Horie Meijiken

image via https://tabelog.com/osaka/A2701/A270201/27001834/dtlrvwlst/B208949884/

Meijiken is a Western Japanese restaurant located in Shinsaibashi. This restaurant serves omu rice (omelet rice), cutlets, curry rice, soups, and steak. There are English menus available, but they do not include all the dishes on the Japanese menu, and they do not accept credit cards. There was a waiter who could speak sufficient English when we were there.

My sister ordered the omu rice with a chicken cutlet. She enjoyed it; she thought it was delicious. For me, it just tasted like tomato rice and egg. It was decent, but nothing special about it. That is just my personal opinion. The chicken cutlet was nice and crusty outside, but the inside was pretty flavorful.

I ordered the steak set with a soup (of your choice), salad, and bread/rice. I ordered the creamy corn soup, which was light and creamy. The salad came with a Thousand Island dressing. The bread was lightly toasted, fresh, and warm, with a hint of sweetness. I ordered my steak well done; it came with a brown sauce, which I was not too fond of; it did not agree with my taste buds. The steak, however, went really well with the two pastes served on the plate – mustard and pepper (I think).

Nearing the end of our meal, my sister was craving something more. So she ordered the beef stew. The stew was hearty and delicious! It was full of flavor. The potato, carrot, and beef pieces were tender. It would go lovely with rice.

The total was around 5300 yen. I would say this is a restaurant worth exploring.

Horie Meijiken

Website: https://meijiken.crayonsite.net/

Opening hours: Daily 11:30 p.m. – 21:00 p.m., closed on Wednesdays

Telephone: +81 0665398250

Address: 1 Chome-14-30 Minamihorie, Nishi Ward, Osaka, 550-0015, Japan

Japanese confections

Here are a few Japanese confections that I liked during my trip to Osaka and Kyoto:-

Warabi mochi

This was one of my favorite confections to eat when I was in Osaka. Unlike the traditional mochi, which is made of glutinous rice, warabi mochi is made of bracken starch covered in kinako (toasted soybean flour). Its texture is more jelly-like and translucent.

Matcha ice cream

If you love matcha and ice cream, then you have to try the matcha ice cream! It is sold pretty much everywhere.

Mitarashi Komochi

Mitarashi komochi is a famous mochi in Osaka. The mochi is filled with mitarashi (a sweet syrup made from soy sauce). An important note about the mochi is its relatively short shelf life. I was unaware of this and kept a box for almost two weeks before opening it, only to find out that it had already expired. So pay attention to the expiry date! I bought this at a shop in Dotonbori.

Mon Loire financier

I first got a box of Mon Loire financier as a gift from a friend who traveled to Japan. The one given to me had three flavors – matcha, plain, and chocolate. The cake was light and moist. The cake finished within a day (I shared some with friends), leaving me wanting more. When I finally planned my trip to Japan, I made sure that it was on my itinerary. I bought mine from the Takashimaya department store in Osaka. Mon Loire specializes in chocolate. If you want to try out their chocolate, you can look up their store locations on their website https://www.monloire.co.jp/shop.html. Also, note that not all stores sell the financier.

Soda crackers (tansan senbei)

image via http://feel.kobeport.org/_ch/shopping/spot/?sid=367

Tansan senbei is a specialty of Arima onsen, a famous hot spring area in Kobe. These crackers are fragrant, savory, sweet, crispy, and crunchy and taste a little bit like a waffle cone. They are lovely with a cup of tea or coffee. I bought mine at Mitsumori Honpo, which is along the path on the way up to Rinkei-ji temple. We were looking at the making process of the crackers, and the guy came over and gave us each a freshly baked cracker to sample – nothing like a freshly baked cracker. A few other popular stores are selling tansan senbei along that path – Izumido factory and Yunosato Honpo.

Wired Cafe

The Wired Cafe is located on the 7F of the Lucua mall at Osaka station. It is a vibrant, cozy, and work-friendly cafe, also a perfect place to chill and hang out. There are power sockets and free WIFI available. There is also an outdoor smoking dining area that overlooks the inside of the station.

The cafe offers a rich menu of rice bowls, pasta, soups, sandwiches, desserts, and various drinks. Set meals are also available.

