NumataWhen it comes to tempura, there’s no doubt that "Numata" reigns supreme in Osaka, or even in the Kansai region! The head chef, Mr. Numata, is not only a skilled chef but also a savvy businessman who has expanded to other locations, including Shanghai. He truly embodies the leading position of the Numata group. I was invited to "Numata" by the organizer, who has always been very kind to me, and I was thrilled to join this culinary adventure. Thank you so much as always!On the day of the visit, I arrived a bit early and spent time chatting with the organizer and other guests until the reservation time. Finally, it was time to head to "Numata"!The interior of the restaurant is stunning and filled with a sense of cleanliness. The beautiful white wooden counter and the dignified Chef Numata set the stage for the sparkling ingredients of the day.Now, let’s dive into the world of tempura that Chef Numata aims to create, where the charm of the ingredients is maximized. He carefully prepares the ingredients without any unnecessary seasoning, frying them lightly in exquisite sesame oil. I can’t wait to savor the deliciousness of the freshly fried tempura!For drinks, we started with a glass of Grands Champagne, followed by a selection of sake.◉ Dishes ◎ Tempura ⭐︎ Drinks⭐︎ Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve → Let’s raise a toast together!◉ French White Asparagus Purée → This dish features carefully extracted insides of French white asparagus, blended with a bit of water and a pinch of salt. The smokiness comes from the charcoal grilling, and it’s served cold, allowing us to enjoy the pure flavor of the white asparagus. It was a wonderful presentation!◉ Ehime Isaki, Low-Temperature Fried and Charcoal Grilled, with Salt and Wasabi → Next up is Isaki! The cooking method emphasizes the gelatinous texture between the skin and the flesh, achieved by low-temperature frying followed by charcoal grilling. This level of cooking is a first for me! Delicious!⭐︎ Kumamoto Yamada Nishiki Junmai Sake → You can feel the chef's connection to his hometown with this sake.Now, we enter the world of frying that Chef Numata excels at! The tempura oil is a blend of Taihaku (raw sesame extraction) and Daikan (roasted sesame extraction). The salt is a mix of rock salt from Bolivia and sea salt from Kumamoto. Along with a light tempura dipping sauce and plenty of grated daikon, the excitement is high!◎ Amakusa Kuruma Ebi, Deep-Fried Heads x2 → We start with the heads of kuruma ebi, fried to perfection! This is a guaranteed delicacy and a prelude to the tempura to come.◎ Amakusa Kuruma Ebi, Served as is ◎ Amakusa Kuruma Ebi, Rare with Salt → Normally, we would start with the rare version and then move to a more cooked one, but Chef Numata does the opposite! This is because the rare version brings out more sweetness. It’s quite a unique sensation, and you can feel the love Chef Numata puts into each piece of tempura, with a wonderfully airy batter! Amazing!⭐︎ Ibaraki Morishima Miyama Nishiki Junmai Sake → It’s so delicious that the drinks keep flowing!◎ Tomita Bay Kawachi Beans → The beans were perfectly fried, allowing us to enjoy the wonderful cooking technique!◎ Awaji Island Kisu, Aged for 3 Days, Skin Side Medium Fried → The kisu was surprisingly not opened, so I asked the chef about it. He explained that it was fried with the backbone side facing out and the skin side in, which allowed us to enjoy the fluffy texture of the fish. Delicious!◎ Tanba Kizami → This dish truly deserves to be called the king! Its aroma and flavor were both outstanding, and I was genuinely delighted to have eaten kizami!◎ Awaji Island Kisu, Bone Crackers → Next, we had kisu bone crackers! I’m so grateful to be served these delightful snacks that I could eat forever!◎ Lake Biwa Young Sweetfish → Here comes the lively young sweetfish! The liver was prepared in a way that emphasized sweetness rather than bitterness. Delicious!⭐︎ Shimane Orokuyama 2024, Fishing for Mountain Trout → I was thrilled to see this!