Savor Osakan Flavors in the Heart of Shibuya: Authentic Okonomiyaki and Awesome Wagyu at Osaka Kitchen

Directly connected to Shibuya Station in Tokyo is the commercial facility TOKYU PLAZA SHIBUYA, packed with a variety of dining options, including a culinary gem: “ŌSAKA Kitchen TOKYU PLAZA SHIBUYA” (hereunder referred to as “Osaka Kitchen”).

At this renowned restaurant, you can enjoy carefully selected wagyu steak and other teppanyaki dishes absolutely sure to delight your palate and leave you more than satisfied.

Savor Kobe beef steak at this beloved teppanyaki spot in Shibuya

Osaka Kitchen highlights the natural flavors of its ingredients, seasoning its steak minimally with just salt and pepper. This simplicity is deliberate, to allow diners to fully appreciate the intrinsic, heavenly umami of the meat.

Among the restaurant’s many steak options, the “KOBE beef steak” is highly recommended for those seeking a unparalleled dining experience. Flambéed with whiskey, the steak boasts a crispy surface, yet remains irresistibly juicy on the inside, melting quickly in the mouth upon eating.

The meat is of such extraordinary high quality that it’s a joy to savor even without any sauce. However, to enhance the flavor even more, four types of condiments are available: genuine wasabi, domestic garlic chips, onion sauce, and truffle salt.

These surely will maximize the umami of the Kobe beef. Feel free to mix and match!

The steak comes with a daily selection of three sides. On the day of our visit, sautéed asparagus, baked mashed potatoes, and tomato and melted cheese were served.

These locally sourced, fresh vegetables hold their own in deliciousness next to the steak.

At Osaka Kitchen, you can also enjoy a variety of other steaks, such as Omugi beef and domestic pork. Each type of meat is cooked to perfection, customized according to its cut, guaranteeing to capture the hearts of diners.

Authentic flavors created by an Osakan chef! The “Okonomiyaki and fried noodle set” is a must-try for lunch

Osaka Kitchen offers a plethora of affordable and delicious set meals during lunchtime. Among these, the “Okonomiyaki and fried noodle set” is particularly popular.

If you sit at the counter, you can watch as the okonomiyaki and yakisoba are cooked right in front of you on the teppan grill. Watching a master chef at work while waiting for your meal is truly a moment of bliss.

When making okonomiyaki, it’s not uncommon to add yamaimo yam to the batter for a fluffy texture. However, in this particular restaurant, yamatoimo yam is used instead. Characterized by its rich flavor and strong stickiness, this yam brings a new level of fluffiness to the okonomiyaki.

Moreover, the restaurant uses a special sauce known as Kinmon Sauce, made by an Osakan manufacturer, for both their okonomiyaki and yakisoba dishes. This sauce is intentionally sourced from Osaka to offer a taste that’s uncommon in the Kanto region.

It offers a sublime balance of sweetness and tanginess, accompanied by a deep richness that pairs excellently with flour-based dishes like okonomiyaki. Of course, it goes perfectly well with the accompanying rice served as a set.

Incidentally, both large servings and refills for rice during lunchtime are free. So enjoy the taste of Osaka to your heart’s content!

“Wagyu Hitsumabushi”: a lunchtime dish popular with international diners

Hitsumabushi, a delicacy from Aichi Prefecture made with saltwater eel, is a dish that can be enjoyed in three different ways, including as ochazuke (rice with tea). However, Osaka Kitchen’s version allows you to relish grilled wagyu beef instead of eel. Their “Wagyu Hitsumabushi” (literally, “Hitsumabushi of carefully selected wagyu” in Japanese) is a true delight.

The type of wagyu used varies depending on availability. During our visit, we were treated to Saga beef, characterized by its tender red meat and fine marbling known as tsuyasashi.

The wagyu beef used in the Wagyu Hitsumabushi is seasoned simply with just salt and pepper, much like a steak. The eating method is the same as traditional hitsumabushi, allowing you to enjoy the scrumptious beef in three different ways.

First, divide the generously-portioned beef and rice into four parts. Serve one portion into a bowl and savor the beef in its unadulterated form, without any additional seasonings.

Then, for your next portion, add wasabi, green onions, and nori to enjoy another facet of the wagyu beef. The third way involves pouring a soy-based broth over the rice, transforming it into ochazuke.

The broth is diluted with tea, leaving a refreshing aftertaste that offers a different dimension to the wagyu beef experience.

After dividing into four portions, use your favorite of the three methods to finish the remaining rice. The abundance of choices can make deciding how to eat quite the happy dilemma.