YUNiCO

The theme is ‘Japanese Italian’: the cuisine of Italy with elements of Japan. Chef Yamamoto keeps the focus on domestic ingredients. Sea bream, conger eel and onions are sourced from Awajishima; as his roots lie in Hyogo Prefecture. Based on the idea that as long as the finished dish has an Italian flair, he will even use black seven-spice mix. The restaurant’s name is an amalgam of the first letter of Yamamoto’s name plus ‘unico’, Italian for ‘unique’. From his unique culinary sensibilities springs a cuisine like no other.

• The house name fuses Yamamoto’s initial with unico, the Italian for unique.
• The format aims for direct, simple flavours, with technique doing the heavy lifting, fritters fried one by one, and pasta reframed through Japanese ingredients.
• Counter-only room, with the cooking in full view.
• The official site posts a relocation notice, moving to Sonezakishinchi 1-11-19 (Star Building, 6F), with an April opening plan.

Ingredient and technique anchors explicitly called out on Michelin and the restaurant’s course listing:

• Japanese sea bream, grilled in a pie crust.
• Pasta, interpreted through Japanese ingredients and seasonal produce.
• Deep-fried fritters, cooked one by one to hit the moment of peak flavour.
• Kyoto black wagyu beef, shown as a grilled main-course anchor.

A one-star Italian-contemporary counter restaurant in Osaka, built around an omakase course and a close view of the cooking. The kitchen leans Italian, then threads in Japanese ingredients, with pasta treated as a vehicle for local produce.

Published course pricing: an omakase course at ¥9,900 per person, and a higher-tier omakase at ¥14,300 per person. Courses run roughly 7 to 9 dishes, from amuse through pasta, main, dessert, and coffee.

The restaurant has announced a move to a new address in Sonezakishinchi, with the current site indicating the new location in the Star Building, 6th floor.