A hero of Kansai gastronomy that is gaining attention

In 2018, it debuted on the "Asia's Best Restaurants" list and ranked 17th. It suddenly became a hot topic when it snatched away the ``Highest New Entry Award.'' One year later, it was ranked 1th, and in March 14, it ranked 2020th and won the "Chef's Choice Award." Chef Yusuke Takada of Rasheem has become one of the leading representatives of Kansai gastronomy, but many people still don't know that this much-talked-about person is actually a late-blooming contemplative type. After graduating from culinary school, he gained experience at several restaurants in Osaka, and was 3 years old when he first went to France to train as a chef. After he returned to Japan, he opened his own restaurant, gained two Michelin stars, and rose to prominence as one of Asia's best restaurants... Even now, he still feels like he's looking at himself from a bird's-eye view. Float.

``Of course, I'm not happy about the award I received, but I've always been based in Osaka, observing the world of gastronomy, so I have the mental capacity to jump into the glamorous world of star chefs.'' I haven’t,” he says with a shy laugh.

However, the fact that he was a bit of a late bloomer and that he started his career in the culinary world by setting up a restaurant in Osaka are undoubtedly two major factors that shaped Takada's character as a chef.

Character is to keep searching and keep changing

“My graduation from culinary school coincided with the collapse of the bubble economy.I trained for many years at several restaurants in Osaka, and then went to France to work.During that time, I learned about the ``flow'' of the culinary industry in my own way. I've been carefully observing it.While Tokyo and Paris have all kinds of restaurants and a culture of diversity, Osaka still has a rural feel to it, in a good way. Is it really delicious?'' There is a spirit of healthy eating that obediently follows the question, so there is a feeling that only strong foods become popular in Osaka and move on from one to the next.

Takada himself has changed direction three times in the 10 years since he opened the store. She did not intend to follow trends, but was driven by the thought that ``in order to express who I am now, I needed to change the specifications of the container (store).'' At times, he said, he had to make heavy decisions, thinking, ``If this doesn't work out, I can close the store.'' However, somehow I chose to take action rather than stay as I was, and the result has led me to where I am today.

There was an era of neo-bistros, and after a period with a casual Scandinavian style, the restaurant now has a classic style that embraces the past and learns from the past. Now, he has settled on a simple style that seems to have stripped everything down. However, there are signs that changes may still occur in the future, and that is Rasheem.

``It's not that one of them was a failure or a success.A lot of factors came together, and combined with my own unique characteristics and the character of the land, I got to where I am today.Now, in my 20s, Sometimes I think it's good that chefs have so many options, but even though I've matured in a complex way, I think it's not too bad.''

Since he is originally from Amami Oshima, most of the ingredients used in the restaurant's dishes come from Kyushu, such as Amami Oshima and Kagoshima. He has a great sense of photography, and on the restaurant's Instagram, his food photos taken from a unique perspective have attracted many followers. Takada's store name is a word that means "catch" in French. He is a person who chooses his words quietly and matter-of-factly, but what he is aiming for is probably something far beyond.

Yusuke Takada

Born in 1977 in Amami City, Kagoshima Prefecture. After graduating from Tsuji Culinary School, he worked at a French and Italian restaurant in Osaka before moving to France in 2007. He trained at Taillevent, Meeting, and Hotel Meurice before returning to Japan in 2009. In 2010, he opened his own store "La Cime" in Osaka. One Michelin star in 2012. In 2016, he was promoted to two stars. Ranked 2018th in Asia's Best Restaurants in 17. The following year, it rose to 14th place, and in 2020 it rose to 10th place.

La Cime
Kawaramachi Usami Building 3F, 2-15-1 Kawaramachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
06-6222-2010
12: 00-13: 00 (LO)
18:30-20:00 (LO)
Regular holidays: 1st day of the month in addition to Sundays, year-end and New Year holidays, and summer holidays
Lunch 9 items 10,000 yen
Dinner 12 items 20,000 yen
*Tax not included

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