Kushiage 010 was born from a partnership forged over decades. Owner Kentaro Murakami first crossed paths with Chef Nobuo Masada at age nineteen, both working in the same Italian-leaning kitchen. Years later, Murakami found success running izakayas, while Masada built an extraordinary career spanning Western cuisine, steakhouse cooking, Italian restaurants, and eventually his own European-style teppanyaki restaurant. In 2016, when Masada was 61 years old, Murakami brought him in as chef and partner to open kushiage 010 together. The question they set out to answer: what would kushiage look like if it drew freely from every cuisine both of them had spent their lives mastering?
The answer became kushiage 010. Osaka is famous for kushiage, the tradition of skewering individual ingredients, coating them in breadcrumbs, and deep-frying them to order. Conventionally, that means sauce, a communal dip, and the famous no double-dipping rule. At kushiage 010, the form remains but the ambition expands dramatically. The owner thinks of every single skewer as its own dish, its own plate. The sauce might be Japanese miso, a Western balsamic reduction, or a Chinese-inspired spice blend. The ingredient, the cut, and the precise frying time are all chosen around that one piece. One skewer. One dish. Every time.
Chef Masada, whom Murakami describes as both a father figure and the backbone of the entire team, brings a lifetime of Western culinary discipline to every skewer, attending to each millimeter and gram with exacting care. The kitchen uses a special original blend of frying oil based on rice oil, chosen for its clean, light finish that lets the natural flavor of each ingredient come through without heaviness. The result is kushiage that feels as good as it tastes.
The menu at kushiage 010 is a genuine journey. Seasonal ingredients that capture the essence of Japan's four seasons form the backbone of the kushiage selection. Ten different vegetable skewers showcase the range and creativity of the kitchen alongside the meat and seafood offerings. A closing dish and desserts bring each meal to a considered, satisfying end. The setting is stylish and designed to match the level of the food, making kushiage 010 as much a destination for a special evening as it is for a spontaneous dinner after work.
For the U.S. debut, the restaurant brings its signature approach to American diners, including the beloved Camembert Cheese Kushiage, a crowd favorite that pairs the richness of melted cheese with the fragrance of perfectly crisped breadcrumbs, alongside a selection that demonstrates the full range of the kitchen's culinary imagination.
kushiage 010 joins YUU Japanese Food Hall, the latest stop on an owner's ongoing mission to share Japanese food culture with the world. This is Osaka soul, expressed through a globally curious kitchen, and it is finally here for U.S. food lovers to experience.
