フラココ — Restaurant in Okayama

Summary: Fracoco wasn’t on our radar at all and we only chanced upon it wondering what to eat while on our way to Okayama castle.

They are located on the 2nd level and their entrance on the ground floor can be easily missed if you weren’t paying attention.

It appears to be operated by a loving husband and wife who were very accommodating by allowing us to be seated early at about 11:10am even though they officially open at 11:30am (we mistakenly thought they opened at 11am).

We ordered the set which came with an assortment of 6 dishes and 1 soup. The female owner explained each dish to us and said that it was a homely styled cooked meal.

But in all honesty, it was far from that. The meal was so beautifully put together that I couldn’t bear to eat it. Every dish was meticulously thought out and well executed which shows the level of finesse and refinement rarely seem in most restaurants, especially back home.

Both the owners’ hospitality and friendliness transcends the language boundary and weren’t daunted to strike up conversations with us which was very heartfelt. Their genuine hospitality was very heartwarming which made the experience much more memorable.

Please see below for more details on the food review.

Details: The pork katsu was lightly marinated with a mild vinegar which makes for a refreshing appetiser.

The daikon was simply stewed but was paired with this amazing yuzu miso which creates this burst of flavour and aroma when eaten together.

The stuffed eggplant was beautifully coated with a crispy layer of golden brown bread crumbs, enveloping the juicy and perfectly seasoned minced meat filling. It was complimented by what I believe is a ponzu sauce.

The tofu salad was an unexpected eye opener as it tasted very savoury and meaty. I couldn’t tell it was tofu at all. Sadly, the portion was rather small otherwise I could have eaten a whole bowl of it.

The egg omelette also caught me by surprise as it looked very unassuming. Even though it looked firm, the interior was very soft, fluffy and moist. It had a mild sweetness which I love as many others tend to be overly sweet, and a hint of savoury note at the end to keep you yearning for more.

The fried chicken was perfectly deep fried till golden brown drizzled with a tangy sauce. The meat was not only flavourful and juicy, but also did not leave a greasy aftertaste unlike most deep fried food would.

The white miso soup was pleasantly light but had a depth of umami savouriness which made it all the...

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