Kicked out of home by his dad, this chef went on to earn two Michelin stars
When in Osaka, a visit to the serenity residential surface area of Suita, where you'll find two-Michelin star restaurant Shunsaiten Tsuchiya, is a must. Located in a quaint nondescript traditional house of white stone walls and grayness Kawara-tiled roofing, the zen-like architecture is matched by the warm, relaxing atmosphere inside.
At the centre of this 16-seater restaurant is owner and chef, Yukihiko Tsuchisaka, who stands behind the bar counter creating elegant tempura courses and beautifully-plated kaiseki sets. Tsuchisaka designs his menu with seasonal ingredients and decides what to serve based on what is available at the market that twenty-four hours.
"Japanese cuisine has a harmonic flow and allows us to feel the seasons. I structured my menu with both – the softness of Japanese cuisine and the power of tempura," said Tsuchisaka.
According to him, the secret to perfect tempura is not just in the batter (which must be adapted to accommodate different ingredients), just the temperature of the oil and timing in which the ingredients are fried.
"If yous are a tempura chef, you should be able to detect the temperature of oil when you stand in front of oil. I do non use a thermometer but I sense the temperature with my torso," he revealed.
While the cooking looks elementary enough, the chemical reaction taking place is actually quite complex. By frying the ingredients in a batter, the ingredients lose wet, but this heightens the umami and fragrance. However, if cooked too long, the ingredients lose umami and the texture becomes dry.
Achieving that fine balance of precision timing and perfect temperature to bring out the correct amount of moisture, umami and fragrance is why Tsuchisaka maintains a consequent two-star rating, twelvemonth on year.
"I fry the food in front of the guests and serve it right abroad. When they consume, the flavour of the oil, the flavour of the ingredients and its umami will harmonise in the mouth."
The other reason he prefers to cook in front of his patrons is to put on a show and give them a fully immersive dining feel.
"I desire all the guests in this eating house to pay attending to me. The counter is similar a stage. I want them to run into how I cook and experience my performance," he enthused.
The true essence in tempura boils down to the ingredients that Tsuchisaka uses. One of his favourite fishes to cook is pond smelt.
"I am from Shiga prefecture and there's a lake chosen Biwa. In the winter, we grab pond smelt which is a tasty fish. When I make tempura with pond smelt, it's fried equally if it is swimming in the air. I think this is very unique," he said.
Tsuchisaka'southward road to success was non without its own set of difficulties. As a teen, he worked for a fishmonger and adult a vast cognition of seafood. During that fourth dimension, he met a sushi chef who impressed him with his knife skills, and that was when Tsuchisaka heard his calling to become a chef. However, his father was worried that his son would fail and disapproved of his ambitions.
Luckily, Tsuchisaka's mother supported his dreams and encouraged him to enrol at Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka after finishing loftier school. "When I left home, my begetter told me that if you get now, do not ever come dorsum to this house. He threw away my rice basin, chopsticks and daybed. When I look back now, I tin say I did not give up and survived my training period. It was considering of what he did to me. I have to admit that I really appreciate my father," he confessed.
Tsuchisaka opened Shunsaiten Tsuchiya 12 years ago and despite its popularity, he doesn't have plans to open up another restaurant. "My principle is non to expand my business just rather, keep it compact and with good service. I want our guests to honey this restaurant, and in gild to do that, I want to ameliorate my skills to better serve the guests," he concluded.
Adapted from the series Remarkable Living. Lookout full episodes on CNA, every Dominicus at eight.30pm.
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/remarkableliving/michelin-star-restaurants-osaka-japan-177081
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