There was a glitch at this Glitch
According to coffee aficionados, an Osaka coffee specialist, called Glitch, is supposed to serve some of the best pour-over and espresso-based coffees in town.
We headed over to the java works to get a sense of what a $33 dollar coffee looks like, better yet, what it tastes like.
The extravagant, $33 pour-over coffee is made with beans from a coffee plantation in Panama. To command this price, the beans should have been passed through the alimentary canal of a civet cat in heat, not the Canal in Panama.
The tasting notes on this pour-over coffee as they appear on the cheat sheet….
Personally, in the pantheon of coffees that I have had in my life, this one doesn’t even make the top 50.
In fact, I enjoyed a much less expensive, espresso-based, cappuccino here, made with Ethiopian beans. So the guys at Glitch know what they’re doing, but don't ask them to do it with their most expensive beans.
The location itself (above) lacks charm or warmth. Glitch is in the ground floor of a monstrously large office building. The decor is retro modern with an aural splash of vinyl records playing discordant metal rock.
Glitch is at 530-0005 Osaka, Kita Ward, Nakanoshima, 3 Chome−2. Tel: 06-4256-3066
End of the Day — On to a Charcoal Restaurant!
There are no shortages of dining options in Osaka. Or of ways to cook strange foods that appear on your plate.
Last evening, we spent two hours thrilling over grilling at Sumi No Ne Asuto, a downtown restaurant that specializes in cooking just about every course over charcoal.
This is an eight-seat sushi-style, sushi-sized, restaurant that is part theatre, part extremely delicious food.
Our chief was Toru Yamada, seen below with a platter of sardines about to be charcoaled….
I loved the attention to detail… at the start of the dinner, the eight guests were asked to pick out their own chopstick rest from a gorgeous collection which was presented as one might an elegant box of Recchiuti chocolates…. they look like fancy tiles in the photo below, but they are diminutive and meant to be used to cradle your chopsticks…
Close-up (below) of the one I chose… reminded me of the classic woodblock print, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” crafted by Japanese artist Hokusai in the mid-1830s…..
Here they are (below) just before using on a pithy, perfectly charred, piece of toro, or tuna belly.
Toru (below) prepares a silken custard flavored with seaweed and seasonings you can’t pronounce and/or never heard of. But it was tongue-clankingly thrilling.
Perfect accompaniments to the 8-course dinner are beer and/or sake, of which they have classic labels.
You want different? Delicious? Head to this boîte and tell Toru that Napaman sent you!
Sumi No Ne Asuto is near the JR Shin-Fukushima Station. You can book a table online at s.tablelog.com/en/osaka/A270. Without beverages, dinner is about 9,000 Yen, or $60 per person. A steal!
More tomorrow, as it happens…..
Jim
As you know, I have strong psychic powers. I see "food writing" in your future. It could lead to great business opportunities, great wealth and global epicurean travel adventures!