Takagi (たか木) is the restaurant owned by chef Takagi Kazuo located between Osaka and Kobe in a wealthy township called Ashiya. Since 2010, the restaurant has been awarded two Michelin stars. It was mentioned to me by a friend and since I had intention to visit some attractions in Ashiya anyway I tried to make a reservation. Despite the location, the restaurant is faithful to Kyoto culinary traditions and serves kaiseki meals (traditional Japanese multi-course cuisine).
The visit
I tried to make a reservation calling the restaurant a few days in advance. They could speak some English with me. The first answer was no. But when they heard that I was insisting proposing other dates, the answer changed into a yes. I went for a lunch on a Saturday.
It was easy to reach on foot from a nearby train station (both JR and Hankyu have a station within walking distance). It was nested in a residential area.
I was offered a seat in a room with a long wooden counter ideal for solo-diners. During the meal, only another customer was in the room.
The first appetizer was a composition with pumpkin, octopus, okra, in a base of yuzu jelly. Shiso flower on top. A young chef would bring me the dishes and provide some explanation in English.
The second dish was a hearty soup with egg custard and red beans. I was explained that they used shrimp paste to create the aspect of ice in the soup. It was a way to pay homage to the summer.
The third dish was a bowl of quality sashimi: tai from Awashima and tuna from Shimane.
The fourth dish was a composition of five beautifully-crafted snacks: taro with uni (top-left), white fish and cucumber (top-right), marinated and grilled salmon (center), squid with shiso flower (bottom-left), a roll with zucchini, ayu fish and miso (bottom-right).
The theme of the summer was strong in the fifth dish that had a piece of fried hamo (a type of sea eel), a favorite in Kyoto during the summer.
At this point the meal was coming to a close and they offered me hot tea.
The classic rice dish kept for the end was a bowl of simple steamed rice, miso soup (with fried tofu) and pickles.
Finally for dessert there was lemon and yogurt ice cream on a jelly of mixed berries (not pictured), a piece of monaka with the classic filling of red bean, and a bowl of hot matcha.
The all service took around 105 minutes (it was a bit slow at times but I did not mind).
The dishes were as delicious as beautifully presented.
The check
The check was 6,372 yen (59 USD) that was an incredible value for such a perfect meal. They also had a set menu with an higher price (I believe 10,000) that was actually my preference but we could not understand each other on the phone about this point (apparently you need to express your preference at the moment of the booking). The higher value set came with more premium ingredients and I believe an additional grilled dish.
To me this restaurant was absolutely worth the detour from Osaka and will remain one of my top dining experiences of 2019.
Where in Ashiya
12-8, Oharacho
In Japanese: 〒659-0092 兵庫県芦屋市大原町12-8.