This place was my favorite fine dining restaurant from my December Asia trip — came across this little gem while browsing the Osaka Michelin guide and decided to try this place as a Chinese fine dining pre-game before my flight to China the next day. As the meal progressed, I became more and more impressed with the creativity and thoughtfulness the chef presented through his take on Chinese-Japanese fusion cuisine. I would definitely revisit should the travel opportunity arise, esp. during a different season. This meal stretched my imagination of what interpretation of Chinese cuisine could be!
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***Radish cake*** – Fried finely grated radish with fish roe (a hint of saltiness) on top; the flavors are very light, and the texture is the same as the grated radish that is added to tempura sauces. Nice but not the flavors of the Shanghainese radish cake street food I was expecting.
***Crab rice noodles*** – The deconstructed presentation of the crab butter, roe, and flesh reminded me of the three shrimp noodles from Suzhou, in which the shrimp is deconstructed in a similar manner but cooked over oil and assembled over wheat noodles. This dish using raw crab did not taste like the original — unexpected at first (for a second, this was going to be another kaiseki tasting menu), yet on second thought, this dish encapsulated the same principle as the three shrimp noodles — utilizing of fresh, local ingredients and letting those natural flavors bloom. The localization of using crab over rice noodles did exact that, and I would soon realize that ingenuity was going to be present throughout the entire meal.
***Pufferfish sashimi*** – This was the BEST pufferfish dish I’ve ever had. This dish alone was worth the price of entire menu. The slightly numbing hint of chili oil was the perfect undertone to enhance the texture of the flesh, skin, and shirako. A truly unique pufferfish experience.
***Shanghai crab spring roll*** – Such a classic spring roll and such classic flavors of the Shanghai crab during peak winter season, yet the spring roll contained 3 different fillings featuring different presentations of the female and male crab, including one using rice cakes. So each bite was its own dish.
***Shark fin soup*** – Interesting that shark meat was also included; light braised soy sauce broth.
***Fish with green sauce*** – The fish was tender. The undercurrent of spice (peppercorns?) in the sauce was nice: not spicy but still the sensation of that kick.
***Sea cucumber*** – Another standout dish! Sea cucumber, shark fin, and abalone seemed to be the wagyu, truffle, and caviar of Chinese fine dining, so I was not expecting much. However, the inside of the sea cucumber was stuffed with a stir-fried pork mince that was very springy to contrast with the soft, gelatinous texture of the sea cucumber, plus the undertone of the chili oil tied everything together. Never had sea cucumber uniquely presented this way (usually had it in a soup or a braised broth)!
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Visit: Dec. 2024 Cuisine: Chinese-Japanese fusion
This place was my favorite fine dining restaurant from my December Asia trip — came across this little gem while browsing the Osaka Michelin guide and decided to try this place as a Chinese fine dining pre-game before my flight to China the next day. As the meal progressed, I became more and more impressed with the creativity and thoughtfulness the chef presented through his take on Chinese-Japanese fusion cuisine. I would definitely revisit should the travel opportunity arise, esp. during a different season. This meal stretched my imagination of what interpretation of Chinese cuisine could be!
—
***Radish cake*** – Fried finely grated radish with fish roe (a hint of saltiness) on top; the flavors are very light, and the texture is the same as the grated radish that is added to tempura sauces. Nice but not the flavors of the Shanghainese radish cake street food I was expecting.
***Crab rice noodles*** – The deconstructed presentation of the crab butter, roe, and flesh reminded me of the three shrimp noodles from Suzhou, in which the shrimp is deconstructed in a similar manner but cooked over oil and assembled over wheat noodles. This dish using raw crab did not taste like the original — unexpected at first (for a second, this was going to be another kaiseki tasting menu), yet on second thought, this dish encapsulated the same principle as the three shrimp noodles — utilizing of fresh, local ingredients and letting those natural flavors bloom. The localization of using crab over rice noodles did exact that, and I would soon realize that ingenuity was going to be present throughout the entire meal.
***Pufferfish sashimi*** – This was the BEST pufferfish dish I’ve ever had. This dish alone was worth the price of entire menu. The slightly numbing hint of chili oil was the perfect undertone to enhance the texture of the flesh, skin, and shirako. A truly unique pufferfish experience.
***Shanghai crab spring roll*** – Such a classic spring roll and such classic flavors of the Shanghai crab during peak winter season, yet the spring roll contained 3 different fillings featuring different presentations of the female and male crab, including one using rice cakes. So each bite was its own dish.
***Shark fin soup*** – Interesting that shark meat was also included; light braised soy sauce broth.
***Fish with green sauce*** – The fish was tender. The undercurrent of spice (peppercorns?) in the sauce was nice: not spicy but still the sensation of that kick.
***Sea cucumber*** – Another standout dish! Sea cucumber, shark fin, and abalone seemed to be the wagyu, truffle, and caviar of Chinese fine dining, so I was not expecting much. However, the inside of the sea cucumber was stuffed with a stir-fried pork mince that was very springy to contrast with the soft, gelatinous texture of the sea cucumber, plus the undertone of the chili oil tied everything together. Never had sea cucumber uniquely presented this way (usually had it in a soup or a braised broth)!
(tbd in my reply below)