Osaka Miami — Restaurant in Miami

Okay, prepare for the long haul guys! I can just rave rave rave about this restaurant all day. In Miami for the weekend, and walked in for an early seating on a Thursday evening.

We were sat at a quaint table with a gorgeous view of the bar — well organized and gorgeously lit. Our server was named Ana Maria, and she truly may have been the highlight of our night. Exceptionally personable, friendly, knowledgeable AND passionate about the menu — she was a pleasure to have and I looked forward to seeing her sunny smile every time she beckoned with more dishes.

I am a vegetarian, my partner not, and we both enjoyed a thoughtfully curated menu designed to appeal to both our palates. His personal favorites are the foie gras/tuna, which was rich and buttery with a melt-in-mouth texture. Also the miso lobster as well. He likes really soft, tender things I guess. Like me ;) Anyways, I the veggie-tarian, had so MANY great items that really spoke to the passion and dedication of the kitchen team to creating culinary delights for alternate diets.

We started off strong with a satsuma brasa, which immediately burst in my mouth upon biting with a deliciously pebbly texture. Followed by a delicious maldon salt and lemon zest, it was in my top 2 and I quietly debated ordering another one through the night. I also liked the avocado version of this, with charred avocado and an almond chili crisp. That one packed a real umami punch, complemented well by the heat of the chili, the pungency of the garlic, the crunch of the minced almond. I also liked the fried cauliflower - the sauce was springy, with good mouthfeel. This is the one dish I ordered 2x.

Dessert was well split between a caramelized apple, nut brittle, sesame ice cream (“decadent”, he says) ? The other was a creamy sorbet type dish with kumquats and a nutty tuille. It was a good combination of warm and cold, familiar another newly inviting, and also a really good textural experience. All of our items were very consciously crafted to maximize textural nuance, I noticed that. Drinks for this evening were a delicious, refreshing sake with notes of elderflower and melon on the back end, and I had a Honey Cha, which was poured over a shaved ice, and so gorgeous and light every time I took a sip. It held its own even as it got warm, and was just a really well balanced, calming cocktail.

Ambiance, service, and food completely exceeded expectations across the board. Thanks to the hardworking team at Osaka, who know how to successfully execute both vision...

Is it ever too early to tuck into a bowl of ceviche? Not for us, and that’s especially true when brunching at Osaka in Brickell. The Nikkei hot spot’s recently launched weekend menu combines raw Peruvian signatures—think tiraditos, ceviches and nigiris—with Japanese Izakaya and a couple of reimagined breakfast classics. It’s the best of lunch and dinner at Osaka with something memorable for the brunch purists who need eggs and pancakes to lure them out of bed on a Sunday morning.

You’ll find the ubiquitous Avocado Toast, though it’s almost unrecognizable in its deconstructed, Benedict-inspired form: a single haas is halved, charred a la brasa, topped with two poached eggs and drizzled with aji hollandaise sauce. It’s served with slices of grilled multigrain bread, which you’ll want to use to carefully poke the yolk and sop up the runny, orangey mess. There’s something to be said about putting the toast on the side. It held up through multiple rounds of pictures (Can you blame us?) and stayed every bit as crunchy as when it first landed on the table. Like your bread on the softer side? The Coco Matcha French Toast with yuzu custard and a matcha cornflake crumble might be more your speed. It straddles the line between entree and dessert but can go both ways depending on how much miso toffee syrup you pour over the top. Us? We emptied the beaker but still managed to move past the sweetness of this midcourse.

A smattering of shareable favorites followed: a Chicharrón Bao set you assemble and dress yourself with shiso chalaquita salad, rocoto sauce, sea salt, crisp romaine lettuce and pillowy bao buns. Plus an order of the Wagyu Sliders, featuring a foie gras crust and a truffled aji amarillo emulsion. Calling these indulgent would be the understatement of the century—they’re tiny but so rich in texture and flavor. A mound of crispy Peruvian potatoes accompanied them because you can’t have a burger without a side of fries.

Like any good brunch worth its weight, Osaka’s features a bottomless drink option that includes your choice of wines (white, rosé, red and sparkling), sangrias (white, red and an on-theme sake variety) and a Spicy Bloody Mary garnished cucumber ribbons and a pickled ‘shroom. Additional cocktails are available from the regular drink menu and sold á la carte. Whether it’s your first time at Osaka or your tenth, brunch is the move if you’re looking to elevate your usual...

Osaka is like a masterclass in maximizing the creative potential of fusion cuisine. The dishes and cocktails are Peruvian-Japanese inspired and all an exciting experience in themselves. Our group of 6 went to Osaka with an open mind ready to try anything - our server Daniel made our experience, taking the time to personally curate a sampling of many of the highlights from Osaka. Essentially like a hand-picked omakase experience. He was thoughtful, attentive, and funny and gave us all the information on everything presented, checking in to see how we liked the various things chosen. Definitely want to recognize him for his service as he made our first-time experience exceptional!

Some of the highlights of the food (that I can remember to describe accurately, at least!) included a tartare dish served on squid ink-infused nori crackers and sprinkled with gold leaf (the first dish chosen and a true show-stopper), the Japanese scallop nigiri (simple but incredibly flavorful and seared at our table), the Wagyu beef and crispy shrimp rolls topped with foie gras (also freshly seared at our table), the Japanese beef prepared table-side with quail eggs and a foie gras topping, the raw wagyu served with a hot stone for table-side searing along with a delicious side of crispy potatoes, and a very buttery soft fish dish (I think the black cod?).

Aside from how delicious and fresh the food was, the presentation and preparation was a huge part of the experience. Many things as mentioned were seared at the table, prepared table-side, or allowed us to freshly cook our food. Also adding to the experience was the art of the cocktail presentation. Many of the cocktail were served very beautifully and they had exceptional flavor. Our party ordered their version of the Negroni that came presented in a smoking box. A couple of us also had the cocktail that had green tea/matcha (I don't remember the name :/) and it was also beautifully presented as a pour-over in a small bowl with crushed ice. Aside from presentation, both cocktails had expertly balanced flavors and definitely tasted as good as they looked. Osaka overall is an incredible experience and highly recommend! And a big thank you again to Daniel for being a big part making our...