Osaka Ohsho at SM Mega Fashion Mall

It was my first time to go to SM Mega Fashion Mall, the latest addition to SM Mega Mall’s sprawling collection of buildings making it the biggest mall in the Philippines.

The mall entrance felt like I was going in a convention center rather than a mall. There were 2 sets each of metal detectors for male and female visitors. 

 
I was quite excited to see H&M opening soon in the mall. It occupied 3 levels of prime space right at the entrance across Zara and American Eagle Outfitters. I also saw the space that Tim Ho Wan will occupy on the ground floor and that’ s what I look forward to most of all. 

 

SM Mega Fashion Hall is now my favorite mall because of it’s bright and modern feel. I’ve been going there at least two times a week to shop, watch IMAX or just walk around for cardio exercise which is a bad thing for my wallet. 

 

My friend Rochelle and I went to Osaka Ohsho on a Saturday. We made a reservation for 1:00 pm thinking there would be less people. To my surprise it was still full. It’s advisable to make a reservation so you don’t have to wait too long. 

I love dumplings whether it’s Chinese, Korean, Japanese or even Italian style. They’re all similar with just a variation on the dough, filling and way of cooking.

The owner, Linfred Yap of Wee Nam Kee, did a good job in selecting Osaka Ohsho to bring to Manila since most Filipinos love gyoza too. You will find gyoza in all Japanese restaurants in Manila even in ramen and tonkatsu specialty restaurants. 

 

I was surprised to see their extensive menu with so many choices like complete sets as well as fried food and grilled fish. We wanted to keep it simple our first time and just ordered three kinds of gyoza. 

 

The plates of gyoza were served pretty fast and most importantly piping hot. At first bite we were both impressed with the thin yet firm skin which held a good amount of meat filling. The dumplings were also fried to a crisp which I give them an A for. We tried each kind one after the other and decided that hands down our favorite was the original gyoza. The taste of finely ground pork with plenty of ginger, onion and garlic couldn’t be beat. The filling was perfectly seasoned and very juicy. 

 

We could really taste the cheese in the gyoza but with the ginger and other spices toned down that’s why it was a far second for me.  

 

The nori gyoza was my least favorite since I barely tasted any nori or seaweed. Each person has their own favorite so I suggest you try all three and decide which you like best.

 

You can take away cooked or frozen gyoza to enjoy at home. I suggest getting the cooked ones because frying gyoza isn’t just slapping them in a pan with oil. The correct amount of water must be added in the pan so the top portion will be cooked. If you don’t do it right you may find yourself with a less than ideal plate of gyoza. 

 

What sets Osaka Ohsho apart is their three dipping sauces. The one in the middle is the original sauce made with their proprietary blend of soy sauce and vinegar. In the black jar is the mild chili sauce and the jar on the right contains miso sauce. You can try each one or create your own mixture. To be honest the dumplings were good as it is and didn’t really need any sauce. 

 

After sampling each dumpling in each sauce I determined that I like all three sauces mixed together. The sauce actually heightened the flavors of the dumplings. It’s fun to eat at Osaka Ohsho. You get to play with your food. 

 

Asides from the gyoza we also order the crab cream croquette which never arrived despite our repeated reminders to our waiter. Service still needs improvement but I’m definitely going back to try the chahan (fried rice) set, gindara teriyaki, roasted mackerel, black vinegar chicken and the elusive crab cream croquette. 

Osaka Ohsho Philippines menu

Osaka Ohsho
3/F SM Mega Fashion Hall
EDSA corner J. Vargas Avenue, Mandaluyong City,, 1860, Philippines
telephone: 631-7074 and 0917-8285011
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