Ginpei Dotonbori 魚匠銀平 道頓堀店 (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

Looking back, returning to Shinsaibashi for a hassle-free Christmas Eve dinner was a pretty good idea. Navigating around Umeda was getting a little out of hand and the gang would rather stay close to our hotel. Surprisingly, Shinasaibashi was relatively quiet on the streets at 7pm. It also didn't hurt that I already had advance booking for our dinner tonight at Ginpei Dotonbori (魚匠銀平 道頓堀店).



Thanks to Tabelog, the Japanese restaurant rating and review site/app, making restaurant bookings couldn't get any easier. The tricky part for me was the Japanese name but once I got it figured out, I was able to make a number of reservations online with Ginpei being the first of the bunch.

I picked this place cuz for one, it's pretty close to where we were staying and secondly, it was available on Tabelog, with the choice of counter table, ordinary table and private room (I think with an extra cost). Since we were celebrating Christmas Eve, having some privacy with the comfort of a private room was much appreciated and that's exactly what I ended up getting for us. And having a food menu focused solely on freshly caught fish from the local waters, it's always a bonus.

An appetizer platter was served up just before we even place our order. Are these free or what!?

Saba Sushi – A very popular sushi in Osaka and Kyoto. The fatty, oily, and decadent mackerel made this extremely rich in flavor.

Vegetables and mushrooms in vegetable broth – Served in a small "tequila" glass. This was so sweet, both the vegetables and broth.

Ginpei is best known for its fish and seafood, which are all locally sourced and freshly delivered from nearby waters. Of course, we had to get off on the right foot with their sashimi platter!

Scallop – Very fresh and very sweet.

Sea bream – Not bad.

Sea urchin – What happened to this small portion? Pretty nice, rich flavor.

Yellowtail – Silky smooth with some tangy-sweet flavor. One of my fav.

Tuna – Not as fatty as I thought but not bad.

Black cod with miso – Something for little nugget to go with his rice.

Assorted tempura – This one for mom since she's not so much into raw stuff.

Signature sea bream rice – The signature dish of the restaurant featuring steamed rice made with a clear broth simmer with sea bream.

The rice carried this lovely fragrance of sea bream. It's very mildly flavored and from each spoon of rice, you could really feel the small chunks of sea bream from the fish head. A very interesting dish indeed.

After dinner, we spent some time shopping at a nearby Don Don Donki. Little one really enjoys soaking by this holiday season vibe. He couldn't stop posing for pictures!

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 2-2-20 Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-0071 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Shinsaibashi

Tel: +81 (0)6 6211-9825

Website: www.ginpei.shop/ginpei-doutonbori

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 2:00pm, 5:00pm - 9:00pm (Mon - Sat)