Feasting Pigs

in osaka, japan (jan’24)

one of the most talked about sushiya around japan recently, more of an innovative and creative style sushiya which drastically differs from what i’m used to. they only serve 2 rounds lunch and no dinner, which suits the lovely ambient space and modern interiors.

his shari is more on the lighter spectrum, with not much acidity which for me was a bit hard to get used to, but worked excellent with the old champagne we selected for our meal. truely enjoyed his tsumami which are sandwiched between the nigiris, his oyster chawamushi, ankimo with narazuke served with sake lees rice crackers, fugu shirako soup and lightly fried yurine were definitely highlights of the meal. taisho’s knife-skills also play a role in presenting his pieces to be super aesthetic, like in his kensaki ika nigiri and his iwashi maki.

for nigiris, really loved his starting piece of buri daikon, but his masu zuke was excellent. grilled hotate, shredded then dressed in tare, tara shirako nigiri and the usuyami tamago to finish were also delightful. however i didn’t enjoy his otoro, and his organic micro-green maki with a bit of shari and katsuoboshi was really an acquired taste. the meal was concluded in the tearoom next door which we had a selection between two desserts and teas, a lovely way to round off the meal and digest before setting off for the rest of the afternoon.

definitely worth seeking out when in osaka, a nice breath away from the traditional style and a really nice and relaxing space to dine in.

おまかせのランチ: (¥26,400)
鰤大根の握りburi daikon
鯵ラメロウaji tartare
子持ちイカと辛味大根 komochi ika
✨牡蠣の茶碗蒸しと山椒の油kaki chawanmushi
白焼きの穴anago
野菜巻きmicrogreens maki
✨たら白子のスープ tara shirako soup
✨百合の揚げ yurine
✨あん肝と酒レース ankimo
鰯昆布と葱巻き iwashi maki

白甘鯛shiro amadai
✨剣先イカkensaki ika
✨鱒の付けmasu zuke
大トロ otoro
小肌 kohada
ホタテhotate
車海老 kuruma ebi
赤貝 akagai
河豚白子fugu shirako
蟹といくらの蒸し寿司kani ikura mushizushi
✨薄焼き卵usuyaki tamago

りんごのアイスと煎茶 apple ice cream and sencha
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would revisit: maybe
reservations: yes
price range pp: ¥30,000-¥60,000
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📍鮨三心
location: 2-7-14 uchikyuhoujimachi, osaka
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in osaka, japan (jan’24)

one of the most famous washoku restaurants in osaka, housed in dotonburi, tucked in a small alleyway filled with very touristy restaurants. really loved the ambience here, 3 floors of a small traditional japanese house, with the counter seats on ground floor and the private room on the top floor.

the ingredients here weren’t pristine but cooking was very good, very very traditional kaiseki. preparations here were also very precise, hassun was beautiful with small details like uni stuffed in ebi, negi and masu maki etc. kani course here was also very nice, we had 1 whole crab between the two of us, served in shabu shabu, grilled then with miso, before it is served in the end as gohan which was super delicious. the last shime was also a homemade soba with fugu shirako sauce which we enjoyed very much. first experience here with the tongue of a whale which was interesting, and really enjoyed the unconventional calpis ice cream with kinkan and kinkan jam. finished with a black bean yokan and matcha.

this season’s ingredients really spoke to us so we enjoyed our experience here very much, service was also very good and taisho was extremely nice. but with its traditional preparations i wouldn’t say i’d be as fond of it if we visited at any other season. maybe one day i will revisit for the counter experience if i have a chance, the experience should be fairly different.

蟹コースcrab course: (¥66,000)
饅頭 白味噌manju, shiromiso
✨甘鯛かぶら寿司 amadai kabura sushi
鶯菜 鯛カラスミ湯葉豆腐 uguisu, tai, karasumi, yuba tofu
本鰤刺身 辛味大根honburi, karami daikon
八寸hassun
✨蟹しゃぶしゃぶ shabu shabu crab claw and leg kanimiso
✨焼き蟹grilled crab leg with kanimiso
✨蕎麦 焼き河豚白子ソースsoba in fugu shirako sauce
愛菜 鯨さえずりmana veggie, kujira tongue
✨蟹のご飯crab gohan
✨金柑 カルピスアイスkinkan, calpis sorbet
✨黒豆羊羹 抹茶kuromame yokan + matcha

would revisit: yes (depend on season)
reservations: yes
price range pp: ¥60,000-¥100,000
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📍本湖月
location: 1-7-11 dotonburi, osaka
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in osaka, japan (jan’24)

a small cozy standing udon shop in the city centre, stopped by after a ramen stop because that wasn’t satisfying enough for me. super cheap, quick and no fuss meal with a large range of options from traditional to creative style. opted for a warm bowl of beef and maitake mushroom udon, generous ingredients especially given the price-point.

wasn’t a huge fan of the udon texture here, though homemade it was on the softer side and not chewy at all. but appreciated the homemade dashi which was light but flavourful, niku was soft and tender too. a good quick fix but not worth the travel to, only stop by if you are around the area in osaka or coming for a mid afternoon snack. as if you have time, i would recommend the trip to rakuraku udon instead (from previous post.)

