Late Night in Dotonbori
Thanks to numerous delays on our flight, we arrived to our hotel in Osaka around midnight. That didn’t leave too many options for food. I should have taken into account the long train ride from the airport. It was close to an hour on the express. Still it would have been late and I was starving. So where else to go but to Dotonbori, a food and nightlife spot I love.
By this time, shops were closing and people were staggering the streets finding something to quell their buzz. That came in the form of takoyaki which we lined up for. It’s always an refreshing being the sober ones now and then. But don’t get me wrong, if we arrived earlier, we would be the ones having trouble ordering and ignoring the signs saying seating was closed inside. Ah, looking in the mirror can be quite revealing.
After getting something in our stomachs we searched for a sit down and eat sort of place.
Around the corner we found a local late night sushi shop. It was pretty busy but we secured our seats at the bar. In fact, I think those were the only seats. No plates or fancy hosts. This was a local cigarette smoke filled shop people go to for continued libations. It was a block away from the main streets of Dotonbori and thankfully, they had an English menu. Though we did do some point and order from their case of fish. I still need to get the names of some of the fish. It was fun nonetheless. The atmosphere was lively. Everyone had some level on inebriation in them. And it wasn’t long until I got my beer. What can I say, I’m on vacation!
Sushikame
2-7-16 Higashishinsaibashi Chuo-ku
Osaka, Japan
Verdict: You must visit Dotonbori, you’ll have plenty of good food available. The sushi place I’d pass on, unless nothing else is open.
Fresh and creamy with a clean finish. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were from Hokkaido. It has that characteristic and I’m sure that’s where most places get their sea urchin these days. Wished they spooned on more. My portion looked pretty stingy.
Who doesn’t love toro? I sure love it. Not the highest grade here, though I wouldn’t expect them to. It’s still good and the appear to make up for it with a large cut. Oh, this turned the night around for me. Flight delays? Meh, it happens.
This was one of the fish I ordered from the case. I want to say it’s kohada. In the case, it had that glistening silver skin. But when this cut didn’t have much of the skin. So I’m lost. Let me know if you can identify this fish.
The second course of sushi was grouper, nice large cuts. A fish that’s not too fishy and one I keep over looking. Good to have been reunited.
Crab meat is always welcomed in my belly. I wonder sometimes if they serve this raw. Not that it’s bad cooked. This was delicious and the serve off the counter gave us a more homey feel with the chef. Nothing pretentious, he’s here to make sure we are full and get what we want.
In between the busy streets, it’s actually quite tranquil along the canal. I only counted a handful of bars that were riverside, but for the most part, it’s pretty empty.
Osaka is well known for these octopus filled dough spheres. They come in a variety of toppings but this late at night, they just had the basic bonito flakes, ponzu, and Japanese mayo.
I remember trying the dragon ramen shop before, but tonight wasn’t a night for hot noodles.
Everything looked open, but nope, they weren’t. I think everyone walking around shared the same disappointment we had.