The Four Seasons Hotel is well known as one of the world's top hotel groups. The latest Four Seasons Hotel Osaka opened in Dojima, Osaka, in August last year, following Marunouchi and Otemachi in Tokyo, and Kyoto. It is the group's fourth hotel in Japan.
Opening with much fanfare on the 37th floor is the innovative sushi restaurant "Sushi Labis Osaka Yannick Alleno." Is it a little hard to remember?
"Labis" already has two locations, one in Paris, France, and one in Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Osaka will be the third. The Paris location has two Michelin stars. The restaurant is overseen by Yannick Alleno, a great French chef. He is the only chef in the world to simultaneously own two Michelin three-star French restaurants.
The world's most delicious rabisu is coming to Osaka
Labis was originally built in Pavilion Ledoyen as a hideaway before going to Yannick's restaurant, "Areno Paris au Pavilion Ledoyen." Before long, it evolved into a sushi restaurant that serves innovative course meals that combine Yannick's beloved sushi with appetizers and desserts that he invented.
By the way, L'Abysse means deep sea or abyss in French, but does it mean deep-sea fish? (laughs) No, only Yannick knows the true meaning.
All three restaurants offer the same appetizer and dessert menu, but as the supply situation for the main sushi varies, the Japanese chef at each restaurant creates a different dish.
The quality of Japanese sushi ingredients, whether it be the blood-draining or nerve-killing method, cannot be compared to that of Europe. The superiority of Japanese fish is absolute. Therefore, it can be said that the most delicious rabis in the world can be found in Osaka.
Yannick Theatre unfolds across four appetizers
The "Omakase Dinner" is roughly divided into three parts: Part 10 features four appetizers called "Emotions," Part XNUMX features XNUMX nigiri rolls as the main course, and Part XNUMX concludes with four desserts. There are so many dishes that I'll just give a brief introduction.
The first dish in Part 1 is the squid-like "Endive and Radicchio Salad" (top photo). This is a very elaborate dish, with thin strips of endive and radicchio, celery, pear, and shiso leaves arranged in a mille-feuille style. It is seasoned with clear soy sauce from Shikoku, and the green dots around it are Italian parsley oil. Grab it with your hands, wipe off the oil, put it in your mouth all at once, and chew it, which has a pleasant crunch. It feels like the flavors and essences of various vegetables are overflowing in your mouth.
I was surprised at the amazing feat of combining Japanese and French cuisine, not only in terms of ingredients but also in the technique, to create a salad in my mouth. Moreover, the perilla leaves came to the forefront strongly, and acted as a prelude to the whole dish that leads to sushi. From the very first bite, I felt like I had been hit with a preemptive punch from Yannick Theatre.
The third dish, "Egg and Caviar," combines soft-boiled eggs and caviar with tartare-like fatty tuna, layering richness on richness until the flavor reaches its peak. The mayonnaise contains shallots, and when you put all of this on buttered toast, the world of French flavors unfolds.


The last appetizer is "Oysters, seaweed and rice cream".
The last dish in Part 1, "Oysters, Green Laver and Rice Cream," stole my heart. Finely chopped raw oysters are covered in shiso leaf jelly and rice paste, topped with slices of sudachi. The sudachi skin is also included, so the sour and bitter taste hits you first, followed by the sweetness of the rice, and the rice crackers on top have a slight spiciness from the curry powder. All together, it's the umami of the oysters. The exquisite balance of these five flavors is what Yannick is known for.
The rice paste is a kind of foreshadowing, and also serves as a bridge to the sushi, which is the main course of Part 2, so it is the result of extremely meticulous calculations.
Sushi is Yasuda Itaru's domain
The chef in charge of the sushi is Mr. Yasuda Itaru, who Yannick has complete confidence in. Mr. Yasuda began his training at Happo-en in Meguro, Tokyo, before moving on to sushi kappo, and most recently served as head chef at Hashida Singapore. Although he looks "tough at first glance" (his own words), he is fluent in English and good at jokes.


Yannick Alleno (right) and Yasuda Itaru.
The horse mackerel served at the beginning of Part 2 was outstanding. The horse mackerel is doused in vinegar just before being sushi-sushied, which has the effect of being instantly sushi-frozen. The vinegared rice is made with a blend of brown rice vinegar and rice vinegar, to which salt and granulated sugar are added. It goes perfectly with the horse mackerel, and the vinegared rice has just the right amount of punch.
The Meursault served with it enhanced the flavor even more.
Other superb dishes on the menu included charcoal-grilled barracuda skin side, filefish mixed with liver, marinated tuna served with freshly shaved bonito flakes, and black rockfish served on top of sea urchin and salmon roe.


