JEDDAH, 23 April — I was never big on Japanese food. It just never appealed to me. All I knew about Japanese restaurants was that they made me want to hit the showers as soon as I came out. Despite that, however, I loved watching the cooks throw the knives up in the air and juggle the eggs. It was truly exciting. Frankly all I can say is that sushi definitely tastes weird the first time around.
Osaka made me see and ultimately taste Japanese food in a new light. The restaurant is very inviting with its distinctive exterior. It gives you a Japanese feel straight away. There’s a wooden bridge that takes you from your ordinary boring street into a land of Japanese-style cuisine. The wooden bridge suggests a traditional Japanese garden.
When you first enter, it may strike you as a bit dark or gloomy. One of my friends commented that the interior was a slight disappointment compared with the facade of the building. It’s not very spacious.
There are two rooms at the end of each side of the restaurant with those typical Japanese sliding doors. One of the rooms has a normal Japanese style dining table that is very close to the ground. You sit on the floor, which can be uncomfortable since if you are not used to it, you get up feeling weakened and wobbly from poor blood circulation in the feet. The other private room is also set in the same way except that it offers more comfort to your feet since you can put them down in a hidden hole. I felt so pleased and amused at the idea of it. The drinks were more than satisfactory especially the cocktails. I found the pina colada below my standards though I like the glasses and cutlery. I asked for forks and knives because chopsticks are clearly not for me.
As for as fried rice goes, yakimeshi, vegetable fried rice and chicken fried rice are all quite filling. I preferred the seafood dishes to the meat dishes. The shrimp tempura was beyond excellent. The salad has a lovely eastern flavor. Quite frankly, I didn’t appreciate the soup much while my friends found it utterly delicious. Actually, they have 5 sets of teppanyaki which is a full course set menu served with miso soup, tossed green salad, steamed or fried rice and teppanyaki, vegetables. Osaka set and samurai are both SR130. Lobster set is SR150 and tori set, chicken, prawns, calamare and fish fillets is SR120. Last but not least is the seafood set, which is SR140. The sushi was fresh and tasty. I loved their California roll and the shake maki (salmon roll). I adore the cappamaki (cucumber roll) although I didn’t get the chance to eat from it since my friends gobbled it all up. There is a mixed combination sushi supreme which is a special selection of all sushi items for SR125. Desserts are not their strong suit and even the toffee banana was too chewy and oily for my liking. Osaka is situated in Jeddah, Prince Abdullah Street, and on Tahlia Street behind Galleria. For reservations call 6645956 or 6677408.