Kushin Garando
空心 伽藍堂（くうしん がらんどう）

Chef Hiroaki Osawa decided to become a chef after being inspired by his father who loved to cook,.

His journey to learn about Chinese cuisine took him to Shanghai, where he studied how to make xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). There, he realized that the Chinese cuisine he had eaten in Japan was completely different from authentic Chinese cuisine and this filled him with the desire to create Chinese dishes unlike any other. This culminated in him opening his own restaurant named “Sakechuhana Kuushin (酒中花 空心)”.

Chef Osawa’s restaurant focuses on à la carte dishes and offers creative cuisine. One of the chef’s personal memories was eating a simple yet outstanding dish of stir-fried water spinach (空心菜) in Shanghai, which left a profound impression on him and this inspired the restaurant’s name.

Chef Osawa noticed that Chinese cuisine in Japan often lacks a sense of seasonality. Thus, he decided to incorporate seasonal ingredients and move away from conventional Japanese Chinese cuisine, trying unique ideas with delicious ingredients which were not traditionally used. His vision led to the opening of his new restaurant, “Kushin Garando” (空心 伽藍堂) in 2022, and it represents the pinnacle of his culinary philosophy.

Kushin Garando is named after a hall where monks gather, and its concept is to create a space in where people can enjoy food together. The restaurant features nine counter seats and three tables, offering a lively Chinese dining experience. The renowned sommelier Masahiro Matsuoka, who won the Best Sommelier Award in the 2021 Gault & Millau guide, joined the restaurant and perfected the marriage of wine and Chinese cuisine.

The restaurant earned one Michelin star in the “Michelin Guide Kyoto/Osaka 2024”, as well as three toques in the “Gault & Millau 2024.”

Please come and enjoy the highly acclaimed Chinese cuisine which is acknowledged by all.