The Decorative Art of Japanese Food Carving: Elegant Garnishes for All Occasions

I love this book. Fully illustrated, with most of the space used for multiple color inserts on every page. Each step is artfully detailed. This book is basic. Each suggestion is practical. Garnishes made from cucumbers, daikon, red radish, lemon, grapefruit, papaya and more. From simple thin tied carrot knots, to a melon carved bird basket. From elaborate eggplant traps to apple cages.i rarely become so excited with a new book. It doesn't take long to read because it's barely a hundred pages of mostly pictures. Published less then a year ago, and being only 8" x 10", it will still make a great coffee table book. I can't wait to try the zucchini net: a great alternative to nori rolls or wrapping in lettuce.Easily adaptable to an all raw food menu, I will certainly use some of these in my food presentations. I heartily recommend this book. And at this price, it's a worthwhile indulgence.

I love making bento lunches and food garnishes, and this book is perfect for creating some impressive looking finishing touches to my food. Some of the garnishes are really easy, and some will take some practice, which is what I was hoping for. I will have fun using this book for a long time to come!

Amazing and creative book. It gives me many great ideas.

The literature for food carving and garnish design is limited relative to other aspects of the culinary arts. While this "visual manual" is helpful, the descriptions would benefit from less brevity and more detail. I was left to experiment to discover the boundary conditions and specifics for certain procedures. For example, when instructed to cut a 4 in. long strip of carrot, how thick should the strip be to maximize results? The book doesn't say and I was forced to experiment on my own. In case you're curious, my results were that while the form of thinner strips of vegetables are easier to manipulate, they hold their shape less well than thicker pieces do.

This book reminds me of those "learn to draw" books where the steps go something like:1. First, draw a medium oval.2. Then, faintly trace a horizontal line through the center.3. Finally, add in the details to complete your drawing of the Sistine Chapel.Yes the pictures are beautiful but it's not exactly useful when I want to learn to made a radish bird and the book is essentially just saying "Start by cutting a radish into a bird-like shape. Then, whittle it down until it looks like a bird."

The inside of the book lives up to the promise of the cover. Beautiful quality paper and photographs. Detailed instructions on how to make these beautiful carvings. If this is what you want to do, this book is an excellent reference, and is a visual pleasure.

Now this is a book I had always wanted to have. I am still wanting to try the techniques in this beautiful book and very soon we're going to have our game nights and will be able to show off my skills in garnishing to my friends and neighbours who will attend...

I love the cute Japanese garnishes shared in the book, it takes you to the beautiful world of Asian cuisine. After reading the book I got some ideas on how to integrate Japanese garnishing techniques into the European cooking. I am quite happy with the purchasing.

Amei chegou rápido e é bem útil para as minhas aulas.obrigado

Very easy to read book well sized photos to explain procedures. New perspectives are all ways helpful in the culinary industry.

Este libro explica paso a paso como crear figuras decorativas para cocina japonesa. En realidad sirve como apoyo ya que se requiere de mas fotografías para poder realizar ciertos cortes.

Good book

Increíble. Pocas veces he disfrutado tantísimo un libro visualmente, parece auténtica magia ver como cada ejemplo se va formando con las diferentes técnicas Puro arte gastronómico y decorativo. Eso si, todos ellos requieren su practica, tiempo y paciencia, pero se puede conseguir el resultado tal cual se describe en el libro. también hay que decir, que algunas técnicas descritas tienen sus riesgos como el katsura (doy fé, me he cortado varias veces)... pero es que hacer esto con un cuchillo afilado no es fácil.