Osaka Ohsho

The last time I went to SM Megamall was a few weeks ago, when the Fashion Hall newly opened.  Osaka Ohsho was one of the restaurants I vowed to try the next time I set foot in Megamall, and last Saturday, I returned to SM Megamall with a purpose:  to eat in Osaka Ohsho.  You know gluttons, they keep their food promises very well.  *wink*

History of Osaka Ohsho

Countries where Osaka Ohsho has opened

World's #1 gyoza.  That sentence alone is enough to convince me to try out every single gyoza flavor they have.  Good thing they only have three!  But first, let me show you the other dishes we had that night: 

Tonpeiyaki with Pork and Cheese

If you know my love for eggs, then you'd know that as long as there's an egg dish in the menu, I'd order it.  The server described this is an omelette-like dish, with cheese and pork inside.  True enough, there's pork strips inside, but I couldn't taste even a hint of cheese.  The egg was also a tad overcooked.  I would've loved it had it been cooked just right.

Crab Cream Croquette

Ok now this is a major fail.  As with my love for eggs, I am also a sucker for cream croquettes.  But this was just too oily and the crab inside tastes too fishy.  Like spoiled seafood.  Eeew.  Barf-inducing.

Black Vinegar Chicken

Among the dishes, this was the winner of the night.  Though it may be a bit too sweet, there was a nice non-overpowering vinegar taste to it.  Plus, the chicken pieces were really soft and juicy.  

Special Fuwatoro Tenshin Han

Again, my love for egg.  When I saw the photo in the menu, I couldn't resist.  BUT, we didn't expect what was served.  Scroll down:

Spot the difference:  menu photo vs. actual photo

Yep, I don't think it could look more different than that.  Talk about false advertising.  I really hope restaurants show actual photos of their food and not some over-glamorized versions of it.  Some people order based on the photos, and to be served something that does not look like the menu photo at all, that's quite a disappointment.  Side note:  although the egg was pretty soft and fluffy, there's nothing special with this dish.  If you're familiar with the omurice (rice wrapped in egg) served in foodcourts/fastfood restaurants, then this is it. (the expensive version, that is!)

Visibly disappointed with their other offerings, I was looking forward to tasting the "World's #1 gyoza".  Did it live up to the hype?  Let's see.

Original Gyoza

Innards of the Original Gyoza

Meh.  For me, it tasted... boring.  To be named "World's #1 gyoza", I was expecting an explosion of greatness in my mouth.  But this did nothing for me.

Cheese Gyoza

Innards of the Cheese Gyoza

Unlike the tonpeiyaki, this time, the cheese was very evident in their gyoza.  It's the first time I tasted a cheese flavored gyoza, and I must say, not bad.  Not bad at all. 

Nori Gyoza

Innards of the Nori Gyoza

Now this one was just too much.  The nori taste was too overpowering that I couldn't taste the meat at all.

A few observations:

a.  Seating method sucks.  Yes, sorry to say, but it really does.  We arrived at 6:15PM, and were told that we're the 7th on their waitlist.  We took a peek inside and the restaurant was half empty.  Reservations attendant claimed that those were "reserved for 7PM".  We, together with a couple other grumbling customers, had to wait for an hour before we got seated.  If only they let us eat at 6:15PM, then we would've been long gone by 7PM.  Also, when one table leaves, that's the time they call up the next in line who could have been on the other side of the mall.  It would probably take them 10-20 minutes to get to the restaurant, and by the time they arrive, there's already a lot of time lost.  Why take reservations on a busy weekend?  We actually did complain about their system, and their answer?  "It's what the management told us."  Sheesh.

b.  Even the manager is not familiar with their dishes.  He laid down what he claimed was nori gyoza, while another server laid down another plate of nori gyoza.  He had the other plate sent back, but it turns out that his plate was the wrong one.

So how was it?  Sadly, it was not Ohsho good.  Osaka Ohsho failed to impress me.  Truth be told, I've had far better gyozas in other Japanese restaurants which do not even claim that they're the best.  Though their gyozas were not dry, it also was not juicy enough to impress.  Service, as mentioned above, was disappointing, to say the least.  1 out of 5 stars.

Osaka Ohsho is at 3/F SM Megamall, Fashion Hall, Julia Vargas Ave., Wack Wack, Mandaluyong