The Weapon That Captures Long-Time Fans: The 'Original Kushikatsu' of 'Happomishokoro Kushinobo' [Signature Dishes of Famous Restaurants]

Creative kushikatsu that stirs the customer's imagination and makes them think, 'I want to eat this again.'

Happomishokoro Kushinobo, Roppongi, Tokyo

'Kushinobo' popularized Osaka's kushikatsu culture in the Kanto region with its highly creative original kushikatsu. Founded in 1950 in Hozenji, Osaka, it now operates 18 stores in the Kansai region and 13 in the Kanto region. The restaurant's kushikatsu is a high-end, creative style that is distinct from the popular, casual kushikatsu that is dipped into a communal sauce.

Starting with the signature 'Shiba-ebi Shiso-maki' (shrimp wrapped in shiso leaf), which is characterized by its M-shape, the kushikatsu is made using seasonal ingredients, coated in a special batter called 'neriya' and breadcrumbs, and fried to create a light flavor that feels like you could eat an endless amount. Much like Edomae sushi, invisible work is put into each individual skewer, and each one stands as a complete dish.

On the palette-like sauce plate, there is a wide variety of seasonings, including the 'Kushinobo Sauce' that inherits the flavor from the time of the founding, as well as 'homemade ponzu,' 'sesame mustard sauce,' 'white sesame rock salt,' and 'Japanese mustard.' Proposing various ways to eat that cannot be fully experienced in a single visit is also a weapon for capturing long-time fans.

A big break with the expansion into Tokyo

Kushikatsu, one of Osaka's representative food cultures, is said to have developed from food stalls. Originally a food for the common people, the appearance of a restaurant called 'Gomi Hachin' led to the birth of highly creative kushikatsu, raising its maturity as a culinary art.

'Kushinobo,' which has its main store in Hozenji, Osaka, also follows that lineage. The founder, who trained at 'Shiruku' (Sonezaki, Osaka, etc.), a restaurant run by a junior of 'Gomi Hachin,' started by opening a 6-tsubo 'Kushinobo' in Hozenji in 1950. Later, in 1960, it achieved its expansion into Tokyo.

Currently, it operates 18 stores in the Kansai region and 13 in the Kanto region. The expansion in Tokyo began with the Ginza store, followed by a store in Shinjuku Oiwake, and a big break at the third store, the Shinjuku Isetan Kaikan store. The subsequent Akasaka Tokyu Plaza store was also a hit, and it is said that there were long lines in front of the store at the time.

About half of the kushikatsu are menu items from the time of the founding

For kushikatsu, the restaurant offers an 'omakase' (chef's choice) style where they serve until the customer says stop, as well as courses with a set number of skewers, with the average person eating about 17 skewers. Of the approximately 40 types of kushikatsu always available, about half have remained unchanged since the founding. From the signature 'Shiba-ebi Shiso-maki' that is always served first in the omakase course, to the 'Kani no Kisu-maki' (crab meat wrapped in Japanese whiting and wrapped in aluminum foil), and the 'Renkon' (lotus root) stuffed with curry-flavored minced meat, all of them still feel fresh today. It is surprising that these were already created 68 years ago.

Incidentally, the frying oil was changed from Dutch-produced to domestically-produced about 20 years ago. 'At first, I felt it was lacking, but as the times changed, people started to prefer flavors that weren't as oily, so it was the right decision in the end,' says Haruhiko Inui, the third-generation president and representative director. Shortly after returning from his training in the United States, Inui apprenticed at a fugu restaurant in Osaka for only three months, and at the young age of 22, opened the natural fugu specialty restaurant 'Hamato' in Roppongi, Tokyo. Currently, he works as a chef at 'Hamato' during the fugu season from October to March, while also managing his duties as president of 'Kushinobo'.

'Incomplete dishes' create repeat customers

In addition to these classic kushikatsu, new kushikatsu and new sauces to accompany them have been born with the times. At the Roppongi Hills store, which was renovated in September 2018, they also offer ambitious creative skewers devised by Inui, such as a skewer with raw sea urchin on top of herring roe on kelp, and '240 Million Eyes' (a play on a song title), which features caviar on a soft-boiled quail egg. They have also developed gluten-free kushikatsu for the increasing number of inbound tourists.

'What I thoroughly convey to the staff is, "Do not complete a single dish." I believe that leaving room for the customer's imagination to enter and having them look forward to the next time leads to repeat visits,' says Inui.

For example, the restaurant has many sauces, but the staff never makes recommendations like 'Please use this with this skewer.' This is because they believe that new discoveries and surprises occur while customers eat freely, and that leads to excitement. 'The imagination of wanting to try eating that skewer with that sauce next time creates the motivation for the next visit.'

Mr. Inui, who spends half the year abroad, says he often thinks of new products based on ingredients and dishes he encounters during his travels. 'While cherishing the flavors that have continued since our founding, I want to incorporate new ingredients, services, and designs in line with the times, and achieve further growth for the next era,' says Mr. Inui.

Kushinobo Roppongi Hills Branch
Roppongi Hills West Walk 5F, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

*The information was published in the February 2019 issue of 'Kindai Shokudo'.