Rene Redzepi, currently Denmark's second most famous export — behind Lego but ahead of Carlsberg — in an interview with Japan Times food columnist Robbie Swinnerton paid high compliments to the wait staff in Japan calling them "some of the best on Earth."

I was reminded of this during lunch at Ajikitcho. My server was a peach: attentive, informative, chatty, but not overbearing — she even smiled at one of my unfunny jokes. But, if I were to try and pinpoint exactly what makes the best restaurant staff the best, I think it's because of their familiarity with, and appreciation for, the food they are serving: It's not just a dish on a menu, some word soup. Rather, staff, such as the lady at Ajikitcho, know the provenance, the process and the flavors of what they are serving. They do an exemplary duty and, I should add, not for a yen extra in the form of a tip.

The main Michelin-starred Ajikitcho restaurant is located in Honmachi in Osaka, but I went a bit farther downtown, to Shinsaibashi, where they have an outpost on the rooftop of the Daimaru department store. The restaurant looks out on to a Tudor and English rose garden; at this time of year it was dreary and depressing, although I can't imagine it improves much. As there's not much to see outside, the focus is directed inward, on the restaurant and its fare — which is resolutely washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine). I was seated in an annex, minimally decorated and cordoned off with blinds made of chain mail.