The cappuccino was not how I liked it. It was somewhat bland, and the taste of the milk was overpowering. I am sorry to say I did not enjoy it.

The nachos came with beef sauce, sour cream, lime, corn, tomato, and lettuce. The nacho chips, paired with the beef sauce and sour cream, were delicious.

The clam chowder soup set came with bread, ham, and salad. The clam chowder was decent. I would say this was an average dish.

The cafe offers a variety of interesting rice bowls. I ordered the white gravy hamburger steak combo. I was impressed that it had a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. The potato chips were good; they had a natural potato sweetness to them. The vegetables were lightly sauteed and seasoned with salt. The white gravy wasn’t too rich; it went well with the rice, egg, and steak (that’s how I ate it).

Some dishes here are good; I would recommend the rice bowls. The atmosphere is definitely a plus.

Wired cafe

Website: https://www.cafecompany.co.jp/brands/wiredcafe/#shop8

Opening hours: Daily 11:00 a.m. – 20:00 p.m.

Telephone: +81 661511329

Address: Japan, 〒530-8217 Osaka, Kita Ward, Umeda, 3 Chome−1−3 7F LUCUA

Marufuku coffee (Sennichimae branch)

Marufuku Coffee is one of the oldest coffee shops in Osaka. I found this place by chance. I was getting some groceries the night before at Life Foods Market near Namba Walk. Before heading to the cashier, I stopped by the pudding section to pick up some. A particular one stood out – Marufuku coffee pudding. What caught my attention was “since 1934”, and I thought, “Let’s see how good this pudding is.”

I tried the coffee pudding the next day after lunch and absolutely loved it. It was creamy and sweet, with a hint of bitterness from the coffee. I looked up more information about the brand and discovered that it has a long history, and they have coffee shops in Osaka. My sister suggested we try it, and I quote, “We’d be a fool not to try it.” We went to the main branch in Sennichimae.

Marufuku Coffee Shop is a short walk from Dotonbori and Namba station. When we entered, we were greeted by a strong presence of cigarette smoke. There is no non-smoking area in the shop. I would have walked straight out if I weren’t adamant about trying the coffee. The interior was old French cafe style.

My sister ordered a set with a cup of blended coffee, coffee pudding, and two kinds of cake. I ordered the Ice Cafe au lait (milk coffee) and the cheese toast (Marufuku’s specialty). The blended coffee was sharp and strong. It had a kick to it. The iced cafe au lait had a well-balanced flavor – smooth, fragrant, and bittersweet. The cheese toast was a delight! The bread was ultra-soft and fluffy. It had the right amount of cheese that did not overpower the natural flavor of the bread. The bill came to slightly over 3,000 yen.

If you enjoy coffee and want to try something different, visit this cafe. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Marufuku coffee

Website: https://marufukucoffeeten.com/store/sennichimae/

Opening hours: Daily 8:00 a.m. – 23:00 p.m.

Telephone: +81 0662113474

Address: 1 Chome-9-1 Sennichimae, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0074, Japan

Tsuruhashi Koreatown

Tsuruhashi Koreatown in Osaka is the largest Koreatown in Japan. You can pretty much find anything Korean there. It was not part of my itinerary to visit this place because there are many Korean shops and restaurants in the city where I currently work (Beijing) due to the large population of Koreans working and residing there. I would prefer to explore more local places. My sister, who currently lives in Malaysia, craved Korean food. So I said I will take her there for dinner. We got to Koreatown around 6:30 pm, and many shops (except the restaurants) were already closed. It was raining, so we couldn’t really explore either. We just found a random restaurant to have dinner. We also got to sample various Korean pickles. My favorite is kimchi, and there was a store with pretty good and spicy kimchi, so I bought some to take home.

For those unfamiliar with or enjoying Korean food, this is a good area to visit.

Kaiseki, Negiya Ryofukaku, Kobe

One of Japan’s specialties is Kaiseki, a traditional multi-course meal known as Japanese haute cuisine. The prices vary depending on where you dine. Lunch is cheaper, ranging from 4,000 to 10,000 yen, and dinner from 10,000 yen onward. I had my first Kaiseki experience at a Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Kobe. I initially planned to have a Kaiseki meal in Kyoto, but I decided to try it since it was part of the Ryokan package.

