A Six-Week Omurice Pop-Up with an Osaka Chef Is Taking Over Harajuku Gyoza's South Bank Eatery

Maybe you discovered omurice on a holiday to Japan. Perhaps you saw it in a Japanese film or TV show, instantly tempting your tastebuds. The dish's viral fame might've started your stomach rumbling. Whichever fits, the combination of omelette and rice is up there with sushi and ramen as a beloved Japanese staple — and Brisbane just keeps scoring new excuses to tuck in.

Alongside conjuring up pavlova bao and air cheesecakes with a Mont Blanc spin, Harajuku Gyoza has been championing omurice in a big way in Brisbane. Already in 2024, it has hosted an omurice pop-up at its Albert Lane store and welcomed in chef Motokichi Yukimura from Kyoto's Kichi Kichi. The latter is also returning in July. So news that Harajuku Gyoza's South Bank store is next dedicating six weeks to omurice isn't at all surprising. It is delicious, though.

Some dishes are as straightforward as they sound, and omurice — aka omelette rice — is one of them. It's an omelette made with fried rice, then typically topped with sauce. Yes, it's an easy concept to get around. From Saturday, July 27, Brisbanites will be treated to three versions from Osaka Omurice's Chef Tadamichi, who is coming to the Queensland capital to prepare and serve up the popular meal at diners' tables.

Starting at his family's market stall, Tadamichi has been cooking up omurice since he was 14. In Brisbane, he'll be making the classic version, one with ketchup and an Osaka okonomiyaki-style take, his signature. It features okonomi sauce on top, as well as mayonnaise and katsuobushi flakes. Whichever you choose, you'll be paying $28 a dish from 4–8pm Wednesday–Thursday and from 5–8pm Friday–Sunday, as well as for lunch from 11.30am–3pm Friday–Sunday.

The reason that Harajuku Gyoza is leaning into omurice so heavily, especially in 2024? Saving themselves the airfare to Japan or trying to make their own version at home, its customers can't stop eating it.

With the upcoming Kichi Kichi tour, "even after adding capacity, the event sold out in less than 24 hours and there was clearly huge demand for omurice", explains Harajuku Gyoza General Manager Masahiro Endo.

Harajuku Gyoza South Bank's omurice pop-up runs for six weeks from Saturday, July 27, 2024 — from 4–8pm Wednesday–Thursday and from 5–8pm Friday–Sunday, as well as for lunch from 11.30am–3pm Friday–Sunday. Head to 184 Grey Street, South Bank. For more information and bookings, check out the eatery's website.