Mokolen
I’ve been wanting to try Wabisuke for so long! The Namba location always has a long line during lunchtime, but I heard that the Shinsaibashi location is a hidden gem where you can even make reservations. So, I finally made my long-awaited first visit! However, since I’m not great with maps, it took me a bit of effort to find the place. The restaurant is located down a small alley in the Shinsaibashi-suji shopping street.
Inside, there are about 8-10 counter seats, and it feels a bit cramped behind the seating. It’s more of a place to quickly grab a meal or have a drink rather than relax. The 11:30 reservation slot was fully booked! If you miss it, seats usually become available around 12:10, so making a reservation is recommended. The clientele is quite diverse, including couples in their 20s, salarymen, and housewives in their 40s.
I ordered the ‘nikudashi-maki’ (meat rolled omelet), which seems to be what 90% of the customers order. Other menu items include fried chicken, meat tofu, chicken nanban, horse mackerel fry, ginger pork, and a beer set meal (where white rice is paired with beer). Each meal comes with three types of daily side dishes, sashimi, white rice, and pork soup, all for an incredible price of just 800 yen!
The staff member managed everything alone and the food came out in about 10 minutes. First impression: the portions were smaller than I expected. A man might need two servings! Nevertheless, each dish had a homemade feel and a comforting taste, like the warmth of home-cooked meals. Interestingly, the server looked quite tough with tattoos, but he was really nice!
I first enjoyed half of the nikudashi-maki as it was, then poured the other half over rice, added some shichimi spice, and it was amazing! The deliciousness was off the charts. Although the overall portion size may not seem large, the satisfaction from the meal was quite high. The side dish called champloo might have been my favorite. It seems that the set meals are only available during the day, but oddly enough, I think the beer set meal is the best deal.