Maguroya Kurogin Kuromon, Feasting on Maguro in Osaka

Maguroya Kurogin Kuromon

2 Chome-11-1 Nipponbashi,

Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073

Maguroya Kurogin Kuromon in Osaka offers a fantastic interactive dining experience that is centered around ultra fresh tuna. Located in Kuromon market, it is difficult to miss the shop front. 2 little booths where the chefs are prepping your tuna and you sit right in front of them for the full experience.

How it works here. You pick you preferred slab of premium tuna - choices include kamatoro, otoro and senaka and then you decide how you'd like it prepared, either as sashimi, sushi or in a rice bowl. If you let the chefs decide, you might even end up with aburi or a mix between sushi and sashimi. You pay and then you get a tag. Hang around until your number is called for seating and just let the chefs do the rest.

We went with a selection of 3 slabs that included Kamatoro, Otoro and Senaka and the all inclusive for 2 rice bowls was 110000 JPY. It is definitely on the higher end but at the end of the day, you pay for the quality of the tuna as well as the personalized experience in the middle of Kuromon market.

Choose your slab selection

Let's talk more about the three cuts we selected:

Otoro is something we hear about as the most luxurious and sought after cut. Otoro is the fatty belly portion of the tuna and has the highest fat content. Overall it is ultra creamy and buttery. Flavour wise, otoro typically has a rich deep and luscious flavour.

Senaka is taken from the back or upper part of the tuna. In comparison to Otoro and Kamatoro, this cut is much leaner and has a firmer texture with flavours that are cleaner and stronger. This gives it a very meaty tuna flavour and taste.

Kamatoro comes from the collar of the tuna and is prized for its perfect balance between fat and lean meat. It delivers a really rich, buttery texture but also retains a tender firmness. Yes, the juxtapose. There is a beautiful melt in your mouth sensation followed by sweetness and has a wonderful balance between texture and flavour.

So which one did we enjoy. For the both of us, we unanimously picked the Kamatoro. It had plenty of textures and flavours but never overwhelmed. The lingering umami and sweetness was delicate and memorable. However, I think it stood out because we had both the Otoro and Senaka as well in our rice bowl. Being able to go back and forth between the different cuts really helped us appreciate how different the cuts are. We would definitely recommend, if the budget allows to try a variety of cuts on offer.

Maguro

Midway through our meal, the chef brought out a huge slab of tuna and left it on the counter. Part of me thought, what if i just picked that slab and ran. I would have many delicious meals from that one slab. That thought was real, but thankfully I didn't act upon it and the tuna remains safely in the care of the shop.

Our Tuna Rice Bowl

Booking

I don't believe that Maguroya Kurogin Kuromon takes bookings. However, when we were there during peak lunch hour, the wait was only about 10-15 mins. In general, people don't spend too much time when eating sushi so the wait was definitely very manageable.

Accessibility

The closest subway station is Kintetsu-Nippombashi Station, which is only a 5 min walk from the shop. It is a very pleasant walk and you might get distracted by the many shops in Kuromon market itself, but that's part of the fun of visiting Kuromon market.

The Damage

We paid 110000 JPY or 93 SGD for 2 rice bowls. The portions were definitely very generous and we were very full after that.

Would We Recommend?

Yes! It was really fun to pick out your own tuna and then have them prepare it right in front of you. The tuna was of good quality and we could definitely taste the differences in the different cuts. Overall a great experience in Kuromon market!