It is two weeks today that I stepped on a plane bound for Japan, a hub of culture, food and good times. I've been once before, three years prior, but I after this trip, I can say with certainty that I didn't get to experience all the food Japan has to offer last time. This trip, it was my goal to eat as many delicious dishes as I possibly can. Over the past few weeks a number of people have asked me where I ate and so I thought I'd put together a small series of posts to capture all that I managed to stuff my face with in my short 14 days in the land of the rising sun. This is part one of my Japan food diary - Osaka.
I spent five days in Osaka, with one of those days taken up by Universal Studios and another in Hiroshima. Prepare yourself for a long post - I wanted to try and include photos for each dish or restaurant I ate at.
A note: this post is much of the food I ate. I didn't manage to snap a photo of some dishes, sadly. I'll also include convenience stores and chain restaurant foods in a later post.
I absolutely love Japan. Most of my travels have been to southeast Asian countries in the past, so Japan is a whole new world. A wonderful mixture of history and modernity, where the old meets the new. If you haven't been before, I highly recommend.
I've created an easy to view Google map that pinpoints all the places I visited, which you can view at the end of this post. Much easier if you're also looking to visit the same places, as the addresses in Japan are quite difficult to decipher.
Takoyaki - Dotonbori
While Osaka is famous for some fantastic food, takoyaki appears to define Osaka to some. Takoyaki is a round, Japanese snack or 'junk food' made with a wheat-based batter and cooked in a special pan to form a ball shape. Crunchy on the outside and oozing lava on the inside, this popular street food is filled with octopus, ginger and onions, among other ingredients. You can find takoyaki all over Japan, but I must say I noticed a higher density of stalls and restaurants serving this dish in Osaka. I'm not exactly certain of the stores I visited while in Osaka, but you will find many an option in Dotonbori, so I recommend starting there.
Slow-cooked pork rib ramen - Hanamaruken Namba Hozenji, Dotonbori
Ramen remains one of my favourite dishes to eat. I love the variety of the dish, from the richness in the broth or the chewiness of the noodles to toppings that are both traditional or more creative and exciting. Three years ago, I read that this slow cooked pork rib ramen is a must-try when you visit Dotonbori. This visit, I made sure that I went back.
Hanamaruken Ramen is a small 24 hour ramen shop just off the main street of Dotonbori. While they serve a handful of different styles of ramen, their recommendation is their slow-cooked pork rib ramen, which costs ¥1080 (A$14.50) - a pretty good deal if you ask me. You are also able to combine the ramen in a set with other menu items such as gyoza or fried rice. It all depends on how hungry you are.
It is very much the pork that makes the meal, but this won't be a bowl of ramen you could eat day in day out. The pork is incredibly rich and fatty. Fantastic in flavour and texture, but it could be a bit much for some. A must try at least once though!
[icon name="map-marker" class="" unprefixed_class=""] Hanamaruken Namba Hozenji 1-2-1 Nanba, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
Gyoza - Osaka Ohsho, Dotonbori
Gyoza is available at a number of stalls and restaurants all over Osaka and Dotonbori, as well as a side on the menus of restaurants specialising in other dishes as well. In the main strip of Dotonbori is where I found gyoza, at a shop that featured a large, oversized plate of gyoza as a signboard. Can't really go past that can you?
There was a small line gathering out the front as well. The chefs made them fresh right in front of the crowd and as they cook up plates of six gyoza, each serve was almost instantly swooped up by a hungry customer. The gyoza from the stalls in Dotonbori seemed much cheaper than the side dishes in restaurants too. I paid ¥240(A$3.24) for a plate of six traditional gyoza.
[icon name="map-marker" class="" unprefixed_class=""] Osaka Ohsho 1-6-13 Dotombori, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0071, Osaka Prefecture
Barbequed skewers - Dotonbori
I can't remember the exact stall I bought these skewers from, but they were at a small shopfront down the main strip of Dotonbori. The smell of the seafood and wagyu beef cooking over hot coals was too good to resist. I chose the octopus leg and scallops, but they had beef, chicken, prawns and veggies to choose from as well. The price varied depending on what you chose - more expensive for seafood and premium beef cuts in comparison something like the chicken or vegetable options. Once you choose your skewer, the chefs barbeque it right in front of you, so it takes around 10 minutes or so before you can eat. Once charred, the skewers are dipped into a slightly sweet sauce before they are handed to you. Combined with the smokiness from the barbeque, my skewers were soft, a little chewy and full of flavour.
Kushikatsu - Ganso Kushikatsu Daruma, Dotonbori
I watched a lot of foodie Youtube videos before travelling to Japan and a dish that featured in several videos was kushikatsu. Kushikatsu is crumbed and deep-fried meat and vegetables. A place that came recommended was Kushikatsu Daruma, recognisable by the signage of a giant man with an angry expression. Kushikatsu Daruma is said to be a pioneer of kushikatsu, and now a restaurant chain, so there are several locations that you can visit depending on where you are staying.
