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)

Hidden 秀殿 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Hidden (秀殿) was an itch I have been looking to take care for a while and it finally got the better of me. The notoriously difficult to book Japanese skewer spot in Causeway Bay has obviously gotten easier to book these days. With a few clicks last week, I managed to secure a counter seat for tonight — something that used to take weeks, if not months. 

I arrived almost an hour earlier than my booking time but the folks here were kind enough to let me start early.

If my memory serves me correct, from left to right: red wine sauce, soy infused with ponzu and sea salt. Pretty much the usual lineup of condiments for the deep-fried goodness here.

Potato salad (薯仔沙律) ($50) — As I always do, I started things off with their potato salad to whet my appetite. This came with onion, ham, egg white, egg yolk, and some diced cucumber pieces for a nice finishing punch.

Kinmedai (金目鯛) ($75) — Our family has all been hooked on kinmedai, after our Mother's Day celebration.

The flesh was really tender and succulent. I wouldn’t mind ordering another piece of this tonight.

Chicken breast with wasabi mayo (芥辣雞胸肉) ($45) — The chicken fillet was firm and flavorful, and the spicy kick from the wasabi mayo delivered an incredibly satisfying finish.

Angel shrimp (天使の海老) ($80) — The premium brand of blue shrimp cultivated in the pristine, crystal-clear waters was available on the menu!

As usual, I started with the shrimp head (蝦頭) first. This was very very flaky like having chips. The angel shrimp itself (forgot to take a photo again!) was springy and packed with flavors. Outstanding!



Asparagus bacon roll (蘆筍煙肉卷) ($35) — It's been a while since I last had this.



The bacon (more like a piece of ham) added savory depth to the earthy green asparagus. Nicely done.

Scallop salmon roes (帶子三文魚籽) ($55) — Always the finale dish.

The scallop was hidden under the pile of homemade tartare sauce and explosive salmon roes. I couldn't see the crispy thin batter from this angle but I'm sure it's there.

It was an hour of indulgence in what may be the best deep-fried skewers in the city. Once again, I’m pretty blessed to have secured my seat tonight without the usual few weeks/months in advance. Let’s see if I can do it again in June.

Food Rating: 7.5/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Room D, 3/F, Prosperous Commercial Building, 54 Jardine's Bazaar, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Causeway Bay

Tel: +852 2504-1511

Website: https://hiddencwb.com/

Opening Hours: 6:30pm - 1:00am (Tue - Sun)

Kushikatsu Shiruhisa Ohatsu Tenjin 串かつ 知留久 お初天神店 (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

I have secretly prepared a surprise for little nugget tonight. He’s been asking when we’ll be having kushikatsu on this trip, and I’ve kept my plans close to the chest all this time.

Founded in 1946, Kushikatsu Shiruhisa Ohatsu Tenjin (串かつ 知留久 お初天神店) is a high-end, historic deep-fried skewer restaurant in Osaka. It’s famously credited with creating the omakase-style dining approach for kushikatsu meals, and inventing the multi-compartment sauce plate that’s now standard across Japan.

This branch of Kushikatsu Shiruhisa is located inside K’s Square Building (ケイズスクエアビル) in East Umeda (東梅田). Not the easiest place to get to unless you know Osaka well enough.

We just came back from Kyoto in late afternoon and once we emerged from Osaka station, we started making our way to Kushikatsu Shiruhisa. While some of us wanted to hang around Hep five before dinner, mom wasn’t walking very well with her bad knee, so I called a Uber to get us there .

Eating Kushikatsu without sitting at the counter table will be uncivilized. So, once we got into the restaurant, I immediately signaled for the bar. 

Luckily, there was one lady who spoke reasonably good English and she guided us throughout the night. 👍🏻👍🏻

Dinner officially got started and we were presented with their signature multi-compartment sauce plate topped with a small bucket of chilled vegetables. For a restaurant best known for introducing omakase to the Kushikatsu world, we didn’t hesitate to give it a try. Of course, we also got some skewers from the a la carte menu to satisfy everyone’s craving.

Beef sirloin — Very very tender. It worked especially well with the special beef sauce that tasted like a little like American BBQ sauce.

Shiitake mushroom — Always a crowd pleaser. Very very juicy, and perfect with the lighter batter.

Minced fish with shiso leaf and mustard — Beautifully decorated and tasted even better than it looked.

Shrimp — Another a crowd pleaser. Flaky on the outside, yet springy and firm inside. It was a good sign when nobody wanted to share the skewer.  😂😂

Zucchini — Best enjoyed with salt. This was a little on the hard side.

Salmon with salmon roes, mayo — The salmon roe, mayo, mustard seeds, and crispy seaweed all came together for a great mix of flavors and textures. Super good.

Tilefish — Best enjoyed with salt. This came with incredible sweetness and the crispy scales just perfect.

Eggplant — Stuffed with minced fish (That's what my notes said)? I didn’t dare to ask, but the texture and flavor were really interesting once the two came together.

A huge thank-you to our new friend, who was incredibly helpful all night — she served and explained the dishes while standing right between the chef and me. Thankfully, she spoke just enough English for us to communicate without any issues.

When we were about to leave, we noticed this section of the dining area with regular tables. It reminded me a lot of a German beer hall or a traditional German restaurant. But who would want to sit here if the bar tables are open. 

I could tell some of us were still a little hungry, but the scorching heat in Kyoto had really worn us out. In the end, everyone just wanted to head back to the hotel, relax, and chill. Except for me, I have got plans for a nice bowl of chicken paitan ramen (鶏ガラパイタン).

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: ￥￥￥￥

Address: 1/F, K's Square Building, 2-8-15 Sonezaki, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0057, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Higashi-Umeda

Tel: +81 (0)6 6312-2703

Website: https://www.shiruhisa.com/

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 2:00pm, 5:00pm - 10:00pm (Thu - Tue)