Hi! Dad and I planned a graduation trip to Japan four years ago. Some medical issues and a pandemic later, I finally got to go!

We spent three days in Osaka and it was one of the best (and most delicious) vacations I’ve ever been on. I’m going to be honest, the purpose of this trip was food, specifically an excuse to indulge. One of my my food dreams is to eventually go to every 3 Michelin star restaurant in Japan.Then why Osaka? Wouldn’t Tokyo be better? Sure, but We couldn’t get a reservation at any of the Tokyo 3 stars. We eventually got a reservation at Kashiwaya Osaka Seriyama. Osaka it was.

 Kashiwaya Osaka Seriyama

Kashiwaya is a ryotei restaurant tucked in a nondescript suburb outside of Osaka serving creative takes on traditional Japanese fare. It started as the passion project of famed chef Hidetaro Nakamura. In 1992, his then apprentice Hideaki Matuso has run the kitchen and put his own spin on the dishes. Outside of his work at Kashiwaya, he is working to creating a network of chefs dedicated to putting Osaka back on the culinary map. Of course, running a michelin restuarant takes a team. Chef Matuso is joined by head hostess (and wife) Katsuko Matuso and sommelier Azumi Hamabuchi. I was very excited

Food

Kashiwaya offers a variety of packages from a 4 course weekday lunch to a 12 course dinner extravaganza. We went for…. well, the 12 courses.

The categories and order of courses is always the same, but the dishes themselves change based on seasonal availability of ingredients and inspiration of chef. We got a taste of “early summer” dishes. Unfortunately, seasonality did mean that we weren’t able to taste Chef’s star ingredient, ise ebi (spiny lobster).

Since I am too lazy to describe 12 courses the menu will probably be different, I’ll share my favourites (no particular order).

Abalone, sea urchin, water shield, shiro-uri melon, with abalone broth jelly, shiso flower and yuzu served on a lotus leaf- This dish is meant to represent a randrop on a lotus leaf (June is the rainy season). The dish started the meal off with a bang. I really enjoyed the combination of rich uni with the briny, refreshing jelly. That was hands down the BEST uni I’ve ever had- so flavourful, so rich. The abalone and melon enhanced the mouthfeel.

Beet souffle with Japanese babylon, burdock and ginger- I am typically not a fan of souffles. This was very much not a typical souffle. Rather than being overly rich, it was light and slight sweetness from the beets. The really genius behind the dish is that it’s completely gluten and dairy free. Chef used pinenuts as the base and the “milk”. This added a subtle nutty flavour I really enjoyed

Grilled Sweetfish with tade vinegar- I am always a sucker for grilled fish and these hit the sweet spot. They were perfectly charred and seasoned. The fish itself had the most delicate flesh and full of roe. Tade (water pepper) vinegar really enhanced the natural sweetness of the fish without taking over.

“Jade” (green pea and kudzu cake)- I don’t usually eat dessert. I ate this one and loved it. It had the texture of a soft mochi and not too sweet. The pea flavour came across subtly and added depth. As a nod to the tea ceremony, they served this with matcha. Unfortunately, it was too late for me to drink caffiene, but I imagine the bitterness would pair really well with the cake.

Aside from the ingenuity of the individual dishes, they all fit together cohesively. Rich dishes followed by acidic ones, briny ones followed with something slightly sweet. There really was a method to the madness.

Service and Atmosphere

Kashiwaya is in a house and dining there definitely felt like being a guest at chef’s house. The decour is very traditional- bamboo, sliding doors, tatami etc. Keeping with the homey feel, all the plates, bowls and utensils looked and felt very much like items that could be purchased at a supermarket.

This was a very pleasant change of pace from the typical high end restaurant experience. With that said, the walls are quite thin and the party in the adjacent room was quite loud, which was a tad distracting

Service was, unsurprisingly, second to none and somehow managed to exceed my expectations. Kashiwaya is inspired by the traditioal tea ceremony, which comes with rituals (e.g. placing of utensils, hostess bowing before entering the room). They explained everything, without interrupting the flow of the service. There was also not any awkwardness. What really set Kashiwaya apart was the attention to detail. We put that this was celebrating a graduation. Knowing this, they added a special crane painting, red chopsticks, special sake and a traditional good luck dish of glutinous rice with beans and grilled tilefish.

It was honestly so sweet.

Overall Impression

Overall, I had an amazing experience at Kashiwaya. It definitely deserves its three star status. Even with the steep price, I’d say its worth it. I won’t necessarily go back (there are more to try!) but if I did, I’d want to go in late autumn for some innovative ebi dishes.

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