Kushiage Kitchen Dan EKIZO Sannomiya 串揚げキッチン だん EKIZO神戸三宮店 (Kobe, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

The last couple of years, I’ve fallen in love with kushikatsu (串揚), a popular Japanese comfort food made of deep-fried, skewered bite-sized meats, seafood, and vegetables.

Unfortunately, there aren’t nearly enough kushikatsu restaurants in Hong Kong, so I can only get my fix during my trips to Japan. And what better place to have them than Osaka, where kushikatsu originated in Shinsekai in the early 1900s?

But wait — we were in Kobe. Yes, but tonight’s dinner venue, Kushiage Kitchen Dan (串揚げキッチン だん), is an off-shoot of the flagship Ishibashi Store (石橋店) in Ikeda City, Osaka. It’s also the casual sister of Kitashinchi Kushikatsu Bon, which earned a Michelin star from 2010 to 2023.

Kushiage Kitchen Dan is located in EKIZO, a dining complex right next to Sannomiya Station (三宮駅). 

Like most kushiage specialists, Kitchen Dan works around a spacious counter with the chefs working diligently behind (this place was full when we entered!).

With six of us including this guy, it was better that we were given a private room in a quiet corner of the restaurant.

I missed the introduction of condiments when I slipped out for a doughnut at nearby .donut, but the dipping options looked pretty standard (left to right): a light soy sauce, a mustard sauce (infused with ponzu/yuzu?), a traditional sweet-and-savory Worcestershire-based tonkatsu sauce, and of course, some specialty salt.

We were really hungry since we didn't have much to eat all afternoon. Needless to say, when this platter showed up, everyone's eyes immediately lit up.

Premium black wagyu beef chateaubriand — I was given the premium center-cut to kick off the meal. Not surprisingly, it's one of the restaurant's signature items.

The absolute thickest, most tender center cut of the beef tenderloin (極上黑毛和牛), elevated by the intense, buttery marbling. Beautifully cooked too!

Lotus root — Crunchy, but I always thought it wasn't the best choice with a thin, crisp batter but that's just me.

Black tiger prawn — Very bouncy and as always very very tasty.

Foie gras over zucchini — The foie gras came with incredible smokiness. Very nicely done. It was my first time enjoying grilled foie gras paired with juicy zucchini, and it was such a hit that I ended up having two of these.

Onion from Awaji island — Pretty juicy and worked well with the soy sauce.

Creamy corn and bacon croquette — Pretty decent.

It was absolutely packed with runny corn cream and corn kernels. No sign of the bacon though.

Wheat gluten rice cracker — Japanese rice cake covered with rice krispies. I thought this was kind of cute but everybody from my team thought it looked weird.

The texture was sticky and chewy almost like a mochi.

Sillago with tartare sauce — Surprisingly meaty. The tartare sauce on top was a nice complement.

Green asparagus — The light and crisp batter gave the green asparagus a nice, delicate texture, while the cottonseed oil added a subtle nutty, buttery notes. Love this~

Scallop — Pretty decent but I wasn't a fan of the pickled red onion on top. 

Crab claw — Pretty delicious but I still thought our Chinese version was better.

We ordered four skewer sets, so we got four choices of chicken rice, egg over rice, and/or wonton noodle soup. It looked like everyone wanted some eggy noodles, but it turned out to be glass noodles.

Dessert was a choice between fried bread (our server described it as "French toast") served with ice-cream, fried mochi, and fried sweetened red bean paste.

The fried mochi tasted a little funny.

The disk of red bean paste was served with a scoop of ice-cream. Not bad as a palate cleanser. 

 

What I love most about a kushikatsu meal is the texture—the way the meat, seafood, and vegetables come out light, crisp, and non-greasy, with a delicate bite that never feels heavy. This was a really, really good meal, and I’m glad I chose it over Kobe beef which often turns into a tourist trap.

Food Rating: 7.3/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: Zone B Kobe Sannomiya Hankyu Building EKIZO, 4-2-1 Kanocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0001, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Sannomiya

Tel: +81 (0)78-381-7116

Website: http://www.kitchen-dan.jp/

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 3:00pm, 5:00pm - 11:00pm (Mon - Fri), 11:00am - 11:00pm (Sat - Sun)

.donut Sannomiya Main Store (Kobe, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

It’s my third trip to Kobe (神戶), but only the first time staying near Sannomiya Station (三宮駅), so I was pretty hyped for it. In the end, this area turned out to be one of the buzziest neighborhoods in Kobe making our 16 hours in the city especially memorable.

I managed to sneak out for a short while while everyone was enjoying their delicious skewers. My destination? Another doughnut shop just outside Sannomiya Station.

.donut is an incredibly popular fresh nama doughnut specialty brand based in Kobe, Japan. They’re especially known for their signature “Kobe dot donut”, which features a fluffy, soft, and slightly chewy texture. The brand focuses heavily on local ingredients sourced from Hyogo Prefecture, and it often rolls out seasonal flavors made with fresh produce.

