Osaka

La Becasse

ラ　ベカス

Honoring the teachings of Paul Bocuse, Joël Robuchon and Alain Chapel, Yoshinori Shibuya creates his own unique French cuisine with magnificent artistry. Dictated by what fresh ingredients are available on the day, he rarely puts the same dish on the menu. One of the few Relais & Châteaux names in Japan, La Becasse is treasured as a culinary gem for its excellence and creativity.

Located in the heart of Osaka’s business district, the restaurant has become an icon for fine French dining in Japan with its top-rated cuisine and service. Upon arrival, the guests are shown into the elegant, spacious dining room for their long-awaited meal. With only eight seats available each evening, reservations are hard to come by.

Named after the French word for a woodcock, or the king of wild game, La Becasse’s original cuisine is made using the best catches and harvests of the season. “Unless there is a request, we don’t offer the same dish twice,” he says. “The climate changes depending on the season, and so do the ingredients.”

Osaka-born Shibuya trained at top culinary establishments in France before opening La Becasse in his hometown in the 1990s. Thanks to the mentorship of the legendary Paul Bocuse, he learned at some of the world’s leading restaurants including Hotel Crillon, Alain Chapel and Joël Robuchon’s Jamin. “I try to do my best so that our first-time guests would want to come back to the restaurant again,” he says humbly.

Rich flavors of the seasons

From black truffles in the winter to morel mushrooms in the spring, La Becasse’s omakase menu reflects the rich flavors of the seasons. For Yoshinori Shibuya, sourcing ingredients in their best condition is the most fundamental aspect of his cuisine. Served on a collection of tasteful white crockery, every course brings flavors of the season to life.

Clam and soy bean salad is served with turnips, spinach and tomatoes. The clams are first steamed in sake for a softer texture and deeper flavor. A warm appetizer, new onions and morel mushrooms are sauteed in a rich crustacean sauce. Garnished with wasabi flowers and baby savoy, the layers of flavors fold together in your mouth.

Mushroom consommé soup is infused with great umami. The tasteful broth is made using a variety of vegetables such as shiitake mushrooms, nameko mushrooms, pied bleu (purple shimeji mushrooms), daikon radish and new burdock roots.

Sea bream ravioli is draped in a rich shallot cream sauce. The fish is wrapped in ravioli made from new potatoes. Garnished generously with black truffles, the aroma is irresistible.

The day’s main dish is roasted duck with new potatoes and mini cabbages. The flavorful sauce, made from duck stock, brings out the meat’s sweetness even more. The potatoes are garnished with more truffles and kumquats.

The dessert is a colorful plate of blancmange with seasonal fruit compote. The vibrant aroma of melon and citrus offers a refreshing finish to the beautiful meal.

INGREDIENTS
“Selecting the best ingredients is the most important step for a chef,'' says Shibuya. He chooses produce that are in season to enjoy their flavors to the fullest. He procures from select growers in Europe as well as from vendors in Osaka and nearby fishing ports. “It’s a part of a chef’s skillset to identify the highest quality ingredients.”

The excellent wine menu offers guests a chance to choose from the wide selection. The vintages come from various regions in France including Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Loire and Alsace.

CHEF

Yoshinori Shibuya

Born in Osaka in 1961, Yoshinori Shibuya built his culinary expertise at some of the top restaurants in France. After graduating from high school, he moved to Paris to learn about cooking from scratch. It was around this time he met Paul Bocuse who took the young Japanese chef under his guidance. “My life would not be the same if I hadn’t met Paul Bocuse,” he says.

After working for Bocuse for a year in Lyon, the French master chef helped Shibuya train at some of the country’s top culinary establishments including Hotel Crillon, Moulin de Mougins, Jamin, and Alain Chapel. After returning to Japan in 1990, he opened his first restaurant in Yotsubashi to demonstrate his skills he garnered under some of the world’s leading chefs. His creative approach and outstanding technique have won him praises and recognition over the years. The restaurant relocated to the current location in 2005.

“Robuchon also helped me grow as a chef. He would at times yell and make me remake entire dishes. It toughened me up mentally and professionally.”

VISION
Our mission as chefs is how delicious we can make our food, and how original it is, Shibuya says. We need to use the freshest, highest quality ingredients every single time, he adds. What’s important is that we know our ingredients well to maximize their potential. “My simple goal is to continue making great French food that is better than what I made previously, and have the guests tell me that it was delicious.”

TRUFFLES

For Shibuya, sourcing the best seasonal ingredients is a crucial process in ensuring the quality of his cuisine. During the black truffle season in France, Shibuya orders them in bulk and uses them generously in his cuisine. If you use them in small quantities, you can never enjoy its full flavor and aroma, he says.

The magpie mushrooms come from Turkey. He also orders these in bulk at the height of the season and uses them up quickly while they are fresh. The same goes for asparagus which goes well with lamb and veal. I’m constantly thinking about what ingredients are in the best condition now, and where we can get them, the chef says.