Osaka Bar

Sydney has undergone a quiet Japanese revolution. Sushi trains have made way for izakayas, Japanese-style pubs where food accompanies drinking. Slick kushiyaki bars have appeared; and regional Japanese cuisine has landed. This spot celebrates the dishes of Japan’s second largest city, Osaka, famous for inexpensive street food. It’s the birthplace of Takoyaki ($8.50/8), and the gooey-centred offerings here are the bomb. Just keep your on-tap Suntory Premium Malt ($8.50) handy; they’re served piping hot. You also need to try their pressed, rectangular oshizushi. This Osaka specialty is made using cooked fishes and a less-vinegary rice mix. The BBQ Eel ($18.50) version stuffed with shitake mushrooms then topped with cucumber, egg and chives, proved excellent, and much easier to handle with chopsticks. Konamomo – flour-based dishes – including tasty Ika-yaki ($8.50) squid pancakes, are also popular with the people of Osaka. Alongside golden-crumbed deep-fried stuff on sticks – kushikatsu – from moist Zucchini ($1.50) to Potato Croquettes ($2.50), they make excellent drinking snacks. In that regard you’ll find plentiful sakes, including Uragasumi Junmai ($29/720ml), and Japanese whiskies like the fabulously smooth Nikka from the Barrel ($21/glass). Balance bar bites with Hokkaido Pumpkin and Prosciutto Salad ($8). Chef Kazu Nakatani is renowned for his saucing (different with every dish) so his special steak-sauce with Grilled Wagyu ($10.50) is your final must-try.

Osaka Bar
Shop 15, Llankelly Place, 24-30 Springfield Avenue, Potts Point
Ph: (02) 8970 1143 osakabar.com.au
Japanese $$

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