Osamu Uchino

Osamu Uchino achieves a very delicate balance in his Perth restaurant which he describes as a "unique blend of French and Japanese cuisine." It is unique in that he rarely blends, rather he garnishes a French dish with Japanese elements. Most of his plates are classically French in style and technique. Then Osamu finds an appropriate Japanese touch or flavour which adds interest but does not spoil the dish.

He does not believe that sauces can be combined from the two cuisines, for example, soy does not work with a demi-glace or a cream sauce. But there are ingredients, such as nori, which works with a butter sauce. Shitake mushrooms, and the Japanese pepper, sansho, which is very mild, can also combine well with French flavours. It's not that Osamu dislikes Asian spices and chilli but he does not feel that they work with cream and wine flavours. "They are fine in specific dishes but are very dominating and will destroy the more subtle."

Perhaps the blending in his restaurant is more to be found in the decor of Chez Uchino. It's an elegant environment with touches of Japan combined with classic French restaurant elements. As you enter there are Japanese-style couches and literature, whilst the room divider is of wine bottles. The tablecloth is white linen set with conventional cutlery and glasses, and there's a little Japanese flowerpot and chopsticks on each setting.

A traditional dinner roll dusted with flour is served with butter balls decked with a curly parsley sprig. Osamu's experience in European hotels is evidenced in such details. He grew up in Saitama and gained an apprenticeship at the Imperial, one of the world's great hotels, in nearby Tokyo. Here he worked in the many different kitchens of the grand hotel, learning all the elements of European cuisine and service. Next he went to America and worked at the Japanese consulate in Chicago, whilst also working one night a week at a French restaurant. He says that America has some great traditional French restaurants, "you don't find restaurants like that in Australia because Australians don't like the heavy sauces of traditional French cuisine."

The young Japanese chef then went to work in London for two years, spent a year in Stockholm, another year in America then came to Melbourne where he worked at the Hilton Hotel. Osamu returned to Japan and looked at the possibilities of opening a restaurant there. His dream was to have his own business but he could not meet the costs of a set up in Tokyo. As he had enjoyed his time in Australia he decided to look here and accepted the better of two job offers from hotels, one from Brisbane and the better one, being the Sheraton Hotel in Perth. "The climate is good, ingredients are different - you have to adjust to that, but it does not cost so much. You can do more things here."

Before opening his own restaurant in 1989, Osamu had been cooking exclusively in what he describes as the 'fine dining category'. "Having my own restaurant gave me freedom to explore and develop my own style". A good example is the escargots (snails) encased in king prawns, sauteed in garlic butter with surrounding soba noodles topped with nori. It's a very clever dish encompassing known ingredients which do actually combine well. The textures and flavours work and this is now one of the most popular dishes on his menu.

But there are also a number of dishes which are unblended classics. On the French side are soups (never miso soup); steak tartare; sweetbread and mushroom ragout; crepes; panfried chicken breast with cream sauce; herb crusted rack of lamb; confit of Mount Barker duck and all the desserts are French (except for Aussie pavlova) . And on the Japanese side are sushi, tempura and teriyaki. Then there are Osamu's own creations, which come from the French camp. A special soup of beetroot and orange is bright in colour and flavour and served with some quickly sauteed Moreton Bay bug tails.

Osamu says that he creates dishes for his customers but also for himself. "I have to enjoy it too." Now he finds that some Australians have become more adventurous in their eating havits. "In 1986 (when he first came To Australia) not even the hotels had much variety, but now we can get salmon and ikura (salmon roe) from Tasmania, coral trout and dhufish locally and King George whiting from Albany."

One interesting dish Osamu does is dhufish fillets held together with cauliflower mousse and layers of potatoes, shitaki and spinach with a light butter bound shellfish sauce. This dish was not listed on the menu but explained by Osamu's partner and wife, Rico Uchino, who has an infectious enthusiasm for her husband's creations. They married just before opening their first restaurant in Cottlesloe. She is responsible for the wine list and service in the Mosman Park restaurant . Her presence out front is part of the special style of Chez Uchino. Together they chose the design on their plates which, she explains, wear our 'kokoro', the heart or soul in Japanese.

Osamu Uchin's Recipes

Marinated Tasmanian salmon served with sansho (japanese mild pepper) vinaigrette
Sea scallops wrapped with bacon grilled with red wine sauce
Green tea crepes with mandarin sauce