Hajime Osaka

Hajime, located in Osaka, is possibly the most famous Japan's restaurant outside Tokyo. It's consistently ranked in the top 50 of the world best restaurant, according to the restaurant magazine. The restaurant was quite small and there were only 2 tables occupied on that Monday evening - mine and another local couple celebrating something. Despite this fact, the restaurant still strictly insisted on banning the use of any form of cameras. The decor was minimal with relatively high ceiling. Haijme Yoneda, the chef-owner, was an engineer and a good painter. There were clearly reflected on his innovative and artistic creations: the dishes, on the one hand, were intricate and beautifully plated and on the other hand, (they) were precisely executed in which the location of the sauces and side dishes were carefully placed down even to the millimeter. 

Nature and earth were the main themes of Chef Yoneda's culinary creations. The presentation was no doubt one of the finest I've ever witnessed with strong emphasize on the "right" texture and temperature. However, the dishes sometimes lacked in flavors / being delicious. The kitchen often put on one too many combinations where one might have difficulties to appreciate the 2-3 main ingredients per dish. The amount of work and effort put on each dish was incredible. For this dinner, I went with my mother. We shared the standard menu; I also ordered the non-alcohol drink pairing.

Menu chikyu tono taiwa (Dialogue with the earth) - Summer 2018

Note that: since pictures were strictly prohibited in Hajime, I could not remember much details for each dish

Natsu no hoka (Forget the summer heat; cool) - Corn and vanilla. The opening featured various small items such as baby corn in which the "hair" could be consumed, delicate corn bread as well as cold and tasty corn soup

Seimei (Small lives) - Hirame chips, kazunoko and ayu in the sphere 'bread' form.

Iso (Rocky coast; sea forest) - Oyster, kelp, murukai, quinoa, broccoli etc. The sea-flavored oyster went well with sour cream and cucumber; there was uni with broccoli, unusual; fresh blue mussel was combined with tomato and olive oil. The last small bytes from the menu

Mizuumi (Lake; school of fish) - Biwa trout, mango and sorrel. The cooked trout was very soft. The fish was integrated with bitter sorrel and refreshing & sweet mango + apple
Drink pairing: balanced ginger ale mixed with various spices 

Chikyu (Planet earth) - Spinach, komatsuna, burdock, okra, buckwheat, white radish, butter squash, dill, yuzu, sweet potato etc. There were more than 70 different vegetables-grains-herbs used, served with shellfish foam - the only non vegetarian aspect. Hajime's signature dish and the presentation was indeed spectacular. Since there are so many different ingredients, the enjoyment was more about texture variations and plenty of subtle flavors. It was interesting and very good, obviously inspired by Bras' gargouillou
Drink pairing: extracted essence from mild flavor of ripened tomato

Umi (Sea; flow and relation)
Flow - Nodoguro, coriander and egg plant. Pleasant fatty blackthroat seaperch with seaweed dashi
Drink pairing: refined gyokuro with sweet umami flavor

Relation - Langoustine, uncured ham and suppon. Delicious big prawn & mantis shrimp served with a few different sauce showing the chef's French technique
Drink pairing: abstract vegetables flavor, in which carrot was the most noticeable

Hakai to douka (Destruction and assimilation) - Foie gras, hazel and pumpkin. Creamy liver, simple and flavorful
Drink pairing: fragrant extraction of ancient brown & red rice

Kibou (Sprouts for life; hope)
Dew - pine. Bitter pine sorbet to clean the palate

Mother earth - Beef, beet and parsnip. Lean Hiroshima beef, cooked on one side only; solid
Drink pairing: sparkling hinoki water

Sky - Quail, black garlic and wild rocket. The quail was tender with more assertive flavor than chicken; decent
Drink pairing: blackcurrant that's supposedly mimicking red wine

Shinryoku (Fresh leaves; wild flowers) - Milk, olive oil and yellow carrot.
Drink pairing: Koshu grape with a mixture of sour, tannin and sweet flavors

Tsuyu (Rainy season; rain sound) - Grapefruit and sake. Refreshing and slightly bitter grapes on lotus leaves

Ai (Love; spread to the world) - Strawberry, raspberry and peach. Flavorful with some crunchy textures
Drink pairing: coarse tea in golden yellow color with some bittersweet taste

The drink accompaniment worked kinda well and was thoughtful - it's especially more challenging to do it without any alcohol. The cooking technique applied at Hajime was meticulous with elaborate presentations. I found the meal to be thought provoking and satisfying intellectually but it did not affect me emotionally or made my sense of taste really joyful. That being said, it's a good and sophisticated meal experience. The service was polite and professional but rigid, rather cold and kinda robotic. It worked similarly when I met the chef ... Yoneda-san shaked my hand with smile, that's it. He did not even ask about how the meal had been. If I got to choose for another creative meal from the same city, probably Kahala was a slightly better option with warmer and more sincere hospitality from the host and staffs + the food produced more flavors in the mouth albeit technically not as stunning as the one generated here.

Food (and Wine): 94 pts

Service (and Ambiance): 93 pts

Overall: 94/100