Kitashinchi Kushi Katsu Bon

Secreted away on the basement floor in one of Osaka’s busiest entertainment strips, Kitashinchi Kushi Katsu Bon’s unassuming facade belies its reputation as one of the city’s most lustrous kushikatsu restaurants. It’s here that head chef Otani Kenji, who’s been manning the fryers at some of Osaka’s most celebrated kushikatsu venues for 30 years, casts aside traditional notions in favor of an appetite for luxury. He takes bold risks with premium ingredients in his multi-skewer degustation. Brand-name pork is coated in a fantastically light golden batter and topped with shavings of black truffle. Kombu kelp is fried with Pacific herring roe, then crowned with glossy uni and caviar. The store’s signature crunch is owed to the unique oil combination, which is a mix of lard and cottonseed oil that lends an extra but subtle layer of flavor. This is just the beginning. Otani’s masterclass of a course may include kue (longtooth grouper), an unsightly but highly coveted fish known for its ultra-tender white flesh, and a skewer wrapped in Jamon Iberico or topped with foie gras from Hungary. More intricate preparations, like a seafood special featuring fish, shrimp and scallop-cheese paste wrapped in perilla leaves and tofu skin, add complexity to the experience. The space is tight, with just enough European bones to make the vibe dark and intimate. The L-shaped counter faces the restaurant’s shielded copper fryer filled with bubbling-hot oil. Diners are treated to a front-row view of Otani’s skilled hands, seemingly instinctively knowing when to pull each skewer for a perfectly crispy crust, all while maintaining the temperamental oil temperature. The skewered morsels are served in specially ordered Arita ware, and even the pans are honed from copper. Now a near-permanent fixture in the Michelin Guide since earning its first star in 2010, Kushi Katsu Bon’s reputation continues to move. And with the restaurant’s most recent expansion in Paris, it’s clear that the only direction is up.