Tsubakuro turtle cafeteria — Restaurant in Osaka

Whether it's your 1st or 50th time having suppon (softshell turtle), you will most definitely enjoy what Tsubakuro’s has to offer. For curious yet nervous first-timers, you are in good hands: owner Takashi-san makes suppon approachable and it's difficult to not enjoy his fantastic culinary creations. I would recommend the set courses for a complete experience. The full course (ツバクロ王八コース) contains:

1. Appetizers/先付け: small dishes of seasonal ingredients. simmered bamboo shoots (light, crunchy, refreshing), simmered baigai sea snails (umami), and simmered konnyaku in a savory and slightly mala spicy sauce

2. Suppon soup/すっぽんスープ: rich, warming-to-the-bones cup of suppon broth that's umami and velvety in mouthfeel due to the high amount of turtle collagen that has melted into the soup. A hint of ginger balances out the richness of the soup. As you drink it, the velvety broth coats and clings to your tongue, giving you a lingering aftertaste

3. Suppon chawanmushi/すっぽん茶碗蒸: delicately steamed bowl of savory egg custard topped with suppon yolk (technically underdeveloped eggs and not yolk). Light and delicate flavors

4. Grilled suppon shell collagen over salad, dressed with ponzu/すっぽんコラーゲン炙りポン酢: grilled suppon shell collagen (the soft parts on the shell) laid over a bed of mizuna (Japanese mustard greens), garnished with myōga (Japanese ginger buds) and negi (Japanese spring onion) and dressed with ponzu (citrus soy sauce). The textures and flavors blended very well together - the smokiness of the grilled collagen, the crunch of the mizuna and garnishes, the gelatinous texture of the collagen, the refreshing herbal tones of the greens, the savory and sourness of the ponzu, and the slightly sweet slightly pungent notes of the myōga

5. Suppon karaage/すっぽん唐揚げ): deep fried suppon, simple yet aggravatingly moreish. The meat is succulent and the batter is light yet extra crunchy. The highlight is the cartilaginous, collagen-y parts within the meat, giving each bite a distinct bounce/chewiness and also tastes richer from the gelatin. A real pleasure to eat. The cuts chosen are fleshy with only an occasional bone so it's easy to eat

6. Suppon nabe served with vegetables, tofu and mochi/ 名物まる鍋[肉、エンペラ、モツ、つみれ、豆腐、丸餅、野菜付き]: the hotpot itself contained suppon meat, shell collagen, and offal, and meatballs (chicken I think) in a rich suppon broth. Served on the side for adding to the hotpot was a plate of tofu, naganegi (Japanese long leek), napa cabbage, and mochi cakes. This nabe is the star of the set course, and while suppon nabe is enjoyable anytime, it tastes extra good on cold wintery nights. All cuts of suppon meat were delicate and tasty, the soup was rich and warming, and the vegetables, tofu and mochi are superb after soaking up the rich broth

In addition to the set course, we also ordered the following:

Suppon ramen - not your standard ramen here, and in a good way. The broth is rich and the chewy noodles went well with the tender pork soft bones

Suppon pasta - if you love pasta, you must order this. The dish is really simple and focuses on a few core ingredients to highlight the flavors. Takashi-san executes mantecatura perfectly as every strand of spaghetti glistens with a coat of creamy starchy goodness

For those not into suppon, there is a side menu offering a variety of creative and yummy dishes. 3 we tried were:

1. Cream cheese mixed with pickles and served with crackers: absolutely scrumptious cream cheese mix that was sweet, savory, tangy and creamy
2. Simmered beef: simple yet tasty. The beef's fattiness was balanced well with the garnishes. Great with rice
3. Garnished celery: Light, refreshing, and tasty

Takashi-san was busy preparing in the kitchen but when he was free, it was really pleasant chatting with him. He is fluent in English, very personable, friendly, and attentively took care of us throughout the evening

I will definitely visit Tsubakuro again and hope to enjoy Takashi-san's food and...

The boss it really cool and hot, and the waitress is amazing! She is knowledgeable and funny! Their foods are amazing too! You can even drink tortoise blood cocktail here, it is so refreshing! Like this place...

Amazingly delicious and feeling great after a wonderful meal. High class food in a casual atmosphere. Takashi is multi-talented chef and artist, is super friendly and has created a great atmosphere at...