The casual gyoza and Japanese-Chinese food specialty chain releases its second take on omuraisu and we can confirm that it’s nothing like the first.

Osaka Ohsho is beloved for its large portions of delectable dishes at reasonable prices. About four years ago, the chain began selling its version of omuraisu (“omelet rice”), a popular Western-inspired Japanese comfort food consisting of an omelet draped over a bed of rice flavored primarily with ketchup. Its marketing team must have been tasked with coming up with a memorable name, because the dish was dubbed the Juicy Grilled Pork of Someday’s First Love Omuraisu. While that sounds like it would be incredibly awkward to say to a server, upon trying it, we found that its flavor was on point.

▼ Osaka Ohsho’s original omuraisu dish, which we’ll shorten to “First Love” here

Osaka Ohsho recently announced that a successor to the First Love is set to be released on September 18. However, we were able to sample it a few days early by invitation to Osaka Ohsho’s 55th anniversary event in the Tokyo. Behold the new dish in all of its–WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!

▼ The new dish is called the Garlic Meat Meat Curry Omuraisu.

OK OK, there wasn’t an ounce of visual similarity to the original omuraisu. The omelet was crowned with a heaping stack of chicken katsu, which was all drenched in curry sauce with a dollop of garlic mayo on top. Staff also shared that the inside of the omelet was stuffed with chashu (braised pork belly)-mixed garlicky rice. If this dish were supposed to be a spiritual successor to the original one, then this first love had gone horribly wrong. 

Our shock was mollified a bit after tasting the omuraisu’s deep, garlicky flavor. In fact, the garlic taste was so strong that it lingered in our mouths even after we had left the anniversary event and gone back to the office. Garlic lovers will definitely appreciate this omuraisu, but we probably wouldn’t recommend eating it on a first date–unless things are going very wrong and you don’t want a new romance to blossom.

Really though, we just couldn’t get over the gap between the Garlic Meat Meat and the First Love, which besides having an incredibly lyrical name has its own “menu poem” to boot:

“Before we knew it
It was left behind in memories
The Chinese-style restaurant’s omuraisu
Sweet ketchup and rich grilled pork
It was delicious
Ohsho’s remake for a limited time
With just one bite, how far back can you return?”

▼ The menu poem (Have we perhaps stumbled upon a new literary genre?)

Continuing to study the new omuraisu from every possible angle, we can confirm that the old love must have been left far, far behind in someone’s memory out there.

In any case, the Garlic Meat Meat Curry Omuraisu costs 1,280 yen (US$9) and will be available at Osaka Ohsho locations for the period of September 18 to October 27. Though, in the case of the First Love, perhaps it will become a standard menu item if it gains enough popularity during its limited release.

▼ This ad also shares that the dish comes with a side of soup.

While the omuraisu is undeniably delicious, we can’t help thinking that there’s got to be a more suitable recipe out there to follow in the footsteps of the First Love. Something like this, for instance, seems more like an actual cousin and less like the Frankenstein of the omuraisu.

Reference: Osaka Ohsho
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