Guess where I’ve headed on hols? Japan!
I tell people it’s my first time, but that’s not entirely true. I spent Chinese New Year here waaaay back in 2001.
I was working in Singapore at the time and wanted to make the most of the short holiday break, so I booked an organised tour.
I don’t actually count it as a proper visit to Japan because the guide on the bus could only speak Cantonese, every meal was at a Chinese restaurant and one of the four days was spent at Tokyo Disneyland.
All these years later I’ve returned with DD and my friend Emily … and Chinese food and Disneyland are not on the itinerary!
But we did go to a Michelin-starred restaurant in Osaka on Friday night. Fancy!
Emily was keen to try kaiseki, a traditional Japanese tasting menu comprised of many small dishes. It was originally part of traditional tea ceremonies but has evolved into the pinnacle of Japanese haute cuisine.
DD asked a former colleague and his wife, who live in nearby Kobe, to recommend a restaurant.
They took our request very seriously and meticulously researched a suitable spot, tested it out a few weeks before we arrived, returned to share a second meal with us and even typed up and printed out a special menu to explain what we were eating.
At the heart of kaiseki dining is the Japanese principle of shun, or taking ingredients at the peak of their freshness. Dishes are presented simply to ensure that the true flavour of each ingredient is expressed, but also to properly display each one and the height of their natural, seasonal beauty.
The kaiseki dining experience typically begins with appetizers, followed by sashimi, cooked dishes, a rice course, and finally, dessert.
We dined at Masuda, which is located in an alley near one of Osaka’s most popular shopping districts.
This is what Michelin had to say about Masuda: “The wooden counter is owner-chef Yoshichika Masuda’s stage. Like a skilled conjurer revealing his tricks, Masuda demonstrates the techniques and traditions of Japanese cuisine he honed during his days at a ryotei. The hassun is especially attention-grabbing. The sculptured beauty formed by ingredients from land and sea is a study in the coexistence of light and shade. The attentive service and the sight of his training his apprentice shines a light on the future of Japanese cuisine.”
It was fascinating to sit at the bar and watch the food being meticulously prepared for us. As it is autumn in Osaka, there were lots of autumnal ingredients.
Dishes included grilled Matsutake mushrooms and ginko nuts; shrimp fishcake, sashimi of sea bream, squid and sea urchin; Japanese rolled omelette sandwich; assorted seasonal dishes, blue swimmer crab with pear; salt-grilled Ayu fish with roe; Matsutake mushroom rice; fruit salad and a wafer sandwich filled with sweet bean paste.
Not a menu for the faint-hearted, but an incredible experience!
I fell in love with Japanese plum wine during the meal, mixed with soda water … it was very cool to sip it from a Mount Fuji-adorned glass!
Dining at Masuda was an unforgettable way to kick off our trip and its been a whirlwind of fun since we touched down.
I will share more details as soon as I get a spare minute. There haven’t been many of those because DD has been putting us through our paces – we did 33,000 steps one day.
My feet are absolutely killing me!
Song of the day: Japan “I second that emotion”
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