Chronicles of Osaka Part 2 of 5 : In Search for the Freshest Sashimi and Sushi at Kuromon Market

Kuromon Ichiba Market is a long market street loved by Osakans. There are over 180 mini stalls right next to each other ranging from fresh produce, fish mongers, specialty stalls konbu, freshly grated bonito flakes, dry goods.. practically everything and anything japanese. This market has aptly been called "Osaka's Kitchen" since it opened in the mid-Taisho Period (1912-1926). Restaurants and chefs come here to get their fresh ingredients. The best part is they have places to eat you literally eat freshly cut sashimi or freshly opened uni...definitely my kind of dining experience. 

We visited Kuromon twice during the whole trip. We went on our first day to have a double date with our couple friend from Manila and came back on our third day to have lunch again and buy some dried ingredients.

 Entrance of the market from the Nippombashi Station. We didn't have to take the subway though because our hotel was just walking distance (20 minute leisure walk) away. 

The whole alley of stalls selling delicacies and knick-knacks. How wonderful it would be to have a "wet market" as clean and as organized as this! *wishful thinking*

They also sell a lot of assorted kimonos (long and short). I bought a half kimono so I can use it in Manila for just 500 yen (about Php 250.00).

 Gorgeous fresh produce all over

The picture may not emphasize the size but these were extra extra LARGE strawberries. 

All the kinds of mochi that you can ever imagine!

Kuromon Sanpei is a fishmonger that offers a wide variety of pre-packed sushi, sashimi and even an ala carte menu of donburi's (sashimi on rice) which you can order. You can do a grab-and-go type of lunch or you can eat it right there. 

They have small area with a few tables that you can use. You simply pick your sushi/sashimi pack, pay at the counter and enjoy your meal. How convenient, right? And there is free wi-fi too so you can instagram away just like what we all did!  Hahaha! :) You also have an option to pick from an aquarium of fresh live fish and have it cut up as sashimi.  Note the yellow paper which says that you cannot bring in food/drinks from another store. We didn't notice it so we actually brought in beers from another convenient store outside and were told that we couldn't drink it there. We ended up buying drinks from them ( they're a little more expensive - by about 100 yen).

Blowfish only for the brave! I wasn't in my YOLO (You Only Live Once) stage so I didn't take the risk! I know...Boo! 

Fresh Uni which you can crack open and eat right there.

How much fresher can you get than that? So primitive, I love it!

You can likewise do the same with the oysters! Crack and eat is the way to go!

Take your pick! Joel and I had a difficult time deciding which ones we wanted for lunch because we wanted them ALL! hahaha! But we ended up with these during our first visit (yes! we went there a second time before we left!).

Lunch Picks on our 1st visit :

 Scallop Sashimi - firm, succulent white fleshy meat that's slightly sweet and taste so fresh but not fishy

 An assortment of sushi just to have a taste of each

 Uni Sashimi - the "foie gras of the sea"! One my my all-time favorites! Briney, delicately salty and creamy texture which is a real party in the mouth. 

 Fresh shelled shrimp sashimi which I lovingly and willingly peeled for the husband who does not fancy doing it himself! Tsk tsk... what will he do without me? Hahaha!

Chutoro Sashimi- medium fatty tuna. I have separate entry for this so find out more about it in the coming blogs.

 Mandatory group picture of our Beer and Sushi lunch with lovebirds Celine and Paolo. Kanpai!

Lunch on our 2nd visit:

 The hubby couldn't get enough of the scallops sashimi so he got one pack of these succulent shellfish which we shared. This is not widely available in Manila where we are from so he wanted to enjoy as much of it as he could.

I picked Buri or Yellowtail Hamachi for a change. This is also one of my favorite types of sashimi. This fleshy white meat taste buttery and so rich almost like pork fat (remembering the days when I still used to eat pork! *wink*) which just melts in your mouth. So amazingly fresh!

To sum it up, Kuromon market is a must-see when you are around the Osaka area. You get to eat the freshest catch of the day at a very reasonable cost. It was definitely one of my favorite places I visited on this trip.

Kuromon Ichiba Market

• Open Daily depends on the stall
• Short walk from Nippombashi Station on the Sakaisuji Line (K17) or Sennichimae (S17)
• Short walk from Kintetsu Nippombashi Station on the Kintetsu Namba Line or Kintetsu Nara Line

Tabemashou (let's eat!),

Pattie