the UK Dining Guide
the UK Dining Guide
Basilico
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Osaka
People are bound to ask Why do you go all the way to Japan, stay in a top hotel and then
eat Italian food? For just the same reason that I'd recommend visitors
to London to try Zafferano or The Halkin, or Grissini, three top class
establishments within a stone's throw of each other in Belgravia. It's the
chefs that make these restaurants, irrespective of the city where they happen to be
located. When I heard on the grape vine that the chef in charge of the
Italian restaurant at the Hyatt Regency in Osaka, was was one of those responsible
for the opening and development of the Hyatt group's Grissini restaurants both in Hong Kong in 1989
and last year in London, I said take me to him, and they
did!
Gabriele Colombo is a quietly spoken gentleman, not at all like
your typical TV Italian chef. He is thoughtful, but he is passionate about
food. He loves olive oils and the abundance of infusions, so each table has a
carafe of oil steeped in herbs and spices as well as a purée of sundried
tomato and oil for dipping. Beware, you can fill yourself up very easily!
Gabriele comes from Milan, where he learned from master Michelin
starred chefs at the famed Gualtiero Marchesi and the Antica
Osteria del Ponte Milano. But he has also spent much time in the Far East. He
finds it a constant challenge to keep a firm grip on his Italian identity
when surrounded by the profusion of local provender in Japan, especially
the fish.
But Italian methods of preparation are so different from those
of the Japanese, and the flavours of Italian herbs and spices so particular,
that it's no wonder his restaurant is one of the most popular in
Osaka amongst both Japanese and Europeans alike. Also, it's one of a very
distinct few in Japan to have a genuine wood burning pizza oven.
We began with with some Parma Ham on a bed of aubergine cooked with
Parmesan cheese and well caramelised red bell pepper. There was also some
very light and ultra-fresh mozarella and some rocket leaves to complete
a very classic and unfussy presentation. We sat up and took notice!
According to the menu we would have continued with Linguini with scallops, tuna and lemon which looked great on its way to an adjacent table, but we had our English cousin Shelagh with us who is crazy for risotto, and we had begged Gabriele to prepare some for us. Not that it took much persuading, for it's a dish he loves to cook, but apparently it's not too popular with the Japanese who have their own very different ways with rice.
I always think risotto is not only a great test of chef, but of the kitchen also, as timing is of the essence and any distractions can prove disastrous. All three of us were bowled over by this risotto, which was flavoured with porcini mushrooms as well as some wonderfully aromatic, but not overpowering, garlic. To give interest and variety of texture and colour, Gabriele had mixed in some slices of Italian sausage. This was creative cooking "on the fly", since risotto was not on the menu.
For our third indulgence, we were treated to a dish based on a local type of mackerel, giving the opportunity for a bit of East meets West fusion. The fish was definitely exotic, but it rested on a comforting bed of potato purée, with the added flavours of capers and celeriac.
During these courses we drank a crisp Gavi di Gavi DOC for ¥4600, followed by a very aromatic and powerful Pinot Grigio Banfi from San Angelo at ¥5200 - a perfect accompaniment to the strongly flavoured risotto and the fish.
I looked rather askance at the meat offering on this menu, and would certainly not have chosen it had it been on the a la carte. Which shows how wrong you can be, and how you ought to trust a top class chef! Pan fried brisket of beef would certainly be out of the question in most other countries but apparently not in Japan, where, as I remarked in my review of Les Célébrités, the beef is so startlingly tender that the normal rules of cooking seem no longer to apply. But whereas the Japanese would serve the meat dipped in light soya sauce, here it came in a powerful and delicious reduction made from meat juices, balsamic vinegar and mushrooms. Some asparagus and tomatoes completed another very astute presentation.
We drank the red wine promotion of the month, a vigorous damson
flavoured young Merlot Trentino Riserva Consilio DOC at ¥6250. Yes, you've
noticed, the wine prices are creeping up with each bottle - they are rather expensive in
Japan. I was just thinking it's a heck of a way to lug the stuff, then it
ocurred to me that it's just as far from Chile to Britain as it is to
Japan, and the Chilean wines in restaurants were just as dear. I suppose
it's a tradition throughout Japan that Western style wines are expensive.
There was a jolly good selection of desserts and they were not wheeled about all tired-looking on a trolley. Pannetone with marscapone ice cream and forest fruits was very yummy and light (I told myself, patting my waistline). My wife enjoyed a similarly light Tiramisu and the cousin got stuck into some excellent formaggio. I couldn't resist some slivers of her Gorgonzola and Provolone. Things "used not to travel well", but they certainly do nowadays, thanks to jumbo jets and refrigerated holds. The world is definitely a smaller place, but I for one don't mind encountering such exquisite little pockets of Italy as Basilico, dotted about here and there on the globe.
Basilico at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Osaka
1-13-11 Nambo-Kita, Suminoe-ku, Osaka 559-0034
open daily for lunch and dinner.
Reservations (essential at weekends) Tel: (81) 6 612 1234
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