KIGO at Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre will bring back its Autumn Menu on 16 September as the Japanese restaurant celebrates its first anniversary.
The eight-course KIGO Signature Sushi Kaiseki menu costs AED 1,500 per person, with dishes spanning seafood, seasonal mushrooms, A5 Wagyu, sushi and Japanese fruit. It is the second edition of the restaurant’s autumn experience and will now return each September.
Created by Fundamental Hospitality, KIGO opened in 2025 with a concept that brings Kaiseki and sushi omakase into one seasonal dining journey. Head Chef Akinori “Aki” Tanigawa has shaped its Kaiseki menus, while Sushi Head Chef Daihachiro Ebata leads its counter-style sushi experience.
The restaurant says more than 30 per cent of its diners have returned during its first year. Guest preferences are remembered between visits, while the menus change to reflect the ingredients and character of each season.
Chef Aki’s second Autumn Menu
Autumn has a distinct place within Kaiseki, where ingredients, tableware and presentation respond to the natural cycle of the year. At KIGO, the season is associated with Japan’s harvest and its deeper, earthier flavours.
It is also Chef Aki’s favourite season. The second Autumn Menu combines familiar elements from the original edition with new preparations informed by his continued work with Japanese produce and his experience of KIGO’s returning guests.
“Kaiseki is about appreciating the moment and allowing each season to tell its own story,” Chef Aki said in the anniversary announcement.
His approach retains traditional Kaiseki techniques while presenting them through a contemporary Dubai restaurant. Individual ingredients remain central, with the progression designed to express the relationship between Japanese cooking and the passing season.
From vinegared barracuda to A5 Kumamoto Wagyu
The KIGO Signature Sushi Kaiseki menu begins with Vinegared Barracuda with Dried Persimmon, pairing the acidity of the fish preparation with the concentrated sweetness of autumn fruit.
Chawanmushi follows with Grilled Eggplant Chilled Purée. The savoury steamed custard introduces the depth of grilled aubergine before the menu returns to seafood with Grilled Pacific Saury, a fish closely associated with autumn in Japanese cuisine.
One of the menu’s most personal courses is Autumn Mushrooms served on a Hōba Leaf. Chef Aki based the dish on memories of walking through Japan’s mountains during autumn, when fallen leaves and mushrooms transform the landscape.
Hōba leaves come from the Japanese magnolia tree and have traditionally been used for cooking in the country’s mountain regions. At KIGO, the leaf gives the mushroom course a direct connection to that rural tradition while reinforcing the warmer character of the menu.
The progression then moves to Slow-Braised A5 Kumamoto Black Wagyu. Produced in Kumamoto Prefecture on the Japanese island of Kyushu, the beef provides the richest course before the experience turns back towards the precision of the sushi counter.
Seasonal Sushi Selections are followed by Miso Soup and premium Japanese fruits. Together, the eight courses move between fish, mushroom, beef and fruit while keeping KIGO’s omakase identity within the Kaiseki menu.
A dining room shaped by Japanese craftsmanship
Set inside Four Seasons Hotel DIFC, KIGO is a 44-seat restaurant designed around Wa, the Japanese idea of harmony. Its restrained interior places much of the attention on the chefs, the counter and the changing presentation of each course.
Quarried from a single mountain in Kagawa Prefecture, Aji stone forms the sushi counter. Above it hangs Rimpa-inspired artwork by Eiki Kimura, while an ikebana arrangement brings a further seasonal element into the room.
The chefs selected chinaware and glassware directly from Japan to complement the restaurant’s changing dishes. In Kaiseki, these pieces form part of the experience, with colour, shape and material chosen to suit the time of year.
A private dining room is available for bespoke Kaiseki or sushi omakase menus. KIGO’s website currently lists this experience at AED 1,500 per person, separate from the anniversary menu offered in the main restaurant.
The restaurant’s name also signals its commitment to seasonality. Kigo, written 季語 in Japanese, refers to a seasonal word or expression used in haiku. These words connect a poem to a particular moment in nature, an idea reflected in KIGO’s use of ingredients at their seasonal peak.
Kaiseki and omakase at KIGO
Kaiseki is expressed at KIGO through a composed sequence of courses, each shaped by the season and presented with corresponding tableware. Omakase places the selection in the chef’s hands, allowing the sushi offering to change according to the best available ingredients.
Chef Aki arrived at KIGO with more than three decades of Kaiseki experience and a childhood spent in a Japanese family of restaurateurs. His menus focus on Japanese culinary tradition while leaving room for a modern interpretation of each ingredient.
Chef Ebata brought further fine-dining experience to the sushi counter, including five years at Michelin-starred Sushi Wakon at Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto. Chef Izu Ani, Chief Research Officer at Fundamental Hospitality, guides the restaurant’s wider culinary direction.
Beyond the tasting menus, the KIGO drinks selection includes seasonal sake, Japanese teas and cocktails inspired by Japanese ingredients. The restaurant’s original beverage programme featured Shigemasu 18 Junmai Daiginjo, rare sakes and ceremonial matcha to close the experience.
A six-course Tsumugi menu is also listed from AED 980 per person. The returning Autumn Menu is a separate eight-course experience, distinguished by its seasonal dishes and AED 1,500 price.
How to book the KIGO Autumn Menu
KIGO is open from Wednesday to Sunday, with evening seatings between 6pm and 10pm. The restaurant has a smart-elegant dress code, and national dress is welcome.
- Launch date: 16 September 2026
- Price: AED 1,500 per person for eight courses
- Location: Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
- Reservations: Email kigo.dubaidifc@fourseasons.com or call +971 4 506 0388
Updates are also available through @kigo.dubai and @fsdubaidifc on Instagram. The Autumn Menu will return each September as part of KIGO’s annual seasonal cycle.
