... Japanese Restaurant Cocoro?

There is only one place in Jamaica for high-quality, affordable, authentic Japanese cuisine and that's Japanese Restaurant Cocoro.

Located at 4 West King's House Road, the person who makes it all work in the kitchen, is managing director and chef, Tomohisa Natsume.

For 20 years, he has been perfecting the art of cooking, which is what it is to him. As he told Food through translator and restaurant manager Takahiro Sawada, "Since 12 years old I wanted to be a chef because food looked like art to me, it's beautiful." So, he has been making beautiful art, especially in Italian and French cuisine, having done Japanese cuisine all his life. Natsume studied in Tokyo and worked in Tokyo and Las Vagas before he came to Jamaica in 2005.

Like most chefs, at home he would rather eat than do what he does at work. And what he loves to eat is the national dish of ackee and salt fish. "I love Jamaican food," he told Food.

As with previous years, he is looking forward to Restaurant Week. It keeps him very busy in the kitchen as new customers come to get a taste of real Japanese cuisine. As Sawada notes, "Through Restaurant Week, more people know about the restaurant. Every year, we have new customers and keep on seeing new faces."