How a documentary film led to a culinary collaboration between Poland and Japan
On June 5, an unlikely culinary conversation unfolded in Tachikawa, a city on Tokyo’s western edge. At Auberge Tokito, guests gathered around a table where Polish and Japanese sensibilities met course after course, the result of a collaboration between chefs separated by nearly 9,000 kilometers but connected by a shared reverence for craftsmanship and fermentation.
The evening brought Daniel Pawelek, founder of Warsaw’s Ferment Group, and Bartosz Szymczak, the Michelin-starred chef behind Rozbrat20, to Japan for a one-night-only dinner titled Poland Meets Japan. Working alongside Tokito’s culinary team led by Yoshinori Ishii, who previously earned two Michelin stars at London’s Umu, they created a menu that moved between the flavors of Poland and the ingredients of Japan, revealing unexpected affinities between the two food cultures. Ishii, a highly accomplished chef, earned two Michelin stars at Umu, a restaurant in London.
For Pawelek, named Poland’s Best Restaurateur in 2022 and 2023 by both Forbes and Made for Restaurant, the evening had its beginnings in a documentary film.
The connection began in Warsaw. During their first meeting, Ishii encouraged Daniel to watch the documentary Tokito: 540 Days of Culinary Innovation, which was screening at the Warsaw Film Festival. The film struck a deep chord with Daniel. Inspired by Ishii’s passion, Daniel was determined to work with him and his team at Tokito.
The affinity was not difficult to understand. Rozbrat20 has earned acclaim for reimagining Polish culinary traditions through contemporary techniques and a deep exploration of fermentation. Its philosophy resonates closely with that of Tokito, where ingredient quality, craftsmanship, and precision take precedence over spectacle.
While the evening unfolded over numerous courses, several dishes captured the spirit of the collaboration particularly well.
One of the most memorable was Suno-mono (“The Thing Itself”), a deceptively simple bowl of white rice porridge finished with cold-pressed Polish rapeseed oil and pickled dandelion buds gathered along the Tama River. The dish was titled Niebana, a reference to the tea kaiseki term describing the fleeting moment just before rice is fully cooked, when its aroma and flavor reach their peak.
When the bowl arrived, guests were gently encouraged to eat immediately. The message was clear: the beauty of food exists not only in its ingredients, but also in timing. There is a singular moment when a dish is at its most expressive, and once it passes, it cannot be recreated. From the opening course, Tokito’s pursuit of that ephemeral perfection set the tone for the evening.
When Warsaw Came to Tachikawa
Okutama Yamame Ruibe, Wasabi Ice Cream featured paper-thin slices of frozen yamame trout from the mountain streams of Okutama, paired with wasabi ice cream and caviar from Poland. The sharpness of the wasabi and the richness of the caviar came together on the plate, where the clear waters of Tama met the pristine lakes of Poland.
The dish that gave the evening its title, Poland Meets Japan, featured pierogi stuffed with wagyu beef and served with ponzu sauce. A beloved Polish staple, the dumpling shares a certain kinship with Japanese gyoza, making it a natural bridge between the two cuisines. Yet the result felt less like fusion than a genuine collaboration, with Polish and Japanese flavors taking turns in the spotlight.
A hush fell over the room as diners took their first bite. The dish was thoughtfully composed, its technical sophistication evident without ever calling attention to itself. Nothing about it felt designed to impress. It was simply, unmistakably good.
If the menu provided the structure for the evening, Daniel Pawelek supplied much of its spirit. A red-and-white pocket square, matching the colors of both the Polish and Japanese flags, peeked from his jacket as he moved easily from table to table, pouring Polish vodka and offering tastes of caviar brought from home. The gestures were small but telling. By the end of the night, the room felt less like the site of a formal culinary event than a gathering of old friends discovering new connections over food and drink.
Tokito has long championed a simple idea: the path to the world does not necessarily begin in central Tokyo, but can start in Tachikawa. For children and young people growing up in the city, its founders have sought to demonstrate that global connections can emerge from a local place rooted in its own traditions. On this evening, as chefs, restaurateurs, and guests gathered around a table that bridged Warsaw and western Tokyo, that idea no longer felt aspirational. It felt real.
Auberge Tokito: Where the History of Tachikawa Lives On
The site on which Auberge Tokito now stands has a long and layered history. It first opened in 1938, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, as Hotel Mumon-an. In the decades that followed, it evolved into a ryotei, or traditional Japanese restaurant, becoming a beloved gathering place for generations before closing its doors in 2019.
Today, the property has been reimagined as a modern auberge centered on food, tea, and lodging. Its gate, tea room, and other architectural details remain, but what has been preserved is more than the physical structure. Tokito also carries forward the ethos of Mumon-an, allowing visitors to experience the history embedded in the site while engaging with it in a contemporary way.
Photography: Polish Tourism Organization / @Maciej Komorowski
About Tachikawa
Tachikawa is known for its history as the site of a U.S. military base, which brought significant changes to the area, spurring infrastructure development and economic growth after the war. After the base was later returned to Japan, Tachikawa actively engaged in urban redevelopment. Today, Tachikawa flourishes as the gateway to Tama. As a tourist destination, Tachikawa is home to the Showa Commemorative National Park and has recently gained popularity as a mecca for anime and manga fans.
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