Back to LA. We went back to that wonderful Soba/Udon place Otafuku (see old post).
If they could make common dish like Oyakodon so delicious, I’m willing to give another item a try — the other common Japanese dish that I don’t usually like: cutlet.
Katsudon – Juicy Pork Cutlet Bowl
Thinly pounded pork (Borkshire) breaded and deep-fried. Closed with beaten eggs and topped with Mitusha. Once again, I’m blown away! The pork was so incredibly moist, juicy and flavorful~ The deep-fried breaded surface (which I’m never crazy about) was moist by the runny egg and yummy sauce, making it easier to eat. My biased toward Japanese cutlet is now changed (yes it can be good)!
Left: Kikouchi $11: Dark brown Noodle made of 100% buckwheat flour
Right: Special Seiro $8: made of a mixture of special white buckwheat flour and only used heart of Soba seeds. I prefer the white one, very good~
We went there at night on another day and found that they have an entirely different and huge Izakaya menu. We could only choose a few to try.
Flavored Sea Urchin with Wasabi (taste like steamed egg), Crispy Shrimp Egg Roll with Japanese Plum Paste and Perilla (very yummy, though it reminded me a bit of plum flavored shrimp snacks).
Tendon with Ponzu Sauce (the flavors weren’t completely ‘cooked’ in), Charbroiled Whole Squid (soft and tender but a little bland tasting)
In general the izakaya menu is nothing fancy (in contrast with all those chichi “Asian tapas” places keep popping up in LA cities), but they taste like good solid home cooking. I would come here often if I lived nearby because of the light, simple flavors and casual homey vibe. The price is a little high (average $12 and up for a dish). I’ll have to explore their izakaya menu more.
Otafuku
16525 S Western Ave. Gardena, CA 90247
nice…i’ve been wanting to come to this place for a long while now!
You like the white soba more than the 100% buckwheat one? I’m the opposite. The darker the colour the better!
beautiful, beautiful pictures. i just want to eat it all up.