You’ll have to navigate through the residential streets of seaside Konohana, one of Osaka’s most down-to-earth neighbourhoods, to find the small but bustling Dempo fishing port and this gem of a seafood eatery. With a cheerful proprietress who’s a sight to behold in her own right, Katsumasa specialises in detchiri, or hot pot with freshly cut fugu, a delicacy available here from around ¥6,000. The fish is as fresh as it gets, only needing a quick plunge in the hot pot to be ready for eating, and the restaurant also serves it prepared in several other ways, including as sashimi and karaage (deep fried).
Make sure to try dipping your fugu in Katsumasa’s homemade ponzu sauce, a delectable mix of sweet and sour made with yuzu and sudachi citrus from Tokushima prefecture’s Kito, a secluded highland region known as ‘the Tibet of Japan’ and one of the country’s premier citrus-producing areas. Detchiri meals end with zosui, a congee-like dish prepared here by dunking rice into the hot pot and mixing it with the remaining dashi broth for a good 15 minutes. The result is an umami-packed, innard-warming porridge perfect for settling the stomach after all that fish and (inevitable) booze.
In summer (June to around September), Katsumasa also serves a multi-course meal centred on hamo, a type of sea eel considered a seasonal delicacy in the Kansai region. Note that as the restaurant has irregular closing days, it’s best to call and make sure they’re open before heading over.