Florilege is a Michelin-starred French restaurant in Tokyo, also included in the list of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Reservations are pretty tough. But in October 2019 I was able to get a seat at one of their Kakigori special events nicknamed Gari Garilege.
Kakigori, of course, is Japanese saved ice (see this review). This random events at Florilege are announced through their Instagram and headed by pastry chef Miho Horio. I learnt about the event thanks to Time Out Tokyo event page.
The visit
I just showed up at around 3pm and I was promised a slot at 4.30pm. Meantime I hang out in the neighborhood (there was a festival going on in the nearby shrine), then I got an email from the receptionist for an earlier opening. All good.
Before being seated, I had to place my order and pay at the reception. I chose the kakigori with Japanese chestnut (by the way, I think there was a mistake in the menu because there was no chocolate). All kakigori available looked interesting. I should mention that they also had ramen available. But I passed on it since I had other dinner plans.
I sat at the counter circling the kitchen. The room was very dark and the pictures are pretty bad. It must be nice to have a full meal here.
I was shown the drink menu.
I ordered a cold tea that incurred in additional 500 yen that I paid directly to the waiter behind the counter.
The kakigori arrived with an additional glazed chestnut on the side. It was really rich with pastry-grade chestnut paste spread on top. It took a while to find my way inside this huge kakigori. It was certainly a great specimen of Japanese shaved ice.
The check
So, all in all, I spent 3,000 yen… that was a handsome amount of money for a kakigori and a tea. But it was in a top venue with top-shelf ingredients. No regrets.
French restaurants can be very fun in Japan, when the chef is Japanese and is not afraid to push the envelope (see my experience with Goh). Nabeno-Ism, headed by Robuchon’s alumnus Yuichiro Watanabe, is certainly a perfect example of this trend. Yuchiro opened the restaurant in 2016, after 21 years of work in the Robuchon group. During this time, he came to become the head of the main Robuchon’s restaurant in Tokyo and he maintained three Michelin stars status for 9 consecutive years. His new restaurant was immediately awarded one star that became two in the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Tokyo Michelin Guide. The symbol of the restaurant that looks like three stars is taken from Yuchiro’s family crest (the three stars being three dumplings to be offered to the gods). The name encapsulates various elements, including a reference to Osaka Abeno cooking school, where his journey as a chef bagan.
The visit
The restaurant is located in an area South of Asakusa, on the bank of the Sumida river.
From the rooftop you can get a great view of the Sky-Tree.
I and two friends had lunch on a Sunday in October 2019 and we had the Komagata menu with a fixed course and the choice of fish, pork, or beef as a main.
The amuse bouche was actually a spectacular composition of appetizers: chilled tomato soup, with orange juice, maple syrup, and lemongrass foam (center); a Japanese rice cracker with French butter, an anchovy, a caper, and spices (bottom-right); beetroot tartare and cream cheese in a Japanese-wafer known as monaka (center right); a marinated green olive and dried plum wrapped with sliced sliced dry sausage and pickled cucumber (upper right). Difficult to describe all these unique flavors. Too bad they were small bites.
As expected for a French table, there was a bread basket. The bread, freshly baked, was the only element of the meal that was pretty ordinary.
The second dish was a buckwheat mash, with kombu jelly, sea urchin, grated wasabi, green onion sprout, and a golden leaf on top. On the spoon there was a bit of Vodka cream to be used to mix the mash).
The next dish was pigeon. I am not a fan of pigeon even if I know it is an important component of French cuisine. However, the meat was so perfectly cooked that I overcame my recalcitrance and I enjoyed the dish. There was a combination of pigeon breast cooked sous-vide and a sort of pate. The dish was completed by deep-fried eggplant, ginger jelly, quinoa, and two kind of grapes.
Next was a salmon confit on a toasted brioche, topped by salmon roe (ikura), rice, and a house-made paste made with boiled eggs and spinach. Three sauces were “splatted” on the plate: Sorrel paste, fresh cheese with fish sauce, and lemon. I guess a dish to mark the time of the week, the Sunday lunch.
My main was a delicious scorpion fish (difficult to know the exact species). The fish was deep-fried (but still very soft) and came with broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. The sauce was made with sherry vinegar, heavy cream, and a hint of soy sauce.
The first dessert was a marinated persimmon ball, lime jelly, and Juniper berries ice cream.
The second dessert was a composition of pasted chestnuts wrapped in cracked meringue with ginger and cassia sauces, plus a scoop of Laurier ice cream
Tea and petit four concluded the meal.
