One thing I learned from a young age was that you never eat raw chicken or you will get very sick! Well after now trying chicken sashimi at Akadori Haruka in Osaka I am very much questioning that logic.
And it was such an epic affair that this is going to be my first food blog since coming to Japan a week ago. This is because it is fresh in my head and well it is not very day you get to eat raw chicken.
You can read my Akasaka Guide here.
What the Osaka?
Osaka was essentially my 4th stop on the Extremes of Japan Tour as I guided for Young Pioneer Tours. This saw us take in Fukushima, Tokyo, a quaint Onsen and then Osaka.
So, what can I say about Osaka? Well for now at least that it is my favourite city in Japan and this is for many reasons, far too numerous to list now. For this reason I will give it an individual article, but suffice to say the culinary scene and indeed street food scene in Osaka is pretty damned good.
Said chicken sashimi dinner came after touristing Osaka, doing street food Osaka, visiting a porn cinema, the red light district and trawling through the rain…..
What the Akadori Haruka – Osaka?
Having finished at a bar in the red light district the heavens started to pour down, this meant a plot in the group for how to get to the restaurant. Half went by subway, which took 30 minutes, half went by taxi (charged to me), which cost $40 and took 45 minutes. Try not to take taxis in Japan.
On arrival in the Miyakojima Ward you are greeted by the usual sites and sounds of Osaka, girls, girls bars and food. Our particular restaurant was weirdly tucked away and behind another bigger restaurant almost as an annex.
To get in you needed to pass a Hobbit like door from which you were greeted by a very cool looking bar that included people grilling in the middle. Honestly if you did not know about the chicken sashimi you might have mistaken this for but a mere hipster joint!
The general consensus though was that food notwithstanding this would have been a great place to hang out for the bar alone. This from what I can see is a fair look at what the culinary scene in general is like in Osaka and Japan, hidden gems you really need to know about.
Chicken Sashimi at Akadori Haruka – Osaka
OK, so no more foreplay, what the F is chicken sashimi like? Well let me set the scene. There were 8 of us and despite the fact this had been talked about all day most were just looking for the curiosity level, some were almost annoyed by it (despite this being very much on the itinerary) and one (me) was like a dog eating beetroot.
The menu of course had much more than raw chicken and was for all intents a chicken speciality restaurant with most dishes coming out as sets. This meant heart, guts, ass, tail and whatever you might fancy. To some the chicken was underdone, but hey you can always cook something more, rather than less. There is though very much something for everyone on the menu.
And as for the chicken sashimi? It came on a plate very sashimi like and included all of the main parts of the chicken, such as breast, part of wing, heart and kidney. They all liked quite different and some you would not at all know was chicken. Other parts though very much looked and indeed tasted the part.
I started with the heart chicken sashimi, which was duly mixed with a local sauce, as well as wasabi. This was interesting and almost fish like in texture meaning the sashimi element worked. I then let two people try a small bit each, both of whom were frankly disgusted.
I then worked my way through it, with the kidney being the least tasty part, but again not all that chicken like. The star attraction though was what I think was breast with a little bot skin attached. This tasted like raw chicken, but was hearty, not too chewy and genuinely worked well with the sauce provided. And yes I finished my whole plate.
So, was chicken sashimi any good? Overall I would have to say that it was pretty good and something that I am glad that I have tried. That I will probably not hanker for it though is no disservice and if you are a gastronomical traveler then you should try this.
I will though say that I am bang on up for trying raw chicken in Mongolia for example, another society that has this as a speciality.
The best of the rest?
Not quite being filled by the chicken sashimi, I personally went for what was told me as a raw egg dish. In actuality it would appear that it was made with chicken ovaries that look like egg yoke and are then broken on rice and served with bits of raw chicken. This will also be getting its very own article…..
As for the other guys, well the chicken sets were great and apparently really good value as not only did everyone eat a huge amount, with beers, but it came to $20 a person. Another corker was the slightly undercooked chicken balls with cheese inside.
Japan you truly gotta love it…..
Akadori Haruka Osaka Address
Akadori Haruka
3 Chome-2-9
Higashinodamachi
Miyakojima Ward
Osaka
Japan
534-0024