CHEESE NOTES

Interesting post on a restaurant in Tokyo which is offering a first: a cheese plate composed entirely of domestic Japanese cheeses. To say that cheeses have a low profile in traditional Asian cuisine would be an understatement, so this is quite an accomplishment. 

Head chef Olivier Rodriguez may be French, but his new cheese isn’t: Mr. Rodriguez says he’s offering instead the best products of one of Japan’s newest budding industries – artisanal cheese-making.

Mr. Rodriguez says the assortment of elite cheese varieties on the current menu rival the quality produced in his home country. And this is the first time the plush Michelin-rated eatery has presented a cheese platter composed exclusively of those made in Japan, a testament to how mature the domestic market has become in recent years.

Culture magazine also had a great essay on the rise of Japanese artisanal cheese in their Summer 2011 issue.