In describing his philosophy on the restaurant’s website, Youchiro refers Shizuo Tsuji, the dean of Japanese high-cuisine, that advocated a French style expressed with Japanese sensibilities, unique, and fun. The meal I had certainly lived up to his reputation, was one of my best meals of the year and I appreciated the boundless creativity and the unexpected combinations, not to mention the artful plating. It was French cuisine with Japanese sensibilities.
The check
I do not have a picture of the check, but this menu, available for lunch, costs 10,500 yen (96 USD). Menus for dinner are, of course, more expensive. Both for dinner and lunch also shorter courses are available, but I would recommend the full experience. Considering the quality and creativity of the course, I think the price point is incredibly generous. A place to visit again and again, with the menu changing frequently depending on the season and availability of ingredients.
Where in Tokyo: 2-1-17 Komagata. In Japanese: 東京都台東区駒形2-1-17. Website: www.nabeno-ism.tokyo.
If you read my review of Hanabi Japanese Cuisine, you know that tempura can be material for fine dining. Japan is full of high-end tempura restaurants. Tempura Fukamachi is one of these and has been consistently awarded one star in the Tokyo Michelin Guide.
One of the unique features of the restaurant is the two fryers (behind a copper screen) kept at different temperatures to better match different types of food to be fried. This should give you an idea that this kind of tempura has really little to do with the greasy stuff you may find in overseas Japanese restaurants as an afterthought in a long menu.
The visit
I had a reservation at 1.15pm, the second turn for lunch, during my October 2019 trip to Tokyo. I arrived early and I killed a quarter of hour in the museum of the national lottery, just next door.
There were 11 counter seats and two tables for two people each. In my turn at 1.15pm there were only 6 customers including me. To my question, a waiter said that walk-ins with no reservation are ok. If you wish to avoid the hassle of making a reservation, just try to show up at 1.15pm and see if they have a seat.
The store-front in a side street of Ginza with the potted plants and the yellow curtains cannot be mistaken.
My workstation had the classic tempura sauce, shredded radish (most people will mix the radish with the sauce, but not me), sea salt and lemon.
There were three lunch menus and I made my choice upon arrival. The most expensive also included a dish with sea-urchin, while the less expensive did not have he final rice dish. There was also a vegetarian option, but including prawns. In the end I had menu n. 2. Here’s an account of the dishes.
1. Two prawns heads: very crispy, we were recommended to use salt.
2. Two prawn bodies, again with salt and then with sauce.
3. Gingko nuts.
4. Chestnut, with salt. Unexpected, it was very good.
5. Kisu (white fish). One of the best dishes for its tender meat. A would say that it is a tempura classic.
6. Lotus root.
At this point customers with the highest-priced menu got a sea urchin dish. It was fried inside a nori and cut in two. There was a lot of sea urchin, perhaps worth the extra 3,000 yen. Sure it looked delicious.
7. Hotate (scallop). A very meaty specimen.
8. Shiitake (Japanese mushroom).
9. Asparagus.
10. Anago (saltwater eel).
11. Hot tea and vegetables as a palate cleanser (carrot, radish, zucchini, napa cabbage or hakusai).
12. Miso soup.
12. Rice dish with shrimp tempura
on top (tendon).
There were three options for the rice dish: Ten-Don, Ten-Cha, or Ten-Bara. The Ten-Don is a fritter served on rice with some soy-based sauce drizzled over it. The Ten-Cha is a fritter served over rice and then tea is poured over it. The Ten-Bara is a fritter chopped up and mixed into the rice. My tendon was excellent and totally worth the differential with the cheaper menu. The Ten-Cha also looked very inviting.
13. ice ceam scoop.
The chef would dip gently the food in the flour and then in the liquid batter, then use one of the two boilers, with different temperatures, to fry it.
I would say that the main difference with a regular tempura was that the frying did not kill or overwhelm the original flavors. Sauces were not particularly useful from this point of view. The food spoke by itself.
The 13 dishes took around 90 minutes, I had paid by 2.50pm.
The check
After tax, I paid 11,550 yen (105 USD). It was an excellent meal and worth the hefty check, even if I am not big on tempura course menus. If you visit Japan, I would recommend to try this kind of cuisine at least once so you can compare it with more regular tempura. I also spent 1,500 yen for the reservation service from Japaneazy.
Where in Tokyo: 2-5-2 Kyobashi. In Japanese: 東京都 中央区 京橋 2-5-2 A·M京橋ビル 1/F.
