From tempura to sashimi, Aoi chef and owner Makato Muta does it
all
by Jina Park
Special to South Valley Newspapers
Not long ago, what is now Aoi Japanese Restaurant in Morgan Hill was Hiromi Japanese Restaurant. However, a new owner calls for a new name.
Makato Muta, chef and owner of Aoi, left behind his restaurant in Santa Cruz that he had run for 25 years and moved to Morgan Hill to take over his recently retired brother’s restaurant. Muta has been living in Morgan Hill for about four months, and he’s been cooking since he moved to California from his home country, Japan, 27 years ago.
When he moved to the United States, Muta started working for a restaurant in Cupertino. The experience inspired him to continue to cook and start his own restaurant.
“I learned everything at that restaurant,” Muta said.
Muta is a cheerful man with a healthy sense of humor and an ever-present smile. He enjoys reading books, watching TV shows and playing golf, which he has done for 20 years.
Muta’s restaurant is decorated with black and red furniture and small Japanese figurines. It has a quiet atmosphere and a distinct ethnic Asian mood.
Although Muta said he enjoys making all of the dishes at Aoi, he especially likes preparing tempura, a classic Japanese dish of deep-fried seafood and vegetables that is Muta’s self-proclaimed trademark.
Not all of his family members also enjoy cooking, but Muta said he has always wanted to become a chef. He decided to cook Japanese food because he’s most familiar with it, but if he wasn’t cooking that, he’d try his hand at Korean barbecue.
“I enjoy meat, and the sauce tastes good to me,” he said.
Although he enjoys cooking, Muta doesn’t cook much outside of the restaurant.
“Other people cook,” he said, smiling.
At home, he enjoys spaghetti, ramen and all kinds of noodles, which are a staple of the Japanese diet. Muta’s favorite food is sashimi, or thinly sliced raw fish. The fish is served raw because it brings out the real and purest taste of the meat, Muta said, which is why he likes it.
“Sashimi is what fish is supposed to taste like,” he said.
There is, however, one food in particular that Muta is happy to do without.
“I just don’t like sour cream,” he said.
When it comes to dining out, the chef enjoys sampling other Japanese restaurants. His two favorites are Rokko in downtown San Jose and Pink Godzilla in Santa Cruz.
At Aoi, the most popular dish is chicken teriyaki. Sushi is also becoming very well-liked, Muta said. The restaurant is working on a new menu of innovative sushi, and Muta also has made it a tradition to create something new on the menu for each season.
Muta said he puts a lot of effort into what he’s cooking, even if it’s only a sauce. In addition, he said he tries to make each dish beautiful, a trademark of Japanese cooking.
What Muta enjoys most about his job is the variety of customers walking in and enjoying the food. He said his customers from the restaurant he used to own in Santa Cruz come all the way to Morgan Hill to eat at Aoi.
Muta enjoys meeting new people and developing friendships, and he said that motivates him while he’s working.
“Everyone is very friendly here,” he said. “Very easy to get along with.”