A refined Edomae sushi.
The final dish of Part 2 is a huge two-roll otoro (fatty tuna), wrapped in chopped shallots and ginger, a collaboration with Yannick, a fusion of Japanese and Western. Personally, I thought it was too fatty, so it might be better to lightly grill the otoro. The shallots, a subtle hint of Westernness, may also signal the transition to Part 3, which is a Western dessert.
Desserts are a surprise
The first dessert in Part 3, "Strawberries baked in a sugar oven with fennel," was innovative in that the moisture had been removed and the sweetness was concentrated, but the second and third dishes were more surprising.
The second dish was "White Miso and Barley Ice Cream with Sudachi Jelly." The barley and mushroom sauce in the center was made using Yannick's patented extraction technique, which extracted the essence and minerals of the ingredients. When burnt white miso was attached to the top of the dish and mixed with the sudachi jelly, it surprised us with its sour, bitter and salty taste, like fermented cheese.


Dessert: Shiso tempura.
And the third dish, "Shiso Tempura," really surprised me. It's called tempura, but it's not tempura at all. It's shiso leaves covered in meringue and lemon juice, frozen with liquid nitrogen. The crispy texture of the shiso crackling in your mouth and the white cool air leaking out of your nose made it a dessert full of playfulness. And it was so delicious that you'll never forget it.
A constant theme running through Parts 1 to 3 is the skillful combination of Japanese and Western elements.
Thus, you can enjoy world-class cuisine and Edomae sushi without having to go to Europe, making Sushi Labis Osaka Yannick Alleno a restaurant with rare charm.
Enjoy delicious food morning, noon and night
In addition, the breakfast at the all-day dining restaurant "Jardin" on the first floor is excellent. When you sit down, you first have to choose a main dish. There are over 30 menus, including "poached eggs and avocado," "wagyu tenderloin sukiyaki," "omelette," and "buttermilk pancakes," making it difficult to choose. On top of that, the buffet is packed with Japanese, Western, and Chinese dishes, making it a lot of fun. You can even have miso ramen in the morning.


Poached eggs and avocado for breakfast.
The hotel's signature restaurant, Jiang Nan Chun, is located on the 37th floor and serves Cantonese cuisine for both lunch and dinner. Executive chef Raymond Wong has held a Michelin star at Shang Palace in the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel in Hong Kong, so the food is authentic. From what I've tried, the dim sum dishes were impeccable, but the mushroom and chestnut soup, made with a broth carefully brewed with Jinhua ham, had a deep flavor that made me want to drink it forever, and the sharp milk cream of the Chinese cabbage and morel mushrooms in cream sauce was particularly memorable.


Cantonese dish: Braised cabbage and morel mushrooms in cream sauce.
The Four Seasons Hotel Osaka is a hotel with excellent design. Modern art is prominent throughout, and the hotel is filled with a Japanese taste. Japanese people, in particular, will be keen to stay in the Japanese-style rooms with the scent of tatami mats. With a full range of spa facilities, a large public bath, and an infinity edge pool, you can be sure that you will be able to enjoy a hotel stay without having to go out.


Sushi Labis Osaka Yannick Alleno
Address: 2th floor, Four Seasons Hotel Osaka, 4-32-37 Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
TEL: 06-6676-8682
Business hours: 12:00-15:00, 18:00-21:00
Lunch: "Chirashi" 12000 yen, "Omakase" 20000 yen
Dinner: "Midori" 27000 yen, "Omakase" 35000 yen
Toshizumi Ishibashi
After graduating from the Graduate School of Letters, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, he joined Bungeishunju. He has served as editor-in-chief of Claire Traveler, Claire, and the Special Edition Mook Editorial Department, and was finally an editorial committee member. He has taken countless overseas gourmet trips at his own expense, and during his five years at Claire Traveler, he enjoyed the best food in over 30 countries. The six restaurants that shocked him most during his private and professional dining experiences are Mirazur in Menton, France, Epicure in Paris, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, Torre del Saracino in Sorrento, Italy, and WING and Amber in Hong Kong. He is currently an editor and writer covering topics ranging from food, hotels, and inns to history, medicine, and business.
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