肉舞茸うどん (¥950)

would revisit: if in the area
reservations: no
price range pp: under ¥1000
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📍ウドン キュータロー
location: 3-1-16 kyutaromachi, osaka
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in osaka, japan (jan’24)

quite far out north-east countryside of osaka is this very notable small udon shop. lines begin from about an hour prior to opening and thankfully they do go pretty quickly.

opted for the warm bukkake udon, as it was freezing in osaka this time of the year. but the udon retained its chewy nature, but not too much so that it hurts the jaw. the beef used was also so nicely cooked, lightly sweetened and of a decent quality that it was smooth and soft without stringy tendons. the dashi was also really nice, not too salty nor sweetened, so works really well with the combination. one of the best udon shops i’ve visited, highly recommended to all udon lovers. would love to try their cold ones served in ice buckets or ones in soup next time.

黒毛和牛肉ぶっかけ (¥1280)
ちくわ天 (¥150)

would revisit: yes
reservations: no
price range pp: under ¥3000
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📍手造りうどん楽々
location: 6-6-1 ikuno, katano, osaka
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in osaka, japan (jan’24)

second tonkatsu shop i went is at this small tonkatsu joint in a residential neighbourhood with only 5 seats. really glad to snag seats and enjoyed one of the best tonkatsu experiences i’ve had, and given i don’t really love tonkatsu made my experience here even more eye-opening.

we selected the full course in which we sampled the best cuts of some of the top pork breeds, but my favourite still remains to be tokyo-x, with the right amount of lean, juicy and rich pork flavour. the batter here is double fried, but still remains light, aerated and thin without feeling greasy at all. the tokyo-x hire (fillet) really set the scene, the second type, 望来豚ロース loin was a bit less succulent in comparison, and the 林spf ロース loin was juicier and richer in flavour. the last cut of the リブロース rib loin was a bit too much for me as it was too fatty overall.

to end, we had a choice of a shoyu katsu don or katsu curry, much much preferred the curry. on top of the katsuo boshi, the katsu don was topped with vegetables and shiso, with generous soy so i found it a bit heavy. the curry had the inclusion of raisins and was overall lightly sweet so it was easy to eat especially after all the fried goods. one to definitely try out when in osaka, a very nice interactive counter tonkatsu experience.

noguchi omakase set: (¥4000)
3 types (~260g)
shoyu katsu/ curry don mini size
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📍とんかつ乃ぐち
location: heike apartment 102, 3-14-2 nakatsu, osaka
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in osaka, japan (jan’24)

visited two tonkatsu shops this time in osaka, first was this long standing tonkatsu shop south-west osaka, on the outskirts of the city, where they take daily sign-ups from 8:30am in store to then return at the allocated times.

i was utterly disappointed here, ordered a half and half set course of their deluxe hi-re (fillet) with my choice of the tokyo-x loin. as they were the pioneer shop which used tokyo-x and with their accolades, i had some levels of expectations. but the batter was rough and thick, with some residual batter inside the coating yet to be fried. the pork quality itself was good, seasoning was underwhelming and relied entirely on the choice of charcoal salt or white truffle salt. the set lunch with additional costs was served with rice, miso soup, salad. a shop which i believe much passed it’s ‘peak visiting time’, i think chef has lost his passion when visiting, and many other new and rising tonkatsu shops have surpassed his level. not worth the line, the travel nor the price.

ハーフ＆ハーフ half and half:
特上ヒレとんかつ, tokyo-xロース (¥2820)
+ 定食 set (¥600)
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would revisit: no
reservations: register from 8:30am
price range pp: ¥3000-¥6000
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📍とんかつ マンジェ
location: 2-3-22 yokoen, yao-shi, osaka
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in osaka, japan (jan’24)

a incredible first dinner in osaka, huge thank you to the hosts @tomokohappycamper for the invitation. chef ayumu cooks in an 8 seater restaurant which has now ‘closed’ but still open only for regulars from previously. used to be (and still is) one of the most famous innovative style chef in kansai, his menu changes daily and he cooks whatever he feels like in the moment, with no fixed menu or recipes. when given the opportunity, i jumped at the chance and it really was one of the most incredible ‘innovative’ restaurant i’ve yet to visit in japan.

utilising japanese ingredients with a bit of french technique, all ingredients and sauces highly complement each other and really shocks the palate. for instance the lightly torched sawara with a fukinoto sauce, maguro zuke with a concentrated fish based sauce and basque chilli. loved his take on pasta with a sicilian chilli and pesto with bear ragu, his cooking on the french averyon duck with the sweetest yurine was also sublime. tori dashi prepped with somen and fresh herbs was so warming, before we decided to add a couple more dishes to round this dinner off.
albeit, a pricey meal with the addition of wines, but his cooking, preparations before and during the meal and really pristine ingredients, makes it one of the most memorable meals i’ve had of the trip. one i highly recommend visiting if given the opportunity.

