MOL Cruises, Ltd., which operates under the brand name Mitsui Ocean Cruises, recently announced an exclusive cruise line partnership with award-winning Chef Kiyomi Mikuni, Japan’s proud master of Japanese French fusion cuisine. This premier collaboration will serve Chef Mikuni’s first-ever culinary experiences on a cruise ship – the new Mitsui Ocean Fuji – debuting Dec. 1, 2024.

Renowned for the stylistic beauty and delicate taste of cuisine onboard its Nippon Maru cruise ship, by adding Chef Mikuni’s expertise and one-of-a-kind dishes to its dining program, Mitsui Ocean Cruises now lays claim to having the best food and culinary experiences at sea.

One of Japan’s highest-rated chefs, owner of award-winning restaurants and best-selling author, Chef Mikuni is internationally known for creating his own “Japonese” while perfectly understanding and expressing traditional French cuisine. Chef Mikuni is the first-ever Japanese chef to receive the “Chevalier of the Legion of Honour” from the Republic of France in 2015.

Mitsui Ocean Fuji guests will have the exclusive opportunity to enjoy the delicate cuisine of Chef Mikuni at sea, tasting his curated French dishes that also combine traditional Japanese ingredients. His memorable dining experiences offer the heartfelt “omotenashi” service of Japan and the praise of delicious cuisine, as he oversees the following onboard dining menus:

HOKUSAI FINE DINING: Named after the famous Japanese Artist Katsushika Hokusai who created many famous renderings of Mount Fuji, Chef Mikuni will bring to the table the highest quality of presentation, service and local Japanese seasonal ingredients. The prix fixe, five-course dinner, includes the amuse-bouche, hors d’oeuvres, Japanese-French-inspired main dishes, desserts and petit fours. The menu will also feature vegetarian and gluten-free selections.

Menu offerings include Pacific Bluefin Tuna Tartare; Japanese Spiny Lobster and Truffle Salad; Brittany Blue Lobster Cabbage Wrapped with Caviar; Wagyu Beef Filet Rossini with Foie Gras and Truffles; and Passion Blancmange, Apricot Bavarois with Lychee Sorbet. Chef Mikuni has also hand selected a specially curated wine list.

Guests staying in the top 36 Unjo Suites will receive one complimentary dinner for two in HOKUSAI FINE DINING. A specialty dining cover charge applies for all other guests.

THE RESTAURANT FUJI: For the ship’s namesake main dining restaurant, Chef Mikuni will create a selection of main dishes rotating on the dinner menus, including Salmon Compote with Red Wine Sauce, Red Sea Bream with Escargot Butter Sauce and Vietnamese Rice Bowl with Japanese Vegetables. Mitsui Ocean Cruises’ famous roast beef and other delicacies that became favorites on Nippon Maru will continue to be served onboard.

Katsutoshi Nakayama, Executive Chef of Mitsui Ocean Fuji, remarked “As the most experienced and traditional cruise line in Japan, our culinary team has always been praised by our guests for their meticulous preparation and presentation of fresh ingredients from local purveyors. Partnering with Chef Mikuni to oversee our new specialty restaurant Hokusai and select dishes in the main dining room onboard our new Mitsui Ocean Fuji combines our heritage and commitment to serve memorable dishes with his expertise and unique style, with exquisite French and Japanese culinary fusion.”

Chef Mikuni added, “The culinary vision of Mitsui Ocean Fuji with a high standard to serve extraordinary dishes matches my one true passion of cooking. Partnering with the most experienced cruise line in Japan to bring my innovative flair to guests while they sail around Japan and beyond on the new Mitsui Ocean Fuji is a joy for me. Like the namesake of my first restaurant at sea, Hokusai, I also draw my inspiration from painting, crafting works of art on a plate, blending the right balance of Asian and European elements to create the perfect taste with each bite.”