The soup in a jet-black bowl consists only of onion in a seasoned broth. The dish’s composition is striking, suggesting moonlight dancing on the water’s surface. Flavours shift ephemerally, at times like a carving by Michelangelo where every last vestige of the unwanted is removed to achieve perfection, and at others presenting the beauty of the unfinished. The cuisine of Ogata draws out the flavours inherent in the ingredients, boldly yet delicately and at times ruggedly honestly.