I mean... he has a point. They've been working on this thing for years, travelling across Japan and beyond, and I still have no idea what it's supposed to lead to... a single menu (a la carte? or just set courses for an evening?)? For restaurants to use? A cook book? They've gotten dozens of dishes now, but not with a unifying theme - and some times they're just learning about good ice?
To my understanding, the Ultimate Menu is supposed to be a list of the best foods, arranged by course. So you'd have the best appetisers, the best soups, the best main courses, etc.
Yamaoka wants the Menu to focus on authenticity in particular, so we are often shown simple foods and fundamental techniques, but this doesn't necessarily mean the dishes themselves are added to the Ultimate Menu. The ice, for example, is more a lesson about water in general, and how the local politics are disinterested in improving the municipal water supply.
Beginning in Volume 15 though, the Ultimate Menu does ramp up the pace somewhat. That said, I'd recommend not expecting the Menu to have any practical form. The series is over 100 volumes long.
