Monday, April 27, 2015
Tokyo Banana
Virtually everyone at the PAL counter at KIX carried packs of Tokyo Banana products for giveaways. Seriously! This souvenir sweet seems to be the in pasalubong item for Manila-bound passengers. I must admit though, that I wasn't too happy with the banana flavoring they used, seemed to me to be a little overly fragrant.President Chibo
Talk about sumptuous meals! We agreed to meet Joey and Rina at the basement level of the Hotel Nikko. Based on the recommendation of their AirBNB host, we were scheduled to have lunch at President Chibo which was rated to be one of the good teppanyaki places in the Sinshaibashi area. The place was quite full when we got there, and we had to make do sitting at different locations.
We were lucky to be seated at a spacious table where we could view the cooking with ease.
We enjoyed so much that we over-ordered. We are stuffed! If this were a classroom, I'd give the chef an A+!
Laduree
The Laduree shop was at the ground floor of the Daimaru department store. I understand that this bakery is one of the top makers of macarons in the world, and we tried some just to get a feel for the brand. Monique picked an assortment of flavors, I think the pistachio flavor was quite good but the pastry is simply too sweet for my taste buds.
Kobe Ijinkan
My guess is that this chocolate product is geared towards the tourist market. A bit on the sweet side, but still very delicious. I don't recall where exactly did I buy this, but we came home with a couple of boxes. Yummy!Van Houten Cocoa
More interesting stuff at the local convenience store; this time it was a carton of Van Houten Cocoa. Not as chocolatey as I thought it should have been, given the Van Houten brand name (this brand has pedigree because Van Houten was the first chemist to treat cocoa beans with alkaline salts to remove unwanted bitterness). Not bad though; I always have the Van Houten chocolate bar, but this was the first time I tried their chocolate drink.Koiwai Soft Cheese
We tried Kowai Farms soft cheese--simple, tasty, and available at the corner convenience store. Great for brekky...Ganko Tonkatsu
Late lunch this time. Lani, Monique and I had no time to look for Vicky. We decided to pop in Ganko Tonkatsu to rest while our arms got stressed from all the shopping bags we were carrying. The food wasn't bad, but the preparation was obviously done like a fast-food outlet. Wasn't cheap at around Y2,000 per person.
Hokuo Cafe
More pastries and eating for take home, courtesy of our visit at the Hokuo Cafe! They were not kidding about the food trips you can indulge in when you stay in Osaka.Hop Chou a la Creme
We were in the Sinsaibashi area, and Lani picked up some lovely cream puffs at Hop Chou ala Creme. Had them for brekky the next day and they still tasted good!
Calpis Soda
I can't fully describe how Calpis Soda tastes like. It's not lemony like Sprite or 7Up, nor is it completely milky like Yakult. I like it though. It's easily available in Japan and we picked up a can from a street side vending machine.Honolulu Coffee
We found the rest of the ladies in our group at the Honolulu Kona Coffee shop, which was situated at the Dotonbori district, just overlooking the canal. The aroma was pretty strong and you could smell the coffee even if you were outside the shop.
Yakitori
Monique, Vicky and I met up with Paul for some after-dinner yakitori and drinks in the Dotonbori area. We just chose a crowded (read popular) yakitori joint and walked in without knowing what the name of the place was. Food was good (and cheap at around Y100 to Y300 per stick)! Since Osaka is the food capital of Japan, then you can say that the Dotonbori district is the best place to eat in.
Coca-Cola Life
I always go for regular Coke; frankly, the taste of Coke Zero, Coke Light and Diet Coke are anathema to me. My first reaction tasting Coke Life, which is made with Stevia, was a very positive, "Where can I get more of this?" because the product has less sugar content than the regular Coke, but without the chemical aftertaste of artificial sweeteners. Is it healthier? I guess only time will tell.Pablo
A friend had told us about the Pablo cheesecake that was making waves in Osaka. It was lucky that we got to the store just as the doors opened, and the line wasn't that long (only took Lani, Monique's godmother, around 10 minutes to purchase one); we would later see long queues that easily doubled the waiting time. The filling is pretty light and easy to savor, and the texture could even be described as fluffy. Not sweet at all, which is good for me. I understand that the store will open some branches in Manila soon, courtesy of snack king cum hip retailer Ben Chan.
Sunkus
I enjoy visiting convenience stores for the, uhm well, convenience. All the more so in foreign countries; having several such stores located within a couple of minutes walk from one's hotel is such a nifty thing! The Circle K Sunkus stores we frequented were truly a haven for everything mundane--coffee, water, ice cream, bread, juices, gelatin, cheese, chocolate and milk. Comfort zone!
The Konnamon-Ya
I've never been a fan of tako (octopus) balls in Manila, the ones I have tasted here are mere salted pancake balls with a lot of fish flavoring. Our first taste of Osaka street food, however, changed my impression of tako balls--this version was topped with mayonnaise, sweet-sour plum sauce, green onions and bonito flakes. Our order came hot off the grill, and we forked the balls and ate them street side. Perfect to eat with the chilly weather!
Koiki Sushi Hana
We arrived at our hotel in the late afternoon and by the time we were settled in, night had fallen. We were hungry. We decided to roam around the Kita district to find a place to eat. Amidst the high end bars and clubs, we managed to find a sushi restaurant, and we had a truly memorable dinner! Our hostess spoke very little English, but we managed to communicate by sign language. Despite our handicap of speaking very little Japanese, we were given an gustatory delight!
The miso soup is absolutely hands down the best miso soup I have tasted in my entire life. I don't know what they put in it, but it was so tasty, to the point of having sweetness without any noticeable sugar.
We each had a sushi platter. Each piece was truly oishii! It was like we had tasted a whole new level of Japanese food. The chef was probably amused by our facial expressions that he prepared miniature samples of sushi (in the bottom picture, each piece is around one centimeter in length).
We shared an ebi tempura platter. This came hot off the frying pan. Crunchy on the edges, yet the meat was soft. Served with lemon, which was something that I didn't expect.
We spent something like Y38,000 for a group of 4. Pretty steep but we were in the Kita business district, and it was well worth it. I don't even know if I can find that restaurant again, all I can remember was that it was around a 15 minute walk from our hotel.
ANA Crowne Plaza
Vicky decided to stay at the Kita (North) section of Osaka for our vacation. ANA Crowne Plaza was just a short bus hop away from the JR Rail Station, and was a very good choice for our home base. Rooms were spacious and we were lucky that adjoining rooms were available when we booked.
I just love the toilet seat warmer! Saves me from that stinging moment of discomfort when you sit down in cold weather. :-)
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