01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
To taste the dashi on its own, start with the simple kake udon. The Osaka-style broth uses round herring, mackerel, bonito and kombu. You can also order kizami udon topped with chopped fried tofu, kitsune udon with sweet fried tofu, or udon with meat. Listed prices are 450 yen for kake udon, 550 yen for kizami udon, 600 yen for kitsune udon and 700 yen for meat udon. One diner who ordered the meat udon reported that the meat came on the side, allowing them to taste the broth first and add the meat later. This may not be the standard serving style, but kake udon is another good choice if you want to focus on the dashi itself.
To round out the meal, choose the signature rice topped with bonito flakes shaved fresh at the processing plant, or kayaku gohan, rice cooked in dashi. Both are available as udon set options: choose the bonito rice for an extra hit of its savoury flavour, or kayaku gohan to bring dashi into the rice as well. Another diner noted that their bonito rice came with a generous portion of shaved flakes, which they were able to take home; check at the time of ordering what is included and whether takeaway is available. The menu also features shaved-bonito dashi with Chinese-style noodles. The description says it combines the usual dashi with blended shaved-fish oil and kaeshi, a seasoning base, without using an animal-based soup. It offers a different way to enjoy the dashi from the udon-and-rice combinations.
Several diners describe Osaka Sei Dashijo as a restaurant that opens once a month at a dashi-processing plant. Some report collecting a numbered ticket and eating at an assigned time. Rather than assuming you can drop in during an ordinary mealtime, check the opening date and arrangements for the day before making plans.
