Main
PsiFi
Poetry
Links
Features
Film |
|
Hatena
Shinsaibashi, Osaka
Hatena is something of a paradox. It is a successful
business born out of Japan's economic downturn.
Karatthakorn Ramayananda (31) was a jewelry designer and when he saw that
the economy was not conducive to his particular business he took a decision
that any other person would consider a reckless gamble and started his
own restaurant in Shinsaibashi. One year on, the restaurant Hatena thrives.
For its successful formula it draws upon Karatthakorn’s mixed Japanese
and Thai heritage creating a menu that focuses on the Thai but takes in
a broader Asian context and an atmosphere that is trendy Namba combined
with Osaka earthiness.
Karathakorn’s brainchild uses the talents of his family too. His
artist brother Silawat provided many of the striking paintings decorating
the place, while Karatthakorn designed the interior and created the menu.
“I am not a professional”, he says with a mischievous self-depreciation
that belies the quality of the food. “I learned from watching my
grandmother. She had a restaurant in Bangkok.”
A distinguishing feature of Hatena is that unlike other Thai restaurants,
it takes its inspiration from the food sold at Thailand’s many street
stalls. “Easy to make and oishii” says Karatthakorn grinning
at the simple effectiveness of the formula. He emphasises the restaurant’s
philosophy as one of casualness over what he sees as the formality of
his competitors. The prices are accessible to most pockets, and he points
out that customers are as welcome for a beer and a snack as for a full
meal. It is a place to hang and chat with your friends. “Easy to
eat, easy to drink,” as he puts it.
He explains that Hatena means ‘no concept’; the place is what
its customers want to make of it. The beer mugs are inscribed with question
marks.
The atmosphere is suited to the mission of the restaurant: it is modern
without being pretentious; lots of beige and natural woods and cottons.
His brother's pictures on the walls are striking semi-surreal or minimal
Chagallesque constructions. One predominantly yellow creation dominates
the largest wall.
The music is modern and eclectic and not so imposing that it makes conversation
difficult, and the clientele is young and chatty. Many are regular customers.
There is live music a few times a month, anything we are told from R&B
to acapella to Hawaiian.
The food lives up to the “easy and oishii” promise. While centred
on Thai cuisine, we find also Korean chijimi, Vietnamese spring rolls,
and moyashi itame a dish of fried bean sprouts.
The most popular dishes are gaigapao, stir fried chicken and vegetables,
and tom yam ramen, ramen noodles in a thick, citrus tom yam soup. The
gaigapao is served with a pile of rice and topped with a fried egg. Its
juicy-crunchy texture is as interesting as its flavour. The tom yam ramen
comes in degrees of spiciness, from mild to scorching. State your preference
when you order.
In the winter only Hatena serves a Thai version of shabu shabu which makes
for a great party meal as well as keeping out the cold.
Drinks include Thai spirits, Thai beer, Japanese, American, and European
beers as well as the non-alcoholic.
The food prices are very competitive ranging from ¥350 for the cheapest
bowl of pickles to around 750 yen for the main dishes — each of which
is close to a meal in itself.
In the space at the centre of the experience of "no concept"
Hatena is the man Karatthakorn himself, who greets you and chats to you
engagingly but is never intrusive. He has a rare and real talent for making
one feel genuinely at home and lives out the philosophy on which Hatena
was founded: “Nothing is greater than friendship.”
Hatena is open seven days a week from 5:30
pm to 2:00 am. Telephone 06 4704 8107
This review originally appeared in Kansai Scene
Back to top
|
Main
PsiFi
Poetry
Links
Features
Film |
|
Couscous
Nara
Wondering
where to eat tonight? Do the standards - Italian, Chinese, Mexican and
the rest - suddenly seem banal? Are you getting that feeling that when
it comes to eating out you`ve been there, seen it and done it? There may
be an antidote: Go African!
For
this you need only travel to Nara or Kyoto because a trio of restaurants
called Couscous are your gateways to the dark continent. Nara is the location
tonight.
Decorated
like any run-of-the-mill cafe bar and doused in FM pop, Couscous seems
an unlikely spot for a culinary adventure but the eclectic menu roams
from Egypt to Tanzania, South Africa to Morocco and ranges from the familiar
to the exotic to the mildly eccentric. Falafel, samozas and couscous are
known to us. More intriging are the whitefish smothered in crushed grilled
almond and the Ethiopian curry. More curious are the grilled Kangaroo
(not an obvious thing to eat in Africa) and the crocodile (if you listen
carefully you can hear it still tick-tocking).
Uniting
this diversity is the food`s aura of healthy eating - good news for those
of us bent on pigging our way to fitness. From opening time at 11:30 a.m.
until seven, a large variety of set meals are offered which start at 700
yen and finish at 5,000 yen for small groups.
The
true explorer may wish to forego these sometimes uninspired package tours
to rove freely in the menu which will set you back 2,500 yen to 3,000
yen without drinks. African Tusker beer is offered along with some gaudily
plumed cocktails and some - probably more authentic - spirits.
When
you have finished eating you will feel as happy as Stanley finding Livingstone
and the FM will sound like crickets in the savanna; you may wish to do
as this expedition did: sit back, light a stogie and start licking the
plates.
This
review originally appeared in Kansai Time Out
Back to top
|