Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking

If the purpose of a cookbook is to inspire, then this one is a step above the rest. Beautifully photographed examples of some of the chef's favorite dishes are enough to make anyone want to rush out to their nearest asian market and start gathering ingredients for these meals. For fans of Morimoto-san, Japanese cuisine, or just plain beautiful books, this is a must-read.

A surprisingly good stab at the Japanese-stuff-with-foie-gras fusion genre from an ex-Nobu alumnus. Perhaps some of the ideas are too off the wall (sugared salmon sashimi for pudding anyone) and the constant harping on about how his standards are so much better than anyone elses grate a little (so you make your own dashi from scratch and hull your own rice. Woweee...). However there are plenty of innovative ideas packed into this book and (on the whole) far more hits than misses.

Beautiful book, a pleasure to look at with exquisite pictures and a delightful take on Morimoto, who is, like many great chefs, quite eccentric. He approaches the table like a samurai warrior. Usual outstanding job by Dorling Kindersley, one of my favourite publishers of illustrated books. Mind boggling combinations and a great introduction to a wonderful subject-Japanese food.