Osaka: Kani Douraku

No trip to Japan is complete without a trip to Kani Douraku for the Lin family - see my last post on them here! We had some plans to go for lunch as they have cheaper deals at lunch - which is the case for most fancy/more expensive places, but when you're on holiday mode there's just so much to do in the daytime.

We weren't super hungry that day (we had just come back from the hamburg place with no exercise in between) so we didn't order a lot. I also forgot to take photos of the shabu-shabu (the main thing we were there for) so look back at my previous post!

We weren't keen for raw crab at first because we didn't particularly like the texture of raw crab...it's more on the mushy side. However, unless we would be ordering entirely ordering a la carte, all set menus includes raw crab. The set menus are really a lot more worth it, especially if you are looking to try a bit of everything so we still stuck with it.

One new dish we tried out was this deep fried version of the crab and the serving was a lot more generous than I thought. The crab was juicy and the meat is tender - definitely my dish of the night!

The set also came with a chawanmushi which to my surprise was cold.  I don't recall whether if it was warm or cold when I had it last time, but I definitely prefer my steamed egg steaming hot. Having it cold, it feels a lot more like a dessert pudding. Tastewise, it was fresh from the yuzu and a very good palate cleanser. Don't think I would order it as an item by itself but I would turn away from a set menu that included it either.

This time the crab-gratin came with the set menu (we ordered it a la carte last time) and unfortunately it was a disappointment. Instead of a creamy interplay between the crab, cheese and pasta, it was seriously overpowered by a foreign tomato taste. To me, it reminded me too strongly of the tomato macroni soup served in Hong Kong cafes. 

I don't know if they've changed the way they serve it, or whether there is a difference between the a la carte and set menu items.

The sushi that wrapped up the meal was a pleasant surprise though. I think it is mainly because we didn't over order this time and actually have the capacity to taste the food, and not just shoving food down our systems.

However, this sushi does not compare with the quality that you would be getting from fish markets like Tsukiji.

We had the hotpot which was amazing like usual, especially the rice porridge that they finish off with.

Overall, the experience was pleasant, but it was not mindblowing like we thought the first time round. This may be that we had tried most of the dishes before and the menu hasn't changed at all in the past years. 

Another reason I think is due to the incredible influx of tourists in Japan, especially in the Osaka region. Restaurants, like Kani Douraku, merely do not have the capacity to serve everyone that wants a taste of this classic crab. The three stores along Dotonbori regularly have to stop taking in customers due to full capacity, which I think contributes to decrease in the quality of the food and to some extent, the service provided.

Although I say the Lin family will also visit Kani Douraku in our trips to Osaka, I don't think we will be returning to the three Dotonbori stores next time round. I still haven't been to the main store (the store with the massive crab smack-bang in the middle of Dotonbori) yet, but I am more interested in trying out the other stores a little further out from downtown Osaka. I think those stores are more able to hit those levels of 'Japanese quality' that we all look forward to, but I think is dying out in the tourist-flooded areas.

Until next time~