*** 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
I feel a little embarrassed by your comment about California rolls. Those are my favorite! But that is pretty much the main type of sushi that I grew up on.
eww dry sushi…at least some of the other stuff was decent.
Hi PE – I’ve got nothing against Cali Rolls….. it’s just not among my favorite things. Mayo in sushi……
Hi Kat – Dry rice….ewwww. This was ok, I’m hoping some of the other dishes will be up to the old standard.
I had noticed that Sushi Deli was gone, but didn’t realize that the restaurant reverted back to the predecessor! I got take-out from Sushi Deli once; they gave me the wrong order, and what I had wasn’t very good.
I’ve never gone to Osaka Kitchen because of the same assumption you had for lunch. It always looks pretty busy during lunch, but that postage stamp of a parking lot is a pain.
Sounds like dinner time is the way to go.
Never heard of Mayonnaise Shogayaki. I saw a couple recipes for Shogayaki, but no mention of the mayo. Is it (wasabi?) mayo as a condiment? Or is there a deeper integration with the mayo?
I wish they offered their more enticing dinner menu items for lunch.. Is a part 2 going to follow shortly? cheers
Hi Fred – He probably misses the type of cooking…. a friend of mine from Osaka has told me that Osaka Kitchen isn’t quite as good as before.
Hi Sandy – Yes, that parking lot….. ranks right up there with the one with Tofu House and CrabHut
Hi Jan – It probably makes it richers and more moist.
Hi Dennis – Yes, lunch is pretty uninspiring….
My iaijutsu sensei (who is from Osaka) seems to love this place. Apparently the late night chalkboard specials, as well as the specials on the wall, are quite good. It actually kind of reminds me of Noble Chef in that the “standard” dishes (California rolls here, beef and broccoli there) are mediocre to terrible, but the specialties (okonomiyaki here, chiu chow fried rice there) are quite good.
Myself, I feel like it’s overpriced for what you get, and the menu doesn’t seem to be as interesting as the previous incarnation of Osaka Kitchen.
The more I read your blog, I more I realize I know nothin’ about food in S.D. even though I spent 18 whole years there 😉 Thanks for the constant insights!
Hi G – Happy holidays to the both of you! So, are you residing in LA now? I assume so because of your recent posts.