◉ Suruga Bay Sakura Ebi Tempura on a Salad of Kujo Green Onion Sprouts & Red Mustard Greens → The sparkling sakura ebi was served on top of a salad with unique vegetables and kombu vinegar! The crispy sakura ebi was a perfect touch!◎ Hokkaido Aoyagi Small Clams on Hiroshima Nori → Next, we had small clams from Aoyagi! They are a classic choice for tempura. After frying them to a crisp, they were topped on thick Hiroshima nori, enhancing the fresh ocean flavor!◎ Hyogo Tanba Kizami → Here comes the queen! I’m so happy! Kizami is truly the king of wild vegetable tempura, pairing perfectly with oil!⭐︎ Aichi Gikyō Gohyakuman Stone Special Junmai, Toyama Agricultural Cooperative → Another delightful sake!◎ Amakusa Kue, 22 kg, Caught the Day Before → Next is the thickly sliced kue I’ve been curious about! It weighs an impressive 22 kg! I was surprised to learn it was caught the same day. The rare preparation, using residual heat, was incredibly delicious! The cooking method was different from that of a hot pot, and I was mesmerized.◎ Amakusa Kuruma Ebi, Aichi Zucchini, Female Flower Tempura → I’ve been looking forward to the zucchini flower! It was generously filled with large pieces of kuruma ebi and fried to a crisp, handed to me by the chef. The combination of the zucchini batter and the kuruma ebi was spectacular!⭐︎ Shiga Matsuno Tsukasa Junmai Daiginjo Ryuo Yamada Nishiki, Soil-Specific Brew → Matsuno Tsukasa never disappoints!◉ Nagaimo Somen with Bonito-Kombu Dashi and Purple Shiso Flowers → Here comes a refreshing nagaimo somen! I’ve never had somen this thin before! The dashi was perfect, providing a lovely reset before the climax of the meal.◉ Kizami White Bamboo Shoots, Sashimi → I was excited to try the Kizami white bamboo shoots! First, they were served as sashimi without cooking. They had a wonderful pear-like flavor!◎ Kizami White Bamboo Shoots, Simmered in Tempura Sauce with Kinome Leaves → The white bamboo shoots were prepared differently from the charcoal grilling, simmered in a sauce made from tempura broth and topped with kinome leaves. They had a delightful texture!◎ Koshiba Spanish Mackerel, Generously Topped with Grated Daikon → I was also looking forward to the dragon Spanish mackerel! It was fluffy and crispy, topped generously with grated daikon. Wonderful!◉ Okayama Aigamo Farm Momotaro, Simmered ◉ Yellow Chives Miso Soup ◉ Pickles → First, we had the meal set!◎ Akita Satsuma Sweet Potato, Beni Haruka → Beni Haruka was sweet and delicious!For the final dish, we could choose from tempura rice bowl, tempura tea, tempura bara, or tempura musubi. I chose my favorites, tempura bara and tempura musubi!◉ Amakusa Kuruma Ebi, Hokkaido Small Clams, and Mitsuba Tempura Bara with Wasabi and Dried Nanko Plum → The tempura bara was served with tempura bara-style fritters on top of white rice, allowing us to create our own tempura bara! This made the tempura even crispier! The dried Nanko plum and wasabi added a fun twist. I couldn’t stop eating!◉ Amakusa Kuruma Ebi Tempura Musubi, White Rice Version and Tempura Sauce with Grated Ginger and Mitsuba Mixed Rice Version → I enjoyed both the normal white rice version and the mixed rice version with tempura sauce, grated ginger, and mitsuba! I preferred the latter!◉ Nara Koto Hana Strawberry Gelato with Elderflower Syrup → The final sweet treat was a strawberry gelato bursting with Koto Hana flavor! I’ve never had such a strong strawberry flavor in gelato before. The lightness of the elderflower syrup was a wonderful accent! Amazing!⭐︎ Sweet Roasted Tea Thus, the exquisite tempura experience crafted by the dignified Chef Numata came to an end. From the carefully considered cooking of Isaki to the meticulous frying of kuruma ebi, the remarkable rare cooking that brought out sweetness, the exquisite preparation of kisu, and the delightful flow of dishes, I was completely captivated. The experience felt fleeting, yet I thoroughly enjoyed the light and delicate cooking! It was truly wonderful! I would like to express my gratitude to the organizer for the invitation and to the secretary for sharing the menu! It was a great meal!