New Hamaya Kawaramachi Branch

In Osaka’s business district of Hommachi, there is a specialty dish called “ Dab-Dab” that has been grabbing the stomachs of working businessmen. What is “ Dab-Dab ” ? What does it taste like? Curious about such things, I went to the New Hamaya Kawaramachi Branch, which serves the dish. I heard that “Dab-Dab” here means “a set meal with twice the meat and eggs,” so I guessed it would probably be a very hearty yakiniku or something…but what did I actually find when I went there? I will introduce it later, so please continue reading the article until the end…

New Hamaya Kawaramachi Branch is actually a long-established restaurant celebrating its 60th anniversary this year….

New Hamaya Kawaramachi Branch is located on the north side of Kitamido in Honmachi, Osaka, just north of Bingocho Street and up Goryosuji Street. This restaurant was founded in 1965 in front of Goryo Shrine, a little north of the current restaurant, so it is actually a long-established restaurant celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. That’s amazing to think about.

The restaurant moved to its current location in March 2009, so the exterior and interior of the restaurant does not remind us of its 60-year history at all. The restaurant is a bit like a stylish Western-style restaurant, with a total of 27 seats, including 11 seats at the L-shaped counter. Inside the L-shaped counter is a large griddle where you can watch the owner cooking a large amount of meat and eggs at once, as if it were a live performance. This is not limited to this restaurant, but it is a privilege for those who were able to sit at the counter to be able to watch the chef cooking the whole process in front of you…

A little different from what I imagined… How was New Hamaya Kawaramachi Branch’s signature menu item, Yakiniku Teishoku Dab-Dab, when I actually tried it?

Let me introduce the target of the day, New Hamaya Kawaramachi Branch‘s signature dish, the Yakiniku Set Meal Dab-Dab. After placing the order, rice and miso soup in a rice chest are first brought to me…

There were about three bowls of rice in this chest. Just looking at it, it was like a guarantee of a full stomach (and the rice can be refilled at any time). And a few minutes later…

The “Dab-Dab” Yakiniku Set Meal has arrived. Well… it seems that my expectations for the side dishes were excessive, to be honest. I knew that “Dab-Dab” means “double-double,” so I thought that there must be a lot of meat and eggs… but in fact, it was an average volume for a set meal. Well, if I change my perception that this Dab-Dab is a standard menu item, it would be a large volume with a lot of rice…

And as for the taste… in a word, it is like a set meal of ginger-less pork with ginger. Shredded pork in a soy sauce-based sauce. For better or worse, there is nothing special or new about it. What bothered me a little was that the pork was too fine. It was difficult to use chopsticks to grasp the meat properly. The finer the meat, the more convenient it is to spread the seasoning all over the meat, but I think it is chopped a little too much… But I could eat a lot of rice and be full, so overall I was satisfied.

Menu of New Hamaya Kawaramachi Branch (prices include tax)

• Yakiniku Set Meal Dab-Dab (100g meat, 2 eggs) 1000 yen
• Yakiniku Set Meal Triple (150g meat, 1 egg) 1,200 yen
• Yakiniku Set Meal Tri-Dab 1300 yen (200g meat, 2 eggs)
• Yakiniku Set Meal Super Triple: 1,700 yen (400 g meat, 1 egg)
• Mixed (100g meat, squid with butter) 1300 yen
• Daily special set meal 1400 yen

There is also a branch in nearby Kitahama… Access to New Hamaya Kawaramachi Branch is a 3-minute walk from the nearest station, Hommachi Station on the OsakaMetro Midosuji Line (Chuo Line and Yotsubashi Line).

New Hamaya is currently operating two branches, the Kawaramachi Branch introduced here and the Kitahama Branch just a few blocks away. Checking the Tabelog, it seems that the Kitahama Branch operates in a slightly different way than the Kawaramachi Branch, such as being open on Saturdays and having a slightly different menu. It may be a good idea to compare the food at the two restaurants and decide which one you prefer. If you are looking for a place to try Dab-Dab, especially on weekends, please visit New Hamaya Kitahama Branch!

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…

P.S. This restaurant, located just a few blocks from New Hamaya Kawaramachi Branch, has also been satisfying the hunger of Osaka’s working businessmen…