In Tokyo thre is a Michelin-starred restaurant (one star) specializing in sardines (iwashi in Japanese). It is Shinjuku Kappo Nakajima (or just Nakajima). It is a nice illustration of how Japanese chefs can take even the most trivial ingredient or cuisine and make it special. In this case, it is owned by a family in its third generation of chefs in Tokyo (and two in this restaurant).
It is also heralded as the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant where to have lunch in Tokyo. You can spend less than 9 USD. Dinner however is another story: they serve sophisticated and pricey course menus and a reservation is almost always required. I went for a lunch (October 2019), when reservations are not accepted.
The visit
In the tradition of high-end restaurants in Japan, Nakajima is located in the basement of a residential building.
I arrived at the worst possible time, around noon, where the line was still pretty discouraging. However it moved quickly. Still, I had to wait more than half an hour. By the time I left, at around 1pm, the line was much shorter. The doors open at 11.30 and the last order has to be placed by 1.30pm.
Inside they have the classic counter seating around the open kitchen, but also a few private rooms that for lunch were shared among different customers. It is not a small place. I seated in one of the private rooms sharing a table with two Italian ladies. Obviously, you are not welcomed to linger around. A group of Aussies at another table in my room was kindly asked to leave as they were finished but did not give any sign of moving.
Sardines were available in four styles: raw (sashimi), deep-fried, simmered in soy stock, and casserole (nabe).
The lunch set included rice, pickles, and miso soup.
I tried the deep-fried dish. It was good, even if the frying covered the flavor of the sardine that I like natural. This was the half portion.
It was also possible to order additional dishes individually (without the side dishes). I tried the sashimi that was much more satisfying. Also this was the half portion.
Finally I had their casserole dish (nabe) that the staff seemed to be particularly proud of. There were eggs and spring onions. It was indeed a good and rich dish, recommended, but very hot… This was the full dish that came with the side dishes (but it was the last dish I got).
The check
The nabe was 990 yen and the two half portions cost 770 in total. It was just 1,760 yen (tea was complimentary) or 16 USD. It was really affordable. If you go, I suggest you to do like I did and try more than one dish (queuing for just one small lunch set may not make sense, unless you get full easily).
I am glad I tried the restaurant and I think I got what I was supposed to get. The lunch sets are good, but not high-cuisine, and are priced very reasonably. I do not think I would spend 100 USD for one of their dinner menus though.
In my trips to Japan I always try to include a high-end yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). I had some particularly good in Osaka (Ueda and Ichimatsu). This was my first Michelin-starred yakitori in Tokyo. Please note that there is another restaurant with the same name in Shinagawa. The starred one where I went is in Sumida, near Kinshicho Station.
The visit
Needless to say, I had a reservation, for an early dinner (the exact time was chosen by the restaurant). At 5.30pm the door opened. I and three Japanese were the first customers and we were quickly seated.
I thought everyone had to be there at the same time, but other customers kept arriving at different times. So this was not a rule in this place.
On the table the drink menu was bilingual. I was also provided the translation of the skewers.
I just had a cold oolong tea.
I was sitting in front of the cooking station and I could observe the chef-owner cooking, making use of a fan to help the ventilation system and keeping the charcoal at the right temperature, and finishing the skewers with fine sea salt and yakitori sauce.
Chopsticks were presented with a small bowl of pickles and
radish (to be used as a side, not replenished).
Appetizer: tomato, zucchini, salad, and cold shredded chicken breast.
Sabiyaki (chicken breast) with wasabi. It was supposed to be almost raw according to the menu, but it was mostly cooked. Flawless juicy tender meat. The wasabi was too spicy for my taste. The chicken was sourced from Kagoshima.
Sunagimo, gizzard. This is the kind of part that I can hardly eat in a normal yakitori place (just too chewy and hard), but here, be it the cooking (quite pink inside) or the quality of the chicken, it was excellent.
A slice of lemon was provided, but I hardly use condiments when the cooking is so perfect.
Palate cleanser: shredded raddish, with some plum jelly on top.
Small onion (Kotamanegi) and chicken tight (Kashiwa). Both delicious, especially the tight was much tender and juicy than usual.
Chigimo: liver, partly raw, with yakitori sauce. Another delicious skewer, the meat would melt in your mouth and had a nice bitter kickback.
Tsukune, chicken meatballs, recommended with lemon. This was a bit bland as compared to what I had in similar rstaurants. But good, with some tidbits of spring onion to boost the favor. Then there was a zucchini skewer that was carefully dipped in yakitori sauce during the cooking
Intermission: a chicken pot, with boiled carrot, artichoke, mushroom, and obviously chicken meat.