(english menu in comments)
発酵柑 白味噌 九州のたけのこ
さわら　蕗の薹のソース
白菜の中心 鶏出汁 キャビア
本マグロ漬け バスクのチリ 干しハヤのソース
鮑のゼリー 大根 かぼちゃの油
河豚の唐揚げ トロンペットキノコパウダー
赤ぜ海老 ブロッコリー 胡麻と酢橘ソース
熊のラグー ペストパスタ
フランスの鴨 ゆりね 昆布とトリュフソース
鶏出汁の素麺

鯨 発酵ハラペニョ
玉 ブファラモッツァレラ
ゆりね 鴨 イタリアのブロッコリー 炒め物
生姜 干し鮎 スッポン スープ
蟹とたけのこの炒飯
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would revisit: yes
reservations: members only
price range pp: ¥60,000-¥100,000
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📍COMPTOIR FEU
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in osaka, japan (jan’24)

touchdown osaka, my first time properly exploring this city and i do have some skepticism. casual food is dominating in this part of japan, namely the well-known takoyaki and okonomiyaki, but tonkatsu, ramen and udon scenes here are quite affluent as well.

began here at kadoya shokudou, one of the more renowned shops in osaka known for their chinese inspired noodles. got one of the most popular options, the tsukesoba, was indeed really impressed with the smoothness and al-dente texture, wheat flavour was slightly mild. but the dipping broth here was unbearably salty, the pork belly and chunks within are also super dry which made me believe its the residual meats from the soup making. the additional order of egg was also both visually unappealing and very salty as expected. unimpressed and unsatisfied, not a shop i would recommend despite its accolades.

つけそば 並 (¥1600)
味玉 (¥300)
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would revisit: no
reservations: no
price range pp: ¥1000-¥3000
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📍カドヤ食堂
location: 4-16-13 shinmachi, nishi ward, osaka
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in antwerp, belgium (jan’24)

extended my trip in antwerp just to make it here and it was soooo worth it, best meal i’ve had of the trip and exceeds any and all french/european cooking i’ve had in france and london. super small and cozy shop tucked in the residential district, specialising in offals and neo-traditional french cooking.

amazing start with an amouse bouche of pigs head terrine with mustard and pig’s brain mayonnaise, and a veal mayo that goes with the bread on top of the butter. got two starters cuz i couldn’t choose, really loved the veal brain tartare, light and creamy texture like shirako and was lightly dressed in a bright acidic dressing that balanced out the richness. followed by a chicken liver pate with a sweetened black pudding ‘jam’ and brioche, loved the creamy spreadable texture, flavour was also so rich and balanced.

for main i went straight for the veal kidney ‘stroganoff’ that came with a medley of grilled veggies. perfect cookness, the quality and freshness of the kidneys was so apparent, truly truly wow. sauce was veal and beef based, cooked and reduced from a bunch of root veg which worked super well with the rich kidneys. the dish came with some frites which is hands down some of the best i’ve had, cooked in beef fat, it was perfectly salted, crispy and with a soft center. ended with a dame blanche, a rich vanilla ice-cream drenched in a rich chocolate sauce, and with a chocolate biscuit twirl. so simple but so decedent, especially when each component is done right. highly highly highly recommend, want to come back to antwerp just to come back here again.

veal brain tartare (€26)
chicken liver, black pudding, brioche (€26)
grilled kidneys of veal ‘stroganoff’ (€38)
chocolate dame blanche (€12)
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would revisit: yes
reservations: yes
price range pp: €100-€300

📍BISTROT DU NORD
location: lange dijkstraat 36, 2060 antwerpen
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in antwerp, belgium (jan’24)

heard some good stuff about this seafood heavy restaurant within a repurposed chapel with high vaulted ceilings. a bit of nordic and japanese touch also, and really appreciated that most the dishes weren’t too heavy or rich.

starting bites were nice, very light and delicate, followed by the agnolotto which was one of my favourites today. stuffed with squid and topped with more fried squid. really enjoyed the sea urchin flan which was sweet and not very rich in urchin flavour, the signature oyster with a hefty amount of ingredients like tuna tartare, caviar, buttermilk sauce with bread miso was also surprisingly tasty. fish and other shellfish had good cooking but not too memorable, before a deer course to end all the seafood dishes. dessert was slightly underwhelming with too much hints of the bitterness from root vegetable that doesn’t really draw a good close to the meal. overall solid meal with a very long course, not a lot of wow factors and the flavour profile of the meal was more or less unanimous.

tasting menu: (€275)
grey shrimp, burrata, pumpkin
buckwheat blini with robiola and currant
amaebi, bottarga, radish
agnolotto, manzanilla, chipirones, squid
smoked seabass, kaffir, crème cru beach crab
sea urchin flan, eel
signature irish mor oyster, balfegó
pollock ‘meunière’, mussel ‘à la crème’
langoustine, jerusalem artichoke, nori
scallop, oxtail bouillon, spelt
deer, aligot, savoy cabbage
citrus, sudachi, aloë vera
boskoop, spices, cranberry, jerusalem artichoke
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would revisit: try once
reservations: yes
price range pp: €300-€600
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📍THE JANE
location: paradeplein 1, 2018 antwerpen
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