The Ryokan I stayed at was the Negiya Ryofukaku at the famous hot spring town – of Arima Onsen in Kobe. The Kaiseki dinner is served in the room, and breakfast is at the public dining hall. The Ryokan provided a set of yukata for my sister and me to wear during our stay. It was so comfortable and wearing the yukata while dining made the experience extra special. The staff who served us our dinner was amiable and warm. She introduced every dish to us. The presentation of the food was simple yet enticing. The ingredients used were fresh. Some dishes were an acquired taste for us, and some were delicious. My favorite was the tempura and matcha jelly with cream. The shrimp tempura was scrumptious! The shrimp was cooked perfectly; the outer layer was crusty and crispy. The outer layer of the tempura was different from what I usually have. It was flaky and reminded me of deep-fried wontons. The baby eggplants were so cute!

The kaiseki dinner was truly a unique culinary experience for my sister and me.

This is the public dining area where we had our Japanese breakfast.

Negiya Ryofukaku

Website: https://www.negiya.jp/

Telephone: +81 789040675

Address: 1537-2 Arimacho, Kita Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1401, Japan

Nishiki market, Kyoto

Nishiki Market is a four-hundred-year-old market. It has modern and traditional shops selling fresh seafood, vegetables, souvenirs, local sweets, pickled vegetables, popular local food, etc. The market is very clean and packed with locals and tourists. It is a great place to explore local produce and savor Kyoto specialties. It is definitely worth visiting.

One of my favorite stores at the market is the Aritsugu knife shop. They are one of the oldest and most famous knife makers in Japan. The knife selection was impressive and had amazing handiwork. You can even have your initials carved onto the knife. A household kitchen knife would cost around 10,000 yen. They also sell other cutting tools, such as scissors, pots, and pans. I regretted not buying a knife when I was there. I will put that on my list of things to buy on my next trip.

Tofu Manju, Kyoto

There is a little steam bun stand next to Okutan iKyomizu (one of the oldest tofu restaurants in Kyoto) right on the top of Ninenzaka, on the way to the Kiyomizu temple.

The steam bun has a sweet stuffing of okara (soy pulp). The bun is delicately soft and fluffy. Complimentary tea is given with each order. The perfect snack on a cold day. Benches are available where one can sit and people-watch while enjoying the steam bun and tea.

Kagizen Yoshifusa, Gion, Kyoto

image via http://www.kagizen.co.jp/en/store/

Kagizen Yoshifusa is a long-established sweet shop making Kyogashi (Kyoto sweets) in Kyoto. The interior is furnished with old-style furniture and wood panels –
very vintage. All confectioneries are beautifully handcrafted.

There is also a cafe at the Gion branch offering a simple menu consisting of Matcha, mochi, Japanese cake, and their house specialty, “Kuzukiri,” which are noodles made from kudzu starch served with brown sugar syrup.

Kagizen Yoshifusa

Website: https://www.kagizen.co.jp/en/

Opening hours: Daily 9:30 a.m. – 18:00 p.m., close on Mondays

Telephone: +81 0755611818

Address: 264 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0073, Japan

Pontoiru (Japanese- Italian cuisine), Kyoto station

Pontoiru is a modern Kyoto fusion pasta restaurant located on the 11th floor of The Cube shopping mall at the Kyoto station.

The menu is seasonal, and the English menu is available. There is a special set menu where you can have two different pasta (obviously at a smaller amount each), a drink, and a dessert for 1340yen. I ordered the Pollock roe & shrimp with cream sauce pasta, duck pasta with cream sauce, matcha latte, and pudding with taro ice cream. My sister decided to go with the a la carte menu and ordered the oyster with leek and scallion pasta in ginger butter sauce. The pasta was all delicious, each with its unique Japanese flavor. The ingredients were very fresh.

The matcha latte was smooth and rich. The pudding was refreshing. It had a jello-like texture. It was not too sweet, and the matcha sauce gave it a nice tea flavor.

If you want something a little different from the traditional Japanese dishes, this is a good alternative.

Pontoiru

Website: https://www.pontoiru.com/

Opening hours: Daily 11:00 a.m. – 22:00 p.m.

Telephone: +81 0753658740

Address: Japan, 〒600-8216 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, 塩小路下ル東塩小路町901 京都駅ビルThe Cube 11F