Golden Daruma

The softest, most flavorful daikon, infused with a delicious dashi. I wish they would stay open past October!

I found a cute Japanese oden pop-up in the Bay Area, but it's only open until October. Suddenly remembered the childhood joy of eating hot pot skewers from street vendors and couldn't resist the temptation! Excitedly drove there with my buddies. The shop's sign is a black and white circle , which took me a moment to spot. Inside, there's a large bar area with a great atmosphere, but not many seats. I went on a Sunday and waited for about 15 minutes.

🌟 They offer set menus and à la carte options. You can also mix and match. I went for all à la carte since the set included rice and I wanted udon noodles.

🌟 Vegetables:
▫️ Radish (a must-have for hot pot)
▫️ Mochi (outer layer is tofu skin, inside is mochi, quite fun)
▫️ Buttered potatoes (butter-fried potatoes with mayo, a pub-style dish)

🌟 Meat:
▫️ Pork sausages (a must-order, the highlight!)
▫️ Beef tongue (decent)
▫️ Beef tendon (tender and melts in the mouth)
▫️ Chicken wings (not recommended, has a chicken odor)
▫️ Soft-boiled egg (quite good!)

🌟 Seafood:
▫️ Cod puffs (delicious, reminiscent of tamago-yaki)

🌟 Sides:
▫️ Udon noodles (I skipped the set menu for this bowl of noodles! They're chewy, and I finished the soup too)
▫️ Chicken karaage (with mayo, but it's average, not recommended)

Two people spent a little over $80. Set menus are slightly cheaper.

Personally, I found it a lot of fun. It's been a while since I had oden and this was a good experience! It feels like a mix of fine dining without the high cost!

This pop-up offers tasty oden from May to mid-October. It has about 8 seats, so to avoid the wait, arrive early when it opens. They offer combo meals or you can customize your order. I enjoyed yuzu sauce and yellow mustard. The broth leans more towards a savory soy sauce flavor then bonito, but it’s still delicious and absorbed.

Hold in the wall hidden gem! Food is great priced and great portion! You sat in front of chef and watch him plate what you ordered. Food is tasty and soothing! I particularly love the daikon and beef tongue, cabbage roll was yummy too! and chef is nice and friendly! Will definitely go back!