It was obvious the Watertown public and surrounding areas were looking for some good ramen, hibachi, and Thai food. As soon as it was announced that Osaka would be opening in the city, the response was incredible. Osaka officially opened the first week of October, and my intention was to give them time to settle before doing a review. Lo and behold, I was invited to a birthday dinner at the restaurant and couldn’t help but ask the group to participate in a review. Everyone was game, so an early look it is. And a great one at that!
The Atmosphere
I had been in Osaka a few weeks prior to my dining experience when they had their ribbon cutting with the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce. I thought the look was perfect with dark colors, low lighting, and a vibe that makes you want to stay awhile. The location was formerly Rock River Pizza, and there were still similarities, but the updates definitely spoke of a new experience.
The Food
The menu was expansive and took our inexperienced group awhile to navigate our choices. We were all excited to try foods outside of our norms. Two in our party opted for ramen, two for hibachi, two for curry, and one for fried rice.
I tried the shrimp tempura ramen, described as spicy with creamy pork broth, ajitama, mushrooms, scallions, hot oil, bamboo shoots, and nori with shrimp tempura on the side. The flavors of the dish were incredible. I didn’t know what I would think of the hardboiled egg, but I was wowed. While there was some spice to the dish, it certainly wasn’t hot. The bowl was substantial, and I took a portion home. I have to admit, I finished it a few hours later as I couldn’t get it off my mind.
My mother-in-law ordered crab rangoon as a starter, and raved about the flavors. It came with a dipping sauce that we thought was a homemade sweet and sour sauce, which she also thoroughly enjoyed. She chose ramen for her main dish, opting for the Bonito Juzu. It had similar ingredients to my dinner, but was not spicy and included pork chasu in the dish. She had great things to say and had plenty of leftovers to enjoy at home.
It was my father-in-law’s birthday, so we were very happy with his reaction to dinner. He chose the Massaman Curry, with red curry, cashews, onion, potato, and peanut sauce. He had never had curry before and was a little apprehensive of what the flavors might taste like. No worries there, he’s a fan! My husband chose the Panang Curry, a dish with red curry, peanut sauce, basil, carrots, broccoli, and potato. He agreed with his dad that the meal was a winner and would be ordered again in the future.
Our two sons both chose chicken teriyaki. It came with a dish of rice and fresh vegetables. My oldest son enjoyed it so much that he predicted Osaka to be the place to be in Watertown. He asked when we can go back.
My nephew chose the pineapple fried rice and said it was “amazing.” As we all enjoyed dinner we talked about how we couldn’t wait to order the same thing again on a future visit, yet we all wanted to try more from their winning menu. It was a good problem to have.
Service
Service was great! Our server was very familiar with the menu and was patient as we took our time navigating it. Those that had soup and salad included in their meal received it within minutes and our main courses came shortly after those dishes were cleared. The check is brought to the table and payment is made at the front of house.
We had a wonderful first impression of Osaka Hibachi Ramen Thai, and can’t wait to take another flavor journey in the near future.
About the Author: Robin Kaufmann