While the brand currently operates four outlets across Kobe, its main shop located right outside the west exit of Hankyu Kobe-Sannomiya Station (hidden inside Kobe New World) remains arguably the busiest. The best part? It’s just a stone’s throw from our dinner venue.

After forcing my way into the end of the lineup, I waited patiently to be served and it was finally my turn. As it turned out, it wasn’t going to be a tough decision. There were only two flavors left: chocolate and cherry 🍒.

Chocolate donut (390 yen) — The brioche-like dough was flavored with chocolate, which matched the chocolate custard filling perfectly.

Needless to say, chocolate flavors were front and center. Just look at the amount of rich chocolate custard in the filling!

While .donut prides itself on being a nama donut specialist, I thought the texture of its dot donut sits somewhere between a traditional yeast donut and a nama donut. It’s definitely bouncier, and the “structural airiness” feels a little different from that of I’m Donut?.

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: Kobe New World (Outside West Exit of station), 1-1-1 Nagasadori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0012, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Sannomiya

Tel: +81 (0)78-325-5524

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm daily

Chocolat Republic Sannomiya 三宮本店 (Kobe, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

I didn’t have any specific dessert shop planned for our stay in Kobe so this was more about destiny. As we were leaving the parking arcade to head back to our hotel, there it was: my first dessert stop in Kobe.

Originated in Kobe, Chocolat Republic (ショコラ リパブリック) is a French patisserie best known for blending classic French pastries with a modern Japanese twist.

This multi-story flagship features a dazzling takeout pastry counter on the ground floor, plus an elegant café in the basement and on the second floor. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to sit down for a drink and a piece of cake.

Ispahan (700 yen) — Honestly, it wasn’t the presentation I expected from an Ispahan without the vibrant raspberries. 

The rose-flavored nama chocolate cream, shaped like a flower, sits on top of a slightly chewy chocolate tart. There were also hints of lychee and raspberry to make it more interesting. 

It wasn’t bad, but it unfortunately needed some brighter fruitiness to really bring the flavors all together.

Food Rating: 5.4/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 4-8-7 Kanocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0001, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Sannomiya

Tel: +81 (0)78-321-3666

Website: http://www.chocolat-republic.com/

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 12:00am (Mon - Sat), 11:00am - 10:00pm (Sun)

Remm Plus Kobe Sannomiya (Kobe, JAPAN)

Remm Plus Kobe Sannomiya was the first reservation we made for this trip almost six months before our journey actually began. At the time, it was considered a bargain deal for our 20-hour stay in Kobe. Seamlessly integrated into the upper floors of the Kobe Hankyu Building Higashi-kan, and sitting directly above Kobe-Sannomiya Station, the hotel is one of the most transit-accessible places to stay in the city.

After finishing our seaside outlet shopping spree, we finally arrived in Kobe’s city centre. Our next order of business was a quick check-in at the hotel so we could start exploring the city right away — but things didn’t go quite according to plan (more on that later).

One of the highlights of our stay was the warm atmosphere of our corner room.

The room was bright and airy, flooded with natural light. 

For a space measuring 26 square metres, it offered a pretty decent layout although losing the massage chair in the corner would have made it feel even more comfortable.

As many online reviewers have mentioned, the bathroom was one of the strongest selling points.

It featured a vanity sink positioned centrally, combining a basin with a storage cabinet underneath. While compact, it provided just enough space to comfortably store essentials for two people.

The shower room uses a traditional Japanese-style wet-room setup, where the shower and bath share an open, waterproofed space. 

From the window, we could enjoy a clear city view even while showering.

The toilet was located on the opposite side of the bathroom area.

And yes, the city skyline right from our doorstep was a huge bonus.

Staying above a major train/metro station (or in this case, right next to both) makes getting around Kobe incredibly convenient. Even the underground passage provides easy access to other parts of the city centre. 

In addition to the 1/F hotel exit that connects directly to the station, there’s also a separate street-level entrance leading to Sunset-dori (サンセット通り).

Sunset-dori is a lively, bustling street running west of Sannomiya Station, packed with restaurants, bars, and local street culture.

Kobe-Sannomiya Station itself is one of the busiest neighborhoods in Kobe making it an ideal base for tourists planning their stay.

The lively, bustling nature of the neighborhood also means it’s virtually impossible for hotel guests driving into Kobe to stop or idle on the curbside lanes outside for unloading luggage. That’s one of the hotel’s biggest drawbacks: there’s no designated drop-off zone, and no staff (such as bell service) on street level to help with the luggage. 

Rating: ❤❤❤

Price: ￥￥

Address: 4-2-1 Kanocho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0001, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Sannomiya

Tel: +81 (0)78-571-0606

Website: https://www.hankyu-hotel.com/hotel/remm/kobe-sannomiya