It might happen on the staircase, brought in, like so much of this space, from Japan itself; or at the counter, its wood carrying the patina of another country's craftsmanship. Or it might happen when the first course arrives and the chef, standing before you, explains it with welcoming warmth. At KIGO, you may just forget that you’re in Dubai. And land in Japan, the one you read about in books.

KIGO, located at Four Seasons Hotel DIFC, has just unveiled the summer chapter of its Tsumugi Menu. Tsumugi means woven fabric: threads of different origins drawn together into something whole. Here, the discipline of Kaiseki is interlaced with the intimacy of Omakase, six courses composed by Head Chef Akinori Tanigawa and served across just twelve counter seats, over an unhurried evening.

The menu reads like a summer haiku, moving from Scallop and Summer Vegetables with Beetroot Miso Sauce, through Chawanmushi with Green Pea Soup, Black Cod covered with Cha Soba noodles and Uni Pâté, before arriving at the main of Charcoal-Grilled Tajima Wagyu Sirloin, Salt Koji Cured. The experience closes with a Seasonal Sushi Selection with Silken Egg Miso Soup and a Selection of Premium Japanese Fruits. Guests seeking an elevated experience may add the Premium Nigiri Selection, including Uni and Otoro.

But what stays with you at KIGO is not only what is served, it is the entire experience of dining authentically Japanese. The chefs work directly in front of you - funny, gracious and completely present, caring for you in ways that feel almost familial. At one point, without a word being said, one of the team noticed that my son, my plus-one for the evening, was left-handed. He quickly rearranged his entire setting accordingly so he could dine comfortably. In an age when hospitality so often performs, KIGO simply pays attention.

The Japanese call it ‘mono no aware’, the bittersweet awareness of impermanence, and it is the philosophy on which KIGO's menus are written. Shaped by what the land and sea offer at one precise moment, experienced once, and gone. Fittingly, we left with something folded rather than printed: a small origami dragon, made at the restaurant, now sitting at home as a reminder of the evening. Everything at KIGO, the food, the paintings, the tableware, the spirit, has been brought in from Japan. And yet its greatest import is a feeling: that for a few hours, in the heart of DIFC, you were somewhere else entirely.

The Tsumugi Summer Menu is available at KIGO, Four Seasons Hotel DIFC, Wednesday to Sunday, 6 to 10pm, until 6 September. Reservations: [email protected] | +971 4 506 0388

www.kigodubai.com | @kigo.dubai