Here there was a pause to catch up with the new customers. The time was filled with conversation with my neighbors at the counter.
A matsusake mushroom with lime and soy sauce. The condiments in this case did enhance the flavor.
Kawa: crispy chicken skin. Crispy, but still tender inside. Great.
We were offered an half small tomato as a palate cleanser.
Tebayaki (chicken wing with bones) and shiratama (quail egg) with some salt for the eggs.
The chef taught me how to pull the bones that came out easily (you just need to lift them). The meat, still with its skin, was again so perfectly cooked. Not too hot, and still juicy inside.
Ginnan: ginkgo nuts.
Chicken soup with onion stripes.
Bowls of rice were available as an add-on, but I was fine at this point.
Japanese and Chinese spices were available along soy sauce, but
I did not use them.
It took a little over 2 hours.
The check
The cost for the course menu and a drink was 7,535 yen (800 yen as service charge) or 70 USD. It was reasonable.
I found the whole experience pleasant, even if the timing was big dragged, and I would recommend it to other yakitori fans The menu however lacked the adventurous twists of Ueda and Ichimatsu I mentioned earlier.
Where in Tokyo: 1-8-13, Kinshi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, 130-0013 In Japanese: 〒130-0013 東京都墨田区錦糸1-8-13 小坂ビル1F. (3 minutes from Kinshicho Station, take North exit.)
I had this meal in August 2017, before starting this blog, but it was so magnificent that I took detailed pictures and I even kept the menu (not the best pictures, but they should give an idea).
Kashiwaya (柏屋) is a traditional Japanese restaurant in Osaka specializing in kaiseki menus. Hideaki Matsuo is the the second-generation owner-chef and he fully mastered the art of kaiseki to the point to get three Michelin stars confirmed year after year.
The visit
I had a reservation for lunch. I had obtained the reservation just emailing the restaurant and choosing the menu type. Now it is more complicated. You need to pre-pay the meal. For lunch they had a particularly affordable menu and I went for it.
The restaurant was in a nondescript building in a residential area. I almost missed it. The service was outstanding at every given time. I was escorted in a private room with a sunken tatami that had been arranged for my visit with one leather padded backseat. A lady in a kimono began bringing in the food. I was immediately offered some complimentary tea that was refilled throughout the meal.
The set menu that I had was inspired by the season: the end of summer. A card, in English, explained that the 15 days from 23 July are the hottest of the year and in Japanese this time is called taisho. It was further explained that in 2017 23 July coincided with 1 June in the old calendar and at that time people would climb the Mount Fuji to visit Asama shrine to purify the six roots of perception. The note concluded explaining that “Kashiwaya is preparing dishes expressing the middle of summer to purify six roots of perception, five senses and consciousness”. (The roots of perception in Japanese culture are he eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.)
All kaiseki offered in this restaurant are exquisitely linked to the season and its cultural significance.
The fist dish was a sakizuke (amuse bouche) with octopus, zucchini, and loofah. To make it more refreshing the ingredients were placed on frozen dried dashi soup and the soy sauce was mixed with red plum meat.
The second appetizer was a composition of several elements: sweetcorn kudzu cake, fried scallop coated with rice cracker, fried winged bean with soy sauce and water pepper (on the right); then a blue taro stem, grilled shiitake mushroom mixed in sesame sauce and pine nut; cooked sweet potato; new ginkgo nut and ginger cooked in sweet and brown sauce on a pine needle (on the left).
The third dish was an example of nimonowan: a simmered dish in Japanese cuisine. It was a lightly grilled eel, with winter melon, grated ginger, and light kudzu sauce.
The next dish was called otsokuri as sashimi is called in the Kansai region. However it was not just raw seafood. The dish was pretty phenomenal as it sported five different preparations of hamo (conger pike), the traditional summer fish in Kansai. To be exact, the dish had tataki-yose (seared), yudooshi (parboiled), otoshi (live hamo boiled instantly and taken out), yubiki (blanched), yakishimo (the skin side of the fish is quickly charred or seared on an open flame or on charcoal and then is quickly transferred into a bowl of iced water).
The next dish was an example of yakimono, specifically a grilled sweet fish (ayu, also a summer favorite) served with water pepper vinegar.
