What makes a good restaurant? It's a pretty basic question, and one that I imagine is on most people's minds, even if you aren't actively aware of it. With a new restaurant, such as EO, this question and the search for answers are more to the forefront. What it boils down to, if you'll forgive the cooking metaphor, is an enjoyable experience, comforting food and even a little inspiration.
EO, or Eloge de l’Ombre (no, I don't know what it means either), is located on the 14th floor of Abeno Harukas, Osaka's latest very tall building — the tallest in Japan if you discount the Skytree. The food is French, the atmosphere formal and the inspiration is the late Bernard Loiseau, a guiding light to many chefs, including Hiroshi Yamaguchi, head chef at the award-winning Kitano Hotel in Kobe and also owner and chef at EO.
As far as I could tell, Yamaguchi wasn't cooking the day I had lunch, although an enormous soundproof glass pane separates the diners from the kitchen. The designers have done well to obscure the fact that EO is located in a food court of sorts: Hundreds of little glass balls dangle from the ceiling and the walls are painted like a cave, as if you have entered a grotto. The restaurant wants to take you away from the hustle and bustle of coming through crowds, of elevators and escalator rides. It worked, until a child screamed for a few minutes straight somewhere beyond the entrance. Pity the poor parent, and the rather serious maitre d', who looked like he wanted to go out there and strangle the indolent.