume from pepper leaf, and a sense of care in every temperature choice.
Mukozuke brings the first real jolt of aroma. Seared bonito and straw-grilled Spanish mackerel are presented sashimi-style in a wooden box. The smoke, deeply imbued into the fish, enhances the flavour, leaving a finish that lingers.
Hassun is a seasonal snapshot presented as a miniature diorama, complete with a miniature plum tree and a candle made from dashi. In one course, you move through a herb roll of Ōmi beef, roasted chestnuts, nanohana greens, bamboo shoots, beans, and crisp mountain shoots.
Then comes the saikyo miso-grilled Ōmi wagyu. Extremely rare in Dubai, Kigo is the only place in the city, aside from Emirates first-class cabins, to offer the product, making it a highlight of the menu. Ōmi beef is one of Japan’s oldest wagyu lineages, revered for fine marbling and a clean, buttery finish. KIGO treats it with rare discipline. The miso is used as seasoning, and the vegetables on the plate add contrast rather than competition. The meat melts, but it also has structure.
Tomezakana cools everything down with a palate reset of snow crab and chilled somen noodles, followed by Oshokuji, a glossy and fragrant claypot rice of plump Hokkaido oysters and Chinese cabbage, served with miso soup.
Dessert keeps the focus on ingredients, featuring a Mitsuoka “Kiwami” strawberry, a rare Japanese fruit cultivated by a single farmer in Fukuoka, with fewer than 500 produced per season. Mizugashi follows with delicate water-rich Japanese sweets crafted from seasonal fruits, taking on the appearance of verdant green shoots making their way out of the snow. A tea ceremony with high-grade Hoshino Usucha matcha brings the experience to a calm, considered close.
From FZN to Sublimation, Kigo is the latest in a long line of exclusive chef’s table experiences that have taken over the Dubai dining scene in recent years. Yet KIGO succeeds in its simplicity and authenticity. The seasonal venue is perfectly suited to the Four Seasons Hotel DIFC, transforming an old meeting room into an intimate experience that offers a true taste of Japan’s fine dining traditions. It’s ceremonial and sensational.
GO: Visit www.kigodubai.com for more information.