The Hoten 本店 in Osaka has a large mechanical crab at its doorstep. This branch in Shibuya has a Disney castle.

No, this is not a Disneyland co-brand, but the building housed the Disney store in Shibuya. Quick orientation – just cross the famous Shibuya crossing and go behind Tsutaya, and then walk down the street towards Zara. Disney Store is the opposite side of Zara and Douraku is on the 9th floor.

月虹 Gekko Course

Crab hotpot course かに鍋コース

No, not the lizard course. Gekko in Japanese has a romantic meaning of “under the moonlight”. No reptile was used in this course, maybe 😉

Boiled crab かに酢

Eaten with a side dip of vinegar, it was good on its own. The sweetness of the crab came through perfectly with this boiled crab. Definitely not the cold crab legs you get at the Las Vegas buffet lines. After you tried this, you cannot look at those buffet crabs (or craps) ever again.

Raw crab かに造り

Kani Douraku has their own crab farm so everything served is sustainable seafood. If you are worried about eating them raw, there’s no worry because of the strict control in the raising of these crabs.

Crab paste かにみそ

The tomalley of the crab can be quite strong for those eating it for the first time. But once you had it, you will always remember and crave for it.

2 kinds of grilled crabs (Snow crab, king crab) 焼かに二種盛 (ズワイかに・タラバかに)

This, in my humble opinion, was the best way to eat kani. All the flavours were unlocked with the Maillard effect.

Kani suki (crab hot pot) かにすき

The piece de resistance that started this chain. Just like any shabu-shabu, you start with the crab and then enjoy the vegetables later. Just a reminder, don’t be too eager to finish all those delicious stock. You will need to leave some for the next course. And of course, there’s too much purin in hotpot stock so it is not recommended anyway.

Zosui (rice porridge) Japanese pickle vegetables 雑炊 香の物

Zosui, as the name suggests, is cooking all the leftover stock with rice and scrambled eggs added for another course.

It is customary in Japan that with rice there’s always pickles. And it was no difference even with a savoury porridge like zosui.

Dessert デザート 

I came to this Shibuya branch of the Osaka establishment Kani Doraku かに道楽 during one of the frequent business trips to Tokyo, and it was my first experience of this chain. Osaka’s love for crab was propelled by Kani Doraku, they made the once expensive delicacy from the sea affordable to the salaryman. And Osakans know a good time. If you want to have fun with friends and family while eating crab, Kani Doraku is best.

Kani Douraku Shibuya Koen かに道楽 渋谷公園通り店
〒150-0042 東京都渋谷区宇田川町20-15 ヒューマックスビル9･10F
Tel : 03-5458-3311

Date Visited : Jun 2016