大阪めんま
Located in Namba, Chuo-ku, Osaka, "Kaizoku" specializes in shellfish dishes made with fresh shellfish sourced from all over Japan. The restaurant opened in June 2014 and offers a variety of shellfish dishes such as sashimi, grilled shellfish, and ajillo. One of their signature dishes is the "Kaki no Yakan Yaki," where oysters are steamed in a large pot. As a big fan of shellfish, especially oysters, I decided to visit the restaurant after making a reservation online via Hot Pepper a week in advance.
I arrived at the restaurant, which is conveniently located near the Namba Walk B-5 exit, at 6:30 pm on a Friday. The place was about 80% full, and I had already pre-ordered the course menu when making the reservation. I opted for the "Yakan Course" which includes the signature dish along with other items. The course without drinks was priced at 2750 yen, while the one with all-you-can-drink was 4400 yen. Since I don't drink much, I chose the course without drinks and ordered a non-alcoholic "Kabosu Ginger" for 440 yen.
The course included spicy cucumber, shellfish dashimaki, shellfish ajillo, yakan yaki, grilled hamaguri, hamaguri ramen, and dessert. I visited with a friend, and except for the orange sherbet dessert, all items in the course were for two people. The dishes were all delicious, with the spicy cucumber being sweet and refreshing, the shellfish dashimaki filled with a mix of clam, scallop, and oyster, and the shellfish ajillo packed with umami flavor. The yakan yaki consisted of around 10 plump oysters, each bursting with rich flavor.
The grilled hamaguri were all substantial in size, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a light taste. The hamaguri ramen had two pieces of shellfish and a deliciously light broth with thin, curly noodles. I initially wondered if the course would be enough, but I left the restaurant feeling satisfied and full. It was a delightful dining experience!