ゴージャ
There are several spots in Osaka known as "Deep", with the top spot being the Haginoyama area including Imazeki Station on the Hankai Line. Under the elevated tracks next to Imazeki Station, you can see crowds of people gathered in layers. There, you will find the famous cheap horumon-yaki restaurant "Yamaki". Thanks to media exposure, you may also spot tourists standing with canned chu-hi in hand. However, if you're timid, you may find it hard to break through the crowd and get to the horumon. Just a short walk away, you'll see a sign for the "most deep place in Japan, a curry specialty shop". In front of the shop, a disheveled man sits on the ground, holding a mug and drinking purple liquid. Truly a scene that fits the NN style. Ignoring this, you enter the shop. Inside, bottles of alcohol and spices are lined up, giving it a bar-like feel. The menu is simple, offering only 3 options: dotekari curry, vegetable curry, and a combination of the two called "aigake curry". I ordered the aigake curry (700 yen) and when asked if I could handle spice, I replied "to some extent". It seems the shop owner has experience living abroad and is knowledgeable about spices. That's why the shop is named "Yakumido". Without much wait, the aigake curry is served. The ingredients seem to be simmered, giving it a light European curry-like taste. Starting with the vegetable curry, you can taste the sweetness of the vegetables within the spiciness. The dotekari curry has red miso as a hidden flavor, but the excessive use of spices overshadows it, making the richness hard to detect and the presence of beef tendons faint. Overall, the portion is small, and I finish eating with the impression of "Oh, is that it". As I chat with the owner, I find out that despite the self-deprecating "deep" on the sign, the shop is actually run by someone with a strong love for Nishinari. Recently, there has been talk of the "Osaka Chinatown Project" in this area, but the future of this town remains uncertain.