voco 大阪中央酒店 by IHG

The chef’s creed is devotion to his craft heart and soul. Having learned this attitude to cooking from his mentor at Taian, where he apprenticed, he constantly burnishes his culinary skills through meticulous attention to ingredient selection, food preparation methods and use of dishware. One vital contributor to his menus is the charcoal flame. The chef’s experience speaks through his pan-seared sashimi and grilled dishes wreathed in aromatic smoke. Inventiveness and painstaking diligence create cuisine that impresses.

Yusuke Takada unravels the mysteries of the classics while pursuing the modern. Takada is the author of a new French cuisine, one imbued with the essence of Japan. Takada’s aim in using traditional ingredients such as kudzu vine, tofu skin, miso and wasabi is to proclaim the goodness of foodstuffs grown and raised in Japan. Cultural elements from Osaka and his native Amami Ōshima weave together into a story that is unique and fascinating.

PRESQU'ÎLE takes its name from a district of Lyons, reflecting the chef’s respect for the place where he trained and his resolve to carry its traditions forward for the next generation. Classical technique underpins French cooking in which sauces play a central role. A speciality is duck and foie gras tourte served with sauce poured tableside. Fruit displayed on the table may also appear as crêpes suzette.

The inspiration for the name ‘Différence’, is a desire to provide a space to spend time away from the quotidian cares of life. The uniform white of the dining room, with its otherworldly milieu, reflects this aesthetic. The concept is ‘French with a sense of Japan’, so the focus is on food grown and raised in Japan. Desserts infused with vegetables to impart a sense of season and pastries combining two favourite Japanese confections, yokan and daifuku, are unique touches. Enjoy flavours and dining a little different from the ordinary.

Having honed his creativity through a series of gastronomic contests, the chef serves a unique interpretation of Chinese cuisine. Made using the finest Kawachi duck, the Peking duck is a vibrant and elegant dish, rich in both colour and visual appeal; with impressive attention to detail, the accompanying Kinzanji miso is sourced specially for this dish. The lively sounds echoing from the kitchen and the aroma of freshly made dishes make ‘atelier’ an apt name for this dining room.

La Bécasse aspires to greet guests with something new and exciting every time they visit. Rather than follow past recipes, the restaurant enlivens familiar ingredients with creative preparation techniques and sauces. A sojourn in France taught the chef the importance of terroir, the characteristics of the land from which sprouts the character of each ingredient. To convey the blessings of each season, the chef visits markets daily, seeking new ways to reflect Japanese terroir through French cooking.

To mark its half-century anniversary, LE PONT DE CIEL broke new ground, converting to a ‘counter French’ format. The open kitchen buzzes with activity as cooks and serving staff attend customers. The key to the fare here is cooking with firewood. Vegetables are roasted, fish smoked, meat wrapped in flame. The name means ‘bridge across the sky’, reflecting the chef’s desire to foster a culture that connects a relaxing time with delicious cuisine.