The line was long and I waited around 20 minutes before being seated, but from ordering, service was very quick. Crumbed, deep-fried food is not my favourite thing to eat, but as this place was highly recommended and I had never tried kushikatsu before, I was keen to give it a go. I shared the 12-piece option, but they also have nine piece and 15-piece options as well. The 12 skewers cost ¥1800 (A$24.32) and consisted of beef, prawn, asparagus, quail egg, rice cake, pork cutlet, chicken meatball, fish sausage with cheese, chicken karaage, cheese and sweet potato, plus a side of doteyaki - a beef tendon stew made with miso and mirin.
The way to eat kushikatsu is to dip it into the citrusy, soy-based sauce provided on the table. On the menu it tells you that there is a strict rule of no double dipping. You are given a free bowl of raw cabbage, so that if you want some extra sauce after dipping once, you can use the cabbage to spoon more sauce on to your skewer. I found the cabbage nice and fresh to eat between the crumbed skewers.
[icon name="map-marker" class="" unprefixed_class=""] Ganso Kushikatsu Daruma 1-6-4 Dotombori, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0071, Osaka Prefecture
Sushi - Daiki Suisan, Namba
This restaurant almost always had a line of 10 or more people waiting to get inside. Again, I had read some good reviews and the amount of people waiting in line convinced me it must be good enough to try. Daiki Suisan is a sushi train with plates ranging from ¥100 to ¥700 (A$1.35-9.46). My favourite dish was gunkan maki topped with slices of fatty tuna. Incredibly fresh and tasty, the perfect amount of fattiness to not be overwhelming, but to leave you wanting more.
[icon name="map-marker" class="" unprefixed_class=""] Daiki Suisan 5-1-60 Nanba, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
Hokkaido milk soft serve - Milk, Namba
Situated in the Namba City Main Building, along the Namba Walk, Milk is a dessert shop serving a variety of dishes with soft serve ice cream made with Hokkaido milk. Probably the most Instagrammable-looking ice cream cone I've ever had, the swirl of the soft-serve was perfect. It was incredibly creamy and milky in flavour, with the cone costing ¥500 (A$6.76).
[icon name="map-marker" class="" unprefixed_class=""] Milk, Namba City 5-1-60 Namba, Namba City Main Bldg. 1F, Chuo, Osaka 542-0076, Osaka Prefecture
Okonomiyaki - Kiji, Osaka
Okonomiyaki is a Japanese-style savoury pancake made with cabbage, as well as a variety of other ingredients including meat, seafood, egg and noodles. The variety in the way okonomiyaki is cooked depends on where you are. Osaka okonomiyaki is typically prepared by mixing all the ingredients together before cooking it on the hot plate. I visited Okonomiyaki Kiji located in the Umeda Sky Building, a short walk from the central Osaka train stations. It is a famous okonomiyaki restaurant in Osaka. Located on the basement level, I recommend consulting the floor map to locate exactly where the restaurant is. When I visited, the door was closed and it took me an embarrassingly long time to actually realise the restaurant was open, had I just opened the door and looked inside.
I was seated on a stool whereby the chef cooked the order right in front of me. The chef was incredibly gracious, and while he didn't appear to speak much English, he was lovely nonetheless. The menu was completely in Japanese, so I ordered whatever he recommended. I ended up sharing two different types of okonomiyaki, one more classic type with squid, and one with noodles with pork.
I couldn't tell you my favourite, both were absolutely delicious. If you're visiting with a friend or partner, I recommend ordering two different types as I did and sharing! I think that Okonomiyaki Kiji was a great choice of restaurant.
[icon name="map-marker" class="" unprefixed_class=""] Okonomiyaki Kiji Umeda Sky Bldg 1-1-90 Oyodonaka, Kita-ku | Umeda Sky Bldg. B1F Takimi Koji, Osaka 531-0076, Osaka Prefecture
Mazemen, Hiroshima
Keen to change it up a little, I didn't want to restrict my noodle-eating to classic soupy ramen only. After googling popular noodle dishes in Japan, I came across mazemen. Mazemen is a broth-less ramen, usually served with a selection of toppings including pork and spring onions and an egg. The way to eat? Stir it all up and slurp.
I spent a day out in Hiroshima while staying in Osaka, and one venue that constantly popped up on Trip Advisor and Japanese food and travel blogs was Okkundou Mazemen, a small noodle shop within walking distance from the Peace Park and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
The restaurant only fits around nine people at one time, but if you visit around 11-11:30am, you should be able to walk right in and sit down, as I did. The mazemen comes in four different sizes - small, regular, large and extra large, and you can order extra noodles or toppings as you wish. This bowl of noodles was a highlight of the trip. The egg created this light, silky sauce that coated wonderfully chewy noodles and surprisingly I didn't miss the broth at all. Highly recommend a visit!
[icon name="map-marker" class="" unprefixed_class=""] Okkundou Otemachi Honten 3-3-3 Otemachi | Sansan Bldg., Naka, Hiroshima 730-0051, Hiroshima Prefecture
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