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Friday, 21 March 2014

Ore no Kappo 俺の割烹: Gourmet Food at Super Low Price

Since the previous visit to Ore no French Italian, I had aimed to try at least another concept restaurant under the same 俺 ORE group. I managed to call through the busy hotline and secure seats at Ore no Kappo in Ginza, which serves traditional Japanese Kappo cuisine at super unbelievably low, low, low prices:)
Similar to the previous restaurant, the head chef Hiroshi Shimada is headhunted from 3-star michelin restaurant Azabu Yukimura and thus diners can be assured that quality is not compromised. There is neither English menu nor pictorial menu. Just one A4 sheet paper with Japanese scribblings.

Wall of Fame: Well-known chefs behind Ore no Kappo

From the list of cold appetizers, there were 3 different types of sashimi. For something more substantial, we opted for the buri sashimi 780 yen instead of the fugu. The lotus root stuffed with spicy mustard 380 yen turned out to be a replicate of the exact famous Kyushu local dish. The beef made a magnificent entrance on a large bone that transported me back to the Jurassic Park for a moment as the savagery images of carnivorous dinosaurs tearing the meat mercilessly off their victims flashed across my mind.  But of course, the slices of beef swarmed in ponzu sauce and grated radish 1780 yen was definitely better than the raw meat but they were not evenly cooked. Some were tougher to wrestle than others.  Besides the meat, we had the fish which was unbelievably huge for just 880 yen. The beans that triggered a numbing sensation on the tongue tend to mask the delicate flavor of the fish and I prefer not to have them together. However, opinions were divided on this as some detected whiffs of fishiness in this.

Nonetheless, the Kyoto-style stew of chicken and wheat gluten (780 yen) was a feast for all senses. The glistening rich savoury brown sauce puts the tender chicken in a glowing light and plumps up the chewy gluten that soaks up the entire pot of essence. Likewise, seeing that the table next to us had some giant tempura prawns (1280 yen), we could not resist but order a plate. Indeed, they delivered the crunch and juiciness as the prawns were extremely plump and fresh. The satisfaction even surpassed tempura specialty restaurant Tsunahachi. The Kani Miso rice 580yen is not too heavy-handed on the miso but the small portion suggests that it's something to be relished in dainty bites. And because our visit falls on the night of Setsubun (3rd Feburary), Eho-maki (恵方巻)-500 yen was available on the menu. These special sushi rolls are eaten for an auspicious year ahead.
Buri Sashimi ぶり刺身 780 Yen
 Lotus root stuffed with spicy mustard 380 yen

Roasted Enome Beef 1780 yen えのめ牛の赤身焼き
Steam Fish in Peppercorns 天然鯛山椒焼き 880yen
Kyoto-style Jibuni stew of chicken and wheat gluten 若鶏と京生麩の治部煮 (780 yen)

Kani Miso rice 580yen カニみそ飯
Eho-maki (恵方巻)-500 yen 

Houjicha Pudding ほうじ茶プリン 280 yen
Fried Shiratama Zenzai 揚げ白玉ぜんざい 380 yen

Renkon Mochi 蓮根もち480 yen.
Our stomachs were left with just enough room for the petite desserts. The deep fried golden roll of Zenzai mochi and red bean paste 380 yen definitely resembles the classical Chinese red ban pancake. But there were other creative items like the Renkon Mochi 480 yen.The crunchy lotus contrasted with the dessert's otherwise gelatinous texture. Houjicha Pudding 280 yen sounds rather predictable but delivers a earthy fragrance and velvety texture. 
As usual hidden charges include jazz music performance and table charge but there was no amuse bouche. Seatings from 3pm/5pm/7pm/9pm.  Is this going to be the last of my cheap gourmet food hunt in Tokyo?  Definitely not. 

Ore no Kappo 俺の割烹 銀座本店
Ginza Chuo Ku 8-8-17
Nearest Station: Ginza / Shimbashi 
Mon-Sun and Public Holidays
Seatings: 3pm/5pm/7pm/9pm
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