Osaka Ohsho (Closed)

There was a gyoza specialty store in Westgate. Whenever I walked pass this restaurant, I always can smell the pan frying of gyoza.It was early evening and there was no queue. I went in to order the 1 dozen gyoza. The wait for the gyoza was quite long about 15 minutes to be ready.The suace for the gyoza was quite strange, there was no vinegar or ginger provided or available. The only available sauce was their special soya sauce. I liked their special soya sauce. It tasted mild salty and oily, with some sweetness and spiciness. Seems like all in one sauce. The gyoza smell and tasted very good, crispy on the outside and piping hot, juicy minced meat inside. It did not have an oily mouthfeel. I liked the minced meat inside, there was some ginger mixed with the minced meat fillings and there was sweetness in the meat.After eating the gyoza, my whole body and clothing smelt of pan fried gyoza. Hopefully, the restaurant can improved on their ventilation.  continue reading

As recommended by a friend, I came here to try their fried gyoza which I supposed they are famous for as their set meals mostly come with a plate of gyoza. Their fried rice set with gyoza costs $12.90++. The fried rice was pretty flavourful and not lumpy. Rice was well-cooked. Gyokai ramen set $11.90++: The soup was light-tasting but not bland and the meat was tender but fats did not have the melt-in-the-mouth texture. The gyoza was somehow disappointing, coming from a restaurant that specializes in handmade dumplings. The dominant taste was salty and fillings resembled that of meat paste. They were very moist too and had some gravy in it. continue reading

We heard many ravings about this restaurant specialty - gyozas. We decided to check out the restaurant for our dinner. The restaurant ordering is streamlined by a self-serviced iPad-based menu system which we think is great especially during peak hours.My hubby ordered a Chicken Tenshin Han ($13.90). It was very appealing & delicious! The scrambled egg was very fluffy. Inside the egg were the pearly grains of rice & diced chicken bits. It goes very well with the thick brown sauce. I ordered a set meal with rice & stir fry bringal. The bringal were stir fry in some dark sauce which is very flavourful & appetizing. I guess most or all of their set meals comes with gyozas (a plate of 6). The gyoza's skin was much thinner than most gyoza we have tried. They were slightly pan fried with fillings of cabbage, ginger, garlic & pork.  It was soft & easily disintegrated in our mouths. It was pretty delicious & additive. Overall, we had a fine dinning experience though we find the food a bit salty to our taste buds. Coming back again? Well, maybe not so soon unless I got the cravings for gyozas. continue reading

'The King of Gyoza in Osaka' - that's what the name "Osaka Ohsho" translates to. With such a title, one is naturally tempted to check it out and find out if it lives up to its name as a "gyoza specialist".The exterior of the outlet is dressed in a classic display of black, with two display counters outside showcasing colourful models of the food. Upon closer peek into the interior, we were glad to find that it didn't look as intimidating as we had expected of a "king". The environment and ambience are casual enough for anyone and everyone from all walks of life to enjoy a nice meal in.We went on a weekend at lunch time and the place was crowded. Fortunately, a seat was available so we were seated pretty much quickly. There is a tablet on the table where you can key in and submit your order to the kitchen for processing. Quite an easy and fuss-free way to order especially during peak hours. But even with the crowd, the service is prompt and the staff are courteous and attentive. We had a few queries about some of the dishes on their menu and the guy who attended to us was patient and responsive, so much that we kind of felt bad for 'bothering' him. Gotta give the guy a cooki... er, gyoza for service!Fried Chicken with Tartar Sauce Set ($13.90) The set comes with a main plate of fried chicken with tartar sauce, a bowl of rice as well as 3 of their signature gyoza and a bowl of soothing egg soup. Not too bad a value for the price of $13.90. The fried chicken is not as crispy as we would have liked, but the chicken pieces are well-marinated and very succulent. The tasty pieces are simply a total delight to eat with the generous portion of creamy, sweet and tangy tartar sauce, which is so good that I even used it to dip a few of the gyoza with! It was a sad day for us to find the portion of the chicken given to be a tad too little to share between us, heh. Fuwatoro Chicken Tenshin Han Set ($13.90) This perfect combination of sticky and fluffy Koshihikari rice generously doused with a velvety smooth and lightly savoury gravy, and then blanketed with a thick, soft and fluffy omelette is one dish not to be missed if you are at Osaka Ohsho. Despite being drenched in the gravy, the rice remained firm and not soggy. The chopped fried chicken bits inside add a bit of texture to the rice, but frankly I'd have preferred to get it without the chicken just to savour the smooth, velvety texture of rice, gravy and egg! I was initially intimidated by the generous portion of rice at first glance, but I simply couldn't stop popping in mouthful after mouthful of this addictive dish that simply hits the spot on every bite. The amazing, heartwarming Fuwatoro Tenshin Han is a definite must-try! Gyoza ($3.90 for 6, $7.80 for 12)Surely the highlight of the meal! It'd be a sin to visit the "King of Gyoza in Osaka" and not try their gyoza which they are renowned for. Although the sets also come with gyoza, you simply can't get enough of these handmade dumplings that are skilfully grilled to golden brown perfection with a delicious crisp on the outside and a moist, tender inside. The skin, made of their own special wonton wrapper, is delicate but sturdy enough to hold the filling without breaking apart too easily upon picking up with the chopsticks, while the filling, with a combination of cabbage, ginger, garlic and finely minced pork, is juicy, flavourful and succulent. Highly recommended!Houji Cha (Hot & Cold) ($1.00 each) There's nothing like a cup of steaming hot tea after a filling meal. Light and mild with a very slight roasted flavour, the Houji tea complements the flavourful meals well. I like the hot tea better over the cold version, as the ice will dilute the flavour of the already mild tasting tea. Plus there is no better way to end a heartwarming meal, like the Tenshin Han, with a warming cup of tea!Overall, there is not a dish we ordered here that we didn't like (although some might find the Houji Cha a tad bland) and we find their other dishes like the Fried Chicken with Tartar sauce to be quite tasty as well. But the ones that stand out the most are the Fuwatoro Tenshin Han and Gyoza. The Fuwatoro Tenshin Han, in particular, is the most memorable for me and I can't wait for the next time to savour it again, with the gyoza of course! The pricing of the food here is quite reasonable for a Japanese restaurant and the set meals, which usually come with gyoza as well, are quite worth it, though you may find yourself wanting more, in which case, the gyoza are at a rather affordable price of just $3.90 for 6 or $7.80 for 12!It'd be a pity not to check out this king at least once if you are a fan of Japanese food and gyoza. Osaka Ohsho is certainly deserving of its title! continue reading

The restaurant name Osaka Ohsho, is literally translated to 'The King of Gyoza in Osaka'. We came across this chain of restaurant when we visited Japan but were not in time to try it. As the restaurant name suggests, gyoza is their signature dish. The bottom of the gyoza was pan fried to golden brown crisp while remain tender on the top (the photo shows the crisp-bottom facing up). The succulent fillings were made up of cabbage, ginger, garlic and pork.This is Fuwatoro Chicken Tenshin Han. Despite its ordinary look, it is actually very tasty! The egg layer on top was thick and fluffy and the rice was soaked in savory broth. We sprinkled some chilli powder on top to spice up the dish!  continue reading