Osaka Hotel Has Visitors Sipping Dashi for ‘Afternoon Tea’

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:00 JST, May 30, 2023

OSAKA — In the pandemic-stricken hotel industry, many lodgings across the country have become locked in a battle of afternoon tea services, as they seek to capitalize on a recent boom in this British tradition.

The hotel OMO7 Osaka by Hoshino Resorts, in Naniwa Ward, Osaka, has put its own twist on such services, replacing the tea with dashi broth made from ingredients such as kelp and dried bonito flakes. This unique offering, which highlights the importance of dashi in Osaka’s food culture, has been well-received by visitors amid the growing popularity of afternoon tea at hotels and other dining establishments.

In the hotel’s service, staff certified as dashi sommeliers prepare the dashi, which is served in pots. Also included is 10 kinds of sweet and savory delicacies, including dashi infused chocolate truffles and rolled dashi omelets sandwiched between hamburger buns. Up to three groups will be served daily through the end of May, at a price of ¥5,500 per person, tax included.

“It was a new experience for me to enjoy dashi as a drink,” said a 66-year-old woman from Ikoma, Nara Prefecture. “The aroma of the broth was soothing and made me feel as if I had visited my parents’ house.”