Char Rai Goku

In Nishinari, a deep spot in Osaka that is famous throughout the country, there is a restaurant called Char Rai Goku. This restaurant specializes in a popular menu item called “charai” that was created at the nearby Ramen Goku head shop, and it is very well known in the Tennoji and Abeno areas. On the day I visited the restaurant, there was a line of about 10 people waiting in line before opening time, even though it was before lunch time on a weekday.

This time, I visited the restaurant with the goal of sampling the extremely popular downtown local delicacy “Nishinari Char Rai. First of all, though, what is “Char Rai”? Let me start by explaining that…

A Nishinari specialty and the signature menu item at Char Rai Goku! “Char Rai” is not officially called “fried rice” but “rice with chashu pork”.

The Nishinari specialty “Char Rai,” which is the theme of this article, refers to a dish of fried rice topped with a thinly fried egg in the style of an omelette. In other words, it is easy to understand Char Rai Goku as a restaurant specializing in fried rice with an egg on top. Strictly speaking, however, “Char Rai” is not an abbreviation for “fried rice” but for “rice with chashu pork”. So it is assumed that there is a reasonable amount of chashu pork in the fried rice.

According to the ticket machine in front of the restaurant, in addition to the normal version of Char Rai, four types of Char Rai are available on the regular menu: Nishinari Char Rai with hormone toppings, Tako Char Rai with octopus, and Ebi Char Rai shrimp toppings. (In addition, there is also a menu item called “Gokusaburo-don,” which is limited to five servings per day…). There are three sizes: Normal, Large, and Otoko-mori (extra large). There are also a wide variety of sets that include Char Rai, ramen, and side dishes.

After purchasing a ticket from the ticket machine, I went inside the restaurant. The restaurant is structured in such a way that it stretches long and narrow in the back, with a total of nine counter seats against the wall on either side. The seating space is quite small and there are no tables, so it is not a place where we can have a leisurely lunch with friends. There is no “Taste Concentration Counter” like Ichiran, but it seems to be the kind of restaurant where gutsy men concentrate on the bowl of rice in front of them….

Nishinari Char Rai Large portion: Char Rai Goku’s signature dish, well done as fried rice, but the fun comes after…

Let me introduce the dish I ordered at Char Rai Goku: Nishinari Char Rai Large portion with hormone toppings. After handing my meal ticket to the waiter, it took about 5 minutes to receive my dish, which looked like this…

The fried rice is domed and closed with an egg, and the top is topped with a generous amount of hormone. The volume of the dish is about the same as two cups of regular fried rice + α. It is a large portion.

Personally, however, I was a little disappointed, thinking that the portion would be a little larger. I had asked the waiter about the difference between a large bowl and “Otoko-mori”, and he told me that a large bowl weighs a little less than 1 kg, while Otoko-mori weighs about 1.5 kg. So I ordered a large portion, which is certainly a large portion by normal standards, but it is not even close to 1 kg… This time I ordered a large portion because I was thinking of the impact on my afternoon work, but if this is the case, I should have ordered Otoko-mori.

Well, let’s try it right away… The fried egg on the outside was well heated, but there was a part of the egg that was still half-boiled. The fried rice inside is firm and crispy, with a hint of peppery aroma in a light flavor. However, despite the fact that it is called “chashu rice,” there was not much presence of chashu pork. However, if we look closely, we can see that there is a very fine piece of fried pork in the fried rice, so the name “fried pork rice” is not false at all…

On the other hand, the hormone toppings on top of the char rice are plentiful and satisfying. The so-called “marucho” (small intestine) and several other kinds of hormones were used in the mix, and I was able to enjoy a variety of textures: soft and juicy, crunchy texture, etc.

It is fine to finish eating the fried rice as it is, but how about changing the flavor by using the “Char Rai Sauce” on the table? It is a special soy sauce sauce with a seafood flavor, and in addition to the standard sauce, three types of sauce are available: one with wasabi and one with garlic. In addition…

Fried onions and Chinese chili oil are also available, so there is quite a wide range of customization options.

I didn’t try the sauce with garlic this time, because I didn’t want to influence my afternoon work. However, the sauce with wasabi is very nice. Not only does it add flavor to the sauce, but it also makes the fried rice moist, and the wasabi flavor tightens up the taste and makes it easier to eat. Furthermore, if you add fried onions and Chinese chili oil, the fried rice turns into something completely different… I think this wide range of customization is the most attractive point of Nishinari’s famous fried rice.

Still, it is quite rare for a restaurant to become famous for fried rice. In Osaka, So-Daisho in Tenroku is famous for its fried rice, but I don’t know of any other popular fried rice restaurants in Osaka. In that sense, I think it is worth mentioning this restaurant to anyone who loves fried rice. If you are interested in this local food of Nishinari, one of the deepest areas in Osaka, please give it a try.

We can also eat Nishinari Char Rai at the neighboring restaurant Goku Shokudo Nishinari Sanno branch… Access to Char Rai Goku is a 4-minute walk from the nearest station, Dobutsuen-mae Station on the OsakaMetro Midosuji Line (Shin-Imamiya Station on the JR Loop Line)

We can also eat such a Char Rai at the neighboring restaurant, Gokushokudo Nishinari Sanno branch. This Goku Shokudo Nishinari Sanno branch is also affiliated with Ramen Goku Head Shop, which mainly serves Chinese noodles, but both the normal version of Char Rai and Nishinari Char Rai can be ordered here as well. At Goku Shokudo, there is no need to buy meal tickets from a ticket vending machine, so this restaurant is more convenient if we need to exchange money. It would be very convenient if you can use both restaurants depending on the type of Char Rai you want to eat and how crowded the restaurant is.

Here are the details of the restaurant…

It takes 6 minutes on foot from Tennoji Station on the JR Loop Line.

P.S. If you are looking for delicious Chinese food in Osaka, please stop by this article below…