There's nothing like a little Japanese tea to warm you on a cold and rainy New England day. That and some hot Miso Soup ($2.10). Lucky for me and my mother, Osaka Japanese Restaurant was just the right place to go for both. This Hibachi and Sushi restaurant at 777 Federal Road (right next to Kid's Castle) has been serving delicious delicacies in Brookfield for over 10 years. It is owned and operated by husband and wife team, Mr. and Mrs. Sung Lee both from Korea.
We arrived at noon and were the only guests there, which always makes me a little nervous. My worries were quelled when we were greeted by our waiter who escorted us through the beautiful Japanese decorations to our table. We started off with the Seaweed Salad ($5.00), not realizing that our lunches came with Osaka's House Salad which has an amazingly flavorful sesame house dressing. Both were excellent. Next came traditional California Rolls ($5.00). They come six to a plate served with fresh ginger and wasabi. As if that were not enough to tempt our palettes, we just couldn't resist the Shrimp Tempura ($8.50).
Our waiter was very accommodating of my mother's food allergies and made sure the chef cooked her lunch without any corn starch or wheat products that are often found in soy sauce and stir-fry dishes. She ordered Hibachi-grilled Sea Scallops (8.95) with a brown rice Shrimp Stir-fry Plate ($8.50). The scallops were zesty and cooked to perfection in olive oil, lemon and fresh garlic. The rice dish had an ample amount of shrimp that my mother took home to her husband. I ordered the Chicken Teriyaki ($9.95), which was served with sweet potato pancakes and Chinese noodles resembling spaghetti in a wonderful teriyaki glaze. I also walked out with left-overs.
Mr. Lee, who also served as our waiter, shared that the restaurant chose to open as a Japanese restaurant because it is more of the trend in this area, but said they also serve some Korean food as well at the sushi bar. He stated that food laws in this country won't allow them to serve the "live fish" he is so fond of in his native Korea.
The restaurant serves an abundant amount of food with the lunch specials, so needless to say we were not hungry for dessert. The only three items on the dessert menu were ice cream, fried ice cream and fried banana, all for $3 to $4.
Osaka has a "Young People Menu" that offers Hibachi Chicken ($10.95), Shrimp ($11.95) or Steak ($11.95) for kids 12 and under. They have a sit down sushi bar with a wide variety of sushi or sashimi. If you go for dinner you can get traditional Hibachi-style entrees upstairs. If you go for lunch I would recomment the "Lunch Box Special" which comes with Miso Soup, a California Roll, and House Salad, all from $9.95 to $15.95.
If you are looking for flavor, excellent service and an authentic atmosphere, Osaka Japanese Restaurant is one place you won't want to miss.
