I was only in Osaka for a short time and I’d headed out of my hotel on my final evening with the intention of having Okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancake) but the place I intended to eat at was fully booked so I started wandering around the Kita-ku area and found a place serving kushikatsu which is deep fried skewered crumbed meat and vegetables – think fried yakitori. I’d not tried Kushikatsu so I thought, why not.
Kushikatsu Daruma, Kitashinchi, Osaka, Japan
I walked in and it was busy and was sat down at the counter. Thankfully there was an English menu but still needed help from my waitress with the specials.
There was a Suntory beer I hadn’t tried before so I quickly ordered one. It was a The Premium Malt’s Master’s Dream and it was a pretty good beer. As the name suggests it is malty.
I studied the menu and started off with some simple chicken and beef skewers which are freshly cooked for you. I then went on to some fried onions followed by some of the specials including Ham and Cheese balls, and deep fried crumbed mozeralla.
On the counter in front of you is a tub of miso sauce so you can control how little, or how much, sauce you want on your dishes. The menu had a full page devoted to telling westerners in both words and pictures not to double dunk their food in the sauce – but I still hope they throw out the remains of the sauce when the guest leaves!
By the end I had consumed 18 various skewers which all tasted great although they were a little bit oily (as is to be expected for deep fried food).
I’d definitely have kushikatsu, and eat at Kushikatsu Daruma, again in the future.