Then there was an atumono dish. It was a mix of local vegetable showcasing Osaka’s terroir. There was a piece of tamatsukuri kuromon shirouri ( a type of oriental pickling melon, originated near Tamatsukuri-mon (Kuro-mon), a gate of the Osaka Castle, with a tubular shape and longitudinal white stripes), dried shiitake mushrooms, Mitsuba parsley, grated ginger in Yoshino kadu sauce.
Then there was a dish served in a bowl (hachimono). The dense soup had herring, aubergine, pumpkin gluten cake, taro bud, green pepper, and grated yuzu.
The gohan (rice dish with seasonal condiments) came with five different sides.
Finally there were two desserts. One called mizumono (seasonal dessert) was a glass with wine flavored peach, Pione, Muscat, milk sauce, and honey jelly. Very appropriate for such a hot day.
The second and final dessert (kashi) was a baked wheat cake with jelly served with green tea.
I do not remember the exact length, but as you can imagine it took some time… luckily I had a book with me.
As you can say this was a magnificent meal, like one served to a powerful feudal master… certainly the setting and the service could make you think so. Now that I analyse the menu to write this review, I can appreciate even more all the details embedded into each dish. And please consider that this was their entry-level lunch menu.
The check
After adding service charge and tax, I spent 12,687 yen (now 117 USD). I checked on their website and this special lunch kaiseki is still available (it is called Ume), as three more kaiseki menus. Honestly, if I was to go back (and one day I might!), I would go for one of the the highest-priced menus (from 16,000 to 30,000 yen before tax and service charge). It is such a perfect experience that makes sense to see what the chef can do with a higher budget.
During my summer 2019 trip to Kyoto I was intrigued by the cuisine of Shuhaku, a kaiseki restaurant that boasts one Michelin star and was supposed to combine French and Japanese elements. Actually I found it a pretty regular Japanese kaiseki (which is good), apart from the dessert final moment that was pretty epic.
The visit
I booked and prepaid the meal through an online concierge service. There were three menus for lunch and I chose the most expensive.
The restaurant is located in a historic district near some major shrines. It has 8 seats at the counter, plus a table for 4 in a corner. During my visit the table was taken, only a couple of other diners sat at the counter.
The lunch started with a composition featuring 20 different local vegetables. It is a pretty common dish for this kind of course meals.
The second dish was a nice soup with a sizable piece of hamo and omelette with asparagus in tofu skin. Hamo (pike conger) was one of the main features of the kaiseki, as it may be expected as it is a seasonal fish popular during the summer in Kyoto.
The third dish was three kinds of sashimi: hirame (a flat fish), hamo, and tuna. It came with plum sauce with sake for the hirame, soy plum sauce for the hamo, and soy sauce for the tuna. The presentation with a plate resembling a drainpipe was pretty original.
The fourth dish combined ayu and hamo sushi. Ayu (sweet fish) is also a summer favorite and was grilled in a way that made everything edible, including the bones. Quite delicious.
The fifth dish was a marinated asparagus in vinegar.
The sixth dish was tairagai seared and presented on a hot stone.
The seventh dish was strips of Kyoto beef in broth with eggplant, plus steamed rice and pickles. This dish was a let down. I was hoping something more substantial that could help me appreciate Kyoto beef.
The dessert moment added some surprise as I was presented all the desserts available and I could choose all I wanted. The desserts mixed Western and Japanese techniques.
I picked up three.
The first was a banana mousse topped with red beans.
The second was a pastry with walnut and cream.
Finally, I had their sweet soup with matcha sorbet that was the chef’s favorite.
All the desserts were excellent.
The check
Using the online concierge service, for this menu I paid 11,180 yen. The cheaper menu was around 50,000 and there was a mid-range option for around 70,000.
This was a well executed kaiseki. I appreciated the seasonal ingredients (even if they overshoot with the hamo) and the dessert moment was great. A couple of dishes were a bif of a softball (like the Kyoto beef strips). I was just disappointed that I did not see the French influences apart from the cakes. I asked if the dinner kaisekis were different and the chef answered that they were not that different.
In the cheapest menu the most expensive seafood like hamo was replaced with mackerel and I would not recommend it. If you make the trip to Kyoto, treat yourself for something better. There was a party that I believe had the mid-range menu and I think the only major difference was that they did not get the Kyoto beef dish. If so, the mid-range menu was the best choice as the Kyoto beef dish was nothing special.
Gion Sushi Tadayasu got one star in the 2019 Osaka Michelin Guide. I elected it to try a quality omakase in Kyoto.
The visit
I made the booking through an online service for lunch.
The restaurant is located in a quiet backstreet of the historic Gion district.
