daniel

Yesterday, after the dentist, I picked up a couple of canelé from Daniel.

Matcha, Fig & Walnut, Blueberry Coconut.

These are cute (about 2 inches high), perfect for gifts or a snack.

I'm glad I tried these, I'll be back.

Daniel
Lucua 1F
Umeda, Osaka
Phone: 06.6151.1228
Open when Lucua is

kukuruza popcorn

Seattle popcorn maker, Kukuruza, opened a shop in Osaka late March. (don't you love their name?! I do. Apparently it means "corn" in Russian.)

They sell 9 different flavors and one flavor of the month.

The flavor for April is Cashew Caramel (shown above).

This past Saturday, I was in Umeda a little earlier than usual, so I queued up for this popcorn.

Not knowing what to expect since I was the first in line, I entered the store and proceeded to give them my order.

Little did I know that I was at the "tasting" area, and was directed to the register area for my purchases.

I like that the cashew caramel has a nice ratio of nuts to popcorn.

We also tried the Buffalo & Bleu Cheese...this one was created to resemble Buffalo Wings.

The bleu cheese is tangy. Not spicy. This popcorn is mixed with caramel corn. The sweet-salty combo was our favorite.

I'll be back.

Kukuruza Popcorn (UPDATE: 3/2017 they closed this location)
Lucua B1
Umeda, Osaka
Phone: 06.6151.1144
Hours: 10:00-21:00
Open when Lucua is

torisanwa

If you were trying to comment on this blog over the weekend, sorry, Blogspot was all wonky. I could post, but couldn't preