Who is Hideki Matsuhisa?
Blends traditional Japanese cuisine with Mediterranean flavors and ingredients
Hideki Matsuhisa was born in Toyota (Japan) in 1972. From an early age he was introduced to Japanese cuisine and sushi techniques by his father, a sushi master and restaurant owner. At the age of 15 he moved to Tokyo where he worked in various restaurants and trained in different Japanese culinary techniques.
In 1997, he arrived in Spain and was fascinated by the variety and quality of Mediterranean products. This is when his vision of blending traditional Japanese cuisine with Mediterranean flavors and ingredients began to take shape.
Hideki worked in several Japanese restaurants in Barcelona, and in 2001 he decided to open his own restaurant, Shunka, (which means Seasonal Aroma) together with his wife, his sister and his brother-in-law. With the idea of merging traditional Japanese techniques with Mediterranean ingredients and characteristics, Hideki aims to achieve excellence and refinement in dishes that may appear simple but are crafted with a high level of skill and quality.
In October 2009, Hideki opened Koy Shunka (intense seasonal aroma), the elder sibling of Shunka. It is a spectacular restaurant with an open kitchen surrounded by a cedar wood counter where diners sit, with meticulously crafted décor in every detail and a superb gastronomic offering that blends Hideki’s wisdom and experience throughout his career as a chef. The restaurant's excellence and quality were recognized in 2013 with a Michelin star, which it still holds today.
Later, Hideki went on to open more restaurants: in 2014, he launched Koy Hermitage at the Sport Hotel Hermitage in Soldeu (Andorra); in 2015, he opened Kak Koy, a Japanese robata grill restaurant; and in 2016, he introduced Majide, a spin-off of Shunka.
