Beautiful Presentation, Excellent Taste: A Review of Osaka Santiago
The elegance of Osaka was matched by the care in producing great food and drinks. Photo by: Evan berman
Every time I go on a trip, I make sure to have at least one nice meal to celebrate. Yesterday, I wrote about our time in Santiago and how we had several great meals and drinks. That being said, the Peruvian-Japanese restaurant Osaka stood out from the rest. Here’s the review (spoiler alert, it was fantastic and I recommend that you go!)
This tasty review is a part of the larger South American Adventure. For more on this trip, follow these links:
Flight: CHS-JFK in Delta Comfort+
Flight: JFK-SCL in LATAM Economy+
Osaka Santiago, Chile Restaurant Review (This Article)
Flight: SCL-AEP in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
Flight: AEP-FTE in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
Trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentine Patagonia
36 Hours in El Calafate, Argentina
Flight: FTE-USH in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
Flight: USH-AEP in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
2 Days in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Flight: AEP-SCL in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
Flight: SCL-MIA in LATAM Business Class
Hyatt Place Ft. Lauderdale/Plantation
Flight: FLL-CHS in Silver Airways Economy Class
Presentation:
Osaka is located near the financial district on a relatively quiet street. Before ordering, our waiter introduced himself and brought a basket with two warm towels for our hands. After a long day, this was a pleasant and relaxing sensation! The plates and silverware were all ornate and gave a strong Oriental feel to the restaurant.
Food:
We had some small bites at the wine bar before heading over to the restaurant, but our appetites remained unspoiled. We opted to order several plates and share everything.
- First up, we had the NIKU: Torched Angus ribeye, foie kabayaki, Maldon salt, lime. This was impressive visually– the waiter brings the raw meat to the table and, using a butane torch, torches the ribeye for roughly 5 seconds in front of you then presents the cooked dish.
- Our second appetizer was the NIKU TARTAR: Angus beef, miso cured foie, Nikkei yakiniku sauce, and rice crackers. This was my favorite dish of all. The presentation was exquisite (minus the charging phone in the picture) 😉 and the taste was even better. I’m fond of ordering tartar dishes whenever I see one because they are rare enough (no pun intended) that if it’s listed, you can bet the dish will be delicious.
- Our first main course arrived shortly after the beef tartare. We ordered a special they had which was octopus, sashimi catch of the day, and zucchini in a lovely tomato-based sauce. The peppers were mildly spicy, adding a terrific kick to the meal. The peppercorn was more for decoration than taste, as they were not very spicy. The charred octopus was the star of this dish, but the fish was quite fresh and flavorful as well.
- The final dish we ordered was the ASADO GYŪDON– Braised short rib, pachamanca rice stone pot, crispy sweet potatoes, pickles, and shallots. The seasonings and rub was molasses-based and added a touch of sweetness while staying true to the tender melt-in-your-mouth short rib. By this time, we were both full but enjoying the meal. While this dish was heartier than most, we left without a trace of sluggishness that is often common when eating food of poorer quality.
Drinks:
To drink, I ordered the AKA SOUR: Cardamom pisco sour and hibiscus with malbec ice cubes. It was one of the better drinks I’ve had in a long time. Pisco sour is almost always good, but the cardamom pairing was excellent. Additionally, as the ice cube melted- unlike the normal water dilution that occurs- Malbec flooded the drink with its flavor.
Austin ordered the Ginger Mojito and it was decent. The presentation was exceptional, but the flavor was rather bland, excluding the fresh mint. My recommendation? Get the AKA SOUR!
A close-up of the Malbec ice cube after finishing the drink:
Final Thoughts:
We set out to enjoy a nice meal at Osaka and certainly did! The AKA SOUR was an exceptional drink and we were impressed by all of the dishes, the tartare and torched ribeye in particular. Osaka is not cheap, but you’ll get great value for the price. I would recommend you visit this restaurant when you have the chance– there are locations in Lima, Buenos Aires, Santiago, São Paulo, Quito, Bogatá, Miami, and Punta del Este.
I have to share this picture, I thought it hilarious that Weber Grills Chile is located across the street from Osaka!
Price: 128,260 pesos ($136.61, $78.31 per person)
Points: 137 MR Points (unfortunately, this coded as “Merchandise & Supplies” not restaurant so I earned 1x Membership Rewards Points per $1 rather than the expected 4x using my AmEx Gold Card.)
That’s all for Osaka and Santiago. Next up: the incredible beauty of Patagonia!
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