Above the storefront before the opening and after with the classic curtains (noren).
The room only seated twelve people. Two chefs were working serving the guests. It was full. I was the only non-Japanese.
The appetizer was a bowl of cold noodles in a yuzu flavored broth. On a summer day, it was very refreshing.
The first nigiri was with karei (Japanese flat fish). I immediately noticed the tendency of the chef to put too much wasabi.
The second nigiri was shiro ebi (white shrimp) with caviar. I guess this is the way to go to win a Michelin star for an omakase.
The third nigiri was shima aji (striped jack, a seasonal fish).
The fourth nigiri came with tairagai (a type of scallop, but with firmer meat, Japanese pen shell).
The fifth nigiri had ika (squid). The chef put some grains of fine salt (so little to be invisible).
Sixth was katsuo nigiri (skipjack tuna).
Seventh was a toro (fatty tuna) nigiri.
Eight was a kohada nigiri.
Ninth was a uni nigiri. With a lot of uni, which was good.
The tenth nigiri was anago (sea-water eel) grilled. With its sweetness, it was a classic conclusion for the main part of the omakase.
The last course was a piece of tamago (Japanese omelet) and a bowl of miso soup.
The chef finally included a handroll with pickles.
The chefs were serving three different menus at the same time. Mine was the cheapest and shortest. I was finished after 90 minutes. For the more expensive menus there were additional dishes and more elaborated appetizers. I was satisfied with my menu.
The check
No check to display because I paid in advance through a booking service. Since I only had green tea (complimentary and rapidly refilled throughout the meal) there was no extra charge. The total cost was 7,128 yen (which includes the reservation system fees) or 66 USD. If you book directly it may be even a bit cheaper. I found the charge reasonable considering the quality of the seafood used. Overall, I did not feel a big step up from Chiharu in Osaka that was “only” a Bib Gourmand.
Where in Osaka: 572-9 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward.
In my summer 2019 trip to Osaka, I was able to score again a perfect yakitori in Osaka. This time was Ichimatsu (焼鳥 市松), one of the two yakitori restaurants in town awarded a Michelin star.
The visit
I had a reservation made through an online service (it was totally worth the 800 yen spent). They have two turns for night. I joined the second one at 8.15pm. On a Thursday night, all seats were spoken for. The counter hosted 10 people and there was a small private room for 5 additional covers. The restaurant has a very understated store-front as usual for this kind of restaurants.
The welcome dish was warm ricotta cheese.
I just drank Fuji Water. Another opening dish was a small piece of chicken breast sashimi (it is always incredible how good it is… Japan is the only place where I would eat raw chicken), with a soy sauce mousse and sesame oil powder (this dish is not pictured).
The first skewer was chicken neck. It was a bit chewy.
Next was a skewer with what was described as the external part of the gizzard. It was nice as every skewer would carry new flavors.
Meantime we were offered some thinly-cut radish with soy sauce and olive oil. This side dish was replenished on demand.
The next dish was one of the most unique of the evening: chicken’s Fallopian tubes. I can say that they were sweet.
The next skewer was a classic: chicken skin.
Next we were offered some grilled shishisto pepper.
The next two dishes marked a departure from chicken. The first was a delicious piece of pork with vinegar. I believe the pork was from Kagoshima.
Then we had a Chinese-inspired duck broth with tofu and rice sauce.
Then we were back to chicken with a substantial wing, lightly crispy and salty.
The next dish included a piece of Japanese orange, marinated tomato, and (on the bottom) a specimen of chicken ovaries. It was basically what comes before the egg. It popped in the mouth with flavorful liquids.
Another soup had char-grilled duck with green onions and Japanese peppers, to mix.
An exotic chicken part came next: marinated kidney to wrap in a leave of lettuce. It was surprisingly delicious.
The mandatory meatball was a little rare and dripping-juicy. Every yakitori chef has a personal recipe for this skewer. It also usually marks the final part of the course.
In the end we were offered rice with cabbage and corn, chicken soup, ginger pickle. At this point it was also possible to order additional skewers from a menu.
A cup of tea completed the meal.
The check
The check was 9,850 yen (88.65 USD). It was on the pricey side, but everything was executed so well that I did not mind. It is not an experience for everyone, but if you like strong flavors and skewers, this is probably one of the best in Osaka
Where in Osaka: 1-chome-5-1 Dojima Kita-ku In Japanese: 大阪府 大阪市北区 堂島 1-5-1 エスパス北新地23・1F.
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.
