*** Sorry to say Osaka Kitchen has closed once again
I nearly caused a major pile-up on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard….. while heading East, I took a quick glance at the strip mall right before Shogun Kobe, which includes Suzuya, and had to do a double take!
Was Osaka Kitchen really back? Had the Sushi Deli empire been pushed back to Hillcrest and the Gaslamp? I made a U-turn, and saw for myself. First thought thru my cabeza, "wow, this is great!" Second thought, "you dork, why didn't you notice this before?"
That evening I coerced the Missus into grabbing a quick bite at Osaka Kitchen. I noticed that menu had changed a bit…. long gone were the Izakaya type dishes. This menu was much more abbreviated, though many of the better items like the Menchi Katsu, Omurice, Mayonnaise Shogayaki (Mayo Ginger Pork) were still on the menu.
For some reason, the Missus ordered stuff from the Sushi Menu…. and even though I warned Her, "I think these are items left over from the Sushi Deli menu……" She still ordered it. The Hamachi Hand Roll ($2.90) and the Salmon Skin Hand Roll ($2.50):
In a single word; yuck….. I'm still trying to erase this from my memory, as is the Missus.
I wasn't very hungry either, and went with the Beef Curry Udon ($7.75):
This was not bad….. a bit thinner than I remembered, and perhaps saltier. But there was still some nice heat, even with the curry flavor watered down a tad. The beef was tough. I always enjoyed the Udon noodles here, they always were cooked well….nice stretch, decent bite. And it did a decent job of hitting the spot on a cold night.
I had noticed the specials on the wall, Sujinegiyaki (beef -green onion okonomiyaki), and a few other items. So I returned for lunch. Apparently, I hadn't been paying much attention on my previous visit, as I found, that just like their previous incarnation, Osaka Kitchen is basically a Teriyaki – Rice Bowl kind of place for lunch. Still, I'd be happy with some Chicken Karaage. Until I was waylaid by the very nice and peppy Server, who put this in front of me:
And I'm not sure what happened, but I ordered the December special ($6.50):
Granted, this was a lot of food, and without a doubt worth $6.50. But mass produced gyoza! I've never been a fan of the heavy mayo salad dressing that Osaka Kitchen serves. And I couldn't remember the last time I had a California Roll….. The rice was on the dry side, and the vegetable tempura was terribly bland as was the tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce), though it was served hot. The shrimp tempura was nice, and the flavor brought back memories of what Mom used to make. The batter was fine, a medium-heavy tempura batter.
The teriyaki pork was okay, a bit on the tough side, but edible. This teriyaki sauce is slightly heavier on the ginger, and not as sweet as many. Which is something I kind of enjoy. It does seem as if Osaka Kitchen was not quite the restaurant it used to be. But I was determined….. next time, it's Mayonnaise Shogayaki, or some similar fascimile or bust!!
Osaka Kitchen
5447 Kearny Villa Road
San Diego, CA 92123
Lunch:
Monday – Friday 11am – 2pm
Dinner:
Monday – Saturday 530pm – 10pm
Closed on Sundays