Cuisine d'Osaka Ryo

Since Hatashima was a child, he's enjoyed eating delicious food and going out to eat with his family.

He belives his enjoyment of food might have been largely influenced by his parents. Despite his mother being a calligrapher, she said that she enjoyed cooking more than calligraphy, and Hatashima would often help her in the kitchen.

When considering his career path after high school, he learned about Tsuji Culinary School and approached that institution with high spirits.

Specialization still had to be considered, though. One of his seniors suggested "You should learn the basics of Japanese cuisine from the ground up." Following that advice, Hatashima started on the pathway of Japanese cuisine.

After graduation, Hatashima took up a job working at a restaurant in Minami-Osaka (southern Osaka). As a person with a competitive spirit, he and his strong-willed co-worker worked hard to outpace eachother during this time. Deep down, he was always fueled by the mindset of "I refuse to lose!" Yet, Hatashima was sure to mention with a laugh that his seniors were always very kind to him also.

After moving restaurants and continuing his training, his interactions with food increased beyond the sphere of Japanese ingredients, as not only did he mingle with chefs of Japanese cuisine, but Chinese and Western cuisines also.

Hatashima learned a lot from these cross-cultural interactions, such as proper usage of spices and fire techniques.

Hatashima is part of the Osaka Cooking Association, where chefs gather to learn about Osaka's produce, and hone their cooking skills.

This association is frequented by many head chefs from famous restaurats throughout Osaka, so there is a lot to be learned every meeting, such as themes around the way of thinking about cuisine to focuses around efficiency without compromising flavor.

In Hatashima's case, he has recommended pairing Japanese food with oils and vinegars to match wines and champagnes, with a challenge of having his seniors say "What is this dish?" in excitement. Hatashima wants an existence where such exclamations can be said freely.

Now that Hatashima has established himself as a chef and worked very hard for a long time, he has rediscovered the fun behind cooking.

He cooks with the hope that Osaka's food scene will continue to get more exciting, while conveying what he was taught to future generations.

Note: The Osaka Cooking Association (大阪料理会) is a study group focused on Japanese cuisine, where cooks and chefs learn about ingredients and cooking methods with a distinct focus on Osaka. Kappo-style and other Osaka-inspired restaurants gather and exchange opinions and information through monthly presentations and tasting sessions.

The explanations above come from The Osaka Cooking Association's website, and you can find more information here (Japanese language only.)

At the restaurant where he apprenticed, every knife in the kitchen was one from Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide. This influence naturally led him to adopt the brand for his own tools. Today, he owns a complete collection of their essentials, including honekiri, yanagiba, and gyuto knives.

The Yanagiba he currently uses is a  Kirameki White Steel #1 Akaro Yanagiba , the knife he fell in love with at first sight at the Osaka store.

That knife in particular feels very familiar in his hands, and he enjoys the kireaji (cutting ability) of this knife above all others.

It's been thirty years since our knives first entered Hatashima's hands. Even now, whenever Hatashima needs to go to the Dōguyasuji Shopping District, he makes certain to visit our store to say hello.

Hatashima is currently working towards making a fried skewer with a fluffy and crispy texture.

The frying oil is a blend of lard and tallow with canola oil and slightly seasoned vegetables.

The batter is made by mixing egg yolks, beer, and milk with high-gluten bread flour, adding a seperate egg white to create a light texture. But, Hatashima reminds us that this recipe isn't set in stone and may change.

While studying everyday, he exchanges many opinions.

"Let's try that this year." "Isn't this more suitable with this alcohol?"

Questions like that shape what Hatashima does little by little.

Fried skewers wrapped in sautéed porcini mushrooms are particularly popular at his restaurant, as they pair well with champange and white wine.

Hatashima believes that the compatibility between fried skewers and champagne is so high that there is basically no poor combinations.

As Hatashima was also interested in the world of alcohol, he obtained a sommelier qualifiction. Having a great drink with a meal makes the whole dining experience twice as enjoyable.

Alcohol has many variations too, such as Chardonnay made only with white grapes, and richer types of champagne made with black grapes.

The role of a sommelier is not only to serve drinks like champagne and wine, but to also suggest drinks according to the customer's preferences and dishes. To that end, sometimes he'll recommend sake or cocktails instead if the situation calls for it.

Just as there are various ways to drink sake, such as at hot or cold temperatures, Hatashima would be happy if champagne could also be enjoyed freely.

The theme of Hatashima's life over anything else is "fun." He hopes he can provide that theme to his diners now and in the future.

Our Japanese YouTube team has filmed a mini video documentary on Hatashima and Cuisine d'Osaka Ryo. Enjoy the video below.

Please note it only officially has Japanese audio and subtitles, but automatic translations are available. Nuance and meaning may be lost though, so please refer back to the original Japanese as fact over any translations.

Chef Hatashima has used our knives for over thirty years! Here's some of his favorites.