kuroda
JR, subway, Kintetsu, and other train lines converge at the major terminal in southern Osaka, the Tennoji/Abeno area. Located on the north side of the 4th floor restaurant street (Q's dining) of the large commercial facility Abeno Q's Mall, a new yakiniku restaurant opened on April 18, 2018. This restaurant took over the spot previously occupied by "Sumibi Wakura." I stumbled upon it during a late arrival for work, looking for lunch in this restaurant street. I decided to check it out. The restaurant has about 100 seats with tables that incorporate smokeless roasters. I was guided to a table for four by the staff. Since it was close to noon and I was running late, I opted for the cheapest yakiniku lunch (980 yen excluding tax) from the four lunch menu options. I chose a medium portion of rice, as they do not offer rice refills. I declined the drink offer as I had to head to work soon. However, they later brought me a glass of water. After a short wait, the set meal was served. The tray included plates of meat, six side dishes such as kimchi and namul, seaweed soup, and rice. The meat plate had sliced pork belly and loin, along with onion rings, bell peppers, pumpkin, and sausages. The loin had less fat and was cut quite thick. I started by trying the kimchi, namul, and rice. The namul had good flavor, but the rice was a bit dry. Once the meat was cooked, I dipped it in one of the two sauces, which turned out to be a soy sauce-based sauce. The soy sauce complemented the fatty pork belly well. Eating this with rice made the dry rice more enjoyable. The loin, on the other hand, was thick but the meat quality was average. The other sauce turned out to be vinegar, which seemed unnecessary. The variety of side dishes, including namul and grilled vegetables, provided a balanced meal. The seaweed soup was decent as well. Despite the meat quality, the portion size and variety make the meal good value for money. The restaurant is operated by a young company called C.P Dining, which has already opened 15 stores mainly in Osaka in less than 7 years since its establishment. Looking forward to what they have in store for the future.