This fall, the Austin Proper Hotel will become home to one of the city’s most refined dining experiences yet. At Kappo Kappo, a 25-seat restaurant headed by twin brother chefs Haru and Gohei Kishi, the food will be a blend of French technique and Japanese kappo cuisine — a style of dining where the chef is trusted to curate the menu and prepare directly in front of the guest.
After all, as the brothers explain, they were both born and raised in Paris by Japanese parents.
“We started in the industry back home in Paris,” says Haru. At 15, the twins’ mother pulled them out of school to help out in the family’s newly opened Japanese restaurant. “Since then, we’ve been cooking, traveling, and creating experiences.”
For Haru, some of these experiences include working in a French restaurant in Tokyo, working in a Japanese restaurant in Paris, and putting on big, food-focused events in the U.S. And for Gohei, it has been a culinary ride from Japan, to Spain, to London, to Dubai, back to Paris, and ultimately, here to Austin.
After many years of cooking for larger events and restaurants, the two brothers are excited to be a part of something smaller and more intimate. Of the 25 seats overall, 15 will be at a chef’s counter.
“Kappo is a type of restaurant in Japan, where most often it’s a very intimate setup, with a counter and the chef, who has trained all his life… and accumulated a lot of experience,” Gohei says. “So the menu is based on his choice at the moment and the season. The guests leave it to the chef to cook for them, and trust the chef to create all this food.”
This might initially sound a lot like omakase, but the chefs are very clear: kappo is not the same, and showcasing skill and knowledge are key.
“Kappo means to ‘cut and cook.’ To cut, meaning dividing, portioning, and having the knife skill,” says Gohei. “Just one cut will determine the texture, and the size, and all of the intricacies of preparing your food.”
Haru explains the thought process behind what kind of restaurant to open: “We want to promote the kappo component instead of using the word ‘omakase,’ because I think there’s too much omakase, and people tend to think of that as sushi more than anything else. Kappo is more about showcasing your culture, your skills, and what you have learned.”
Kappo Kappo’s seasonal menu will feature 11 courses — eight savory and three dessert — all highlighting kappo-style wagyu and seafood with optional sake, wine, beer, and cocktail pairings.
The space itself will be small and elegantly designed by Los Angeles-based design genius Kelly Wearstler, whose work has already set the Austin Proper and its other restaurants apart from others in town. The team settled on a Japanese style centered around burnt wood planks that are sanded down to create a pattern. It’s hard to envision, so Gohei points to the Japanese restaurant scene in Kill Bill, keeping an eye on the wood in the background.
“It will be a little like this,” he says. (Minus all the gore.)
According to Haru, the space will also have a great sound system to add to the overall experience. “I don’t know about you,” he says, “but we really love music.”
Though there is no official opening date yet, the team is aiming for fall of 2025. Until then, Chefs Haru and Gohei are busy getting the restaurant ready, working with their “amazing new team” at Austin Proper, and eating their way through their new home here in Austin.
“After traveling for all these years, we’re finally maybe settling down and doing something that really reflects who we are,” says Haru. “So yeah, we’re very excited for this opportunity.”
Dining and Cooking