Restaurant Discovery: Osaka Ohsho

There are only a few times when I am willing to wait for a table when I'm hungry... when I traveled far just to get there, it's a new place, or there's a long line and it made me VERY curious. And last Saturday, it was because of the last two reasons.

We noticed a long line in front of a restaurant I haven't seen before. It looks... Japanese. And true enough, it's a restaurant that claims to serve the number one gyoza. It's Osaka Ohsho. I asked how many people are in line and there were a party of 12 before us. Yes, it's a long line but in my mind, long line means good food. And since we were not so hungry then, I had my name listed and waited.

It took an hour for us to get a table and we would have missed it if we didn't return. We were up next and we did not get any message from the front host.

As soon as we sat down, I already have dishes in mind. I remember the host mention the Black Vinegar Chicken set (PHP360) to be one of their bestsellers so I chose that while C went for a katsu set. I also got a half order of the Osaka Ohsho Salad (PHP195) and Fresh Mango Yakult (PHP125).

Service time wasn't that bad given the place was packed though I noticed that they were indeed pretty new. 

 

First served was the Fresh Mango Yakult and I thought there would be mango bits or boba as shown on the menu but there weren't any and it tasted pretty much like your usual mango juice only this one was thicker and sweeter. Not really a thirst quencher. Plus the mug's handle was slightly sticky. (Sadly, there were no table napkins on our table.)

Next served was the salad. I loved this one. The greens were fresh and I loved the citrus dressing. I enjoyed munching on the crab sticks and the cherry tomatoes with the crisp lettuce. I skipped the caramelized walnuts though. 

A few minutes after I finished my salad, the set meals were served. (We had to ask for spoons for our miso soup and since I really could not take it anymore, I also asked for table napkins.)

The miso soup hits the right spot as I was getting cold that night. It wasn't too salty to the point that it makes your throat itch. 

The Black Vinegar Chicken though tasted like sweet and sour pork only it's chicken. I had a hard time eating it with chopsticks but somehow I managed (though I threw away looking decent while eating). The chicken was tender and was flavorful. It was actually good though I was somehow expecting it to taste different.

Now for the gyoza...

 

I had high expectations as who wouldn't? To claim you have the number one gyoza would make anyone curious. So one bite led to another and... it wasn't as special as I thought. What I noticed though was that it wasn't as oily as the others. I still prefer Kichitora's gyoza. (Then again, when I heated my leftover gyoza the following day, it tasted better! Weird.)

The meal was pretty good though I guess with the long line, I expected more. 

Osaka Ohsho is located at 3rd Floor, SM Megamall Fashion Wing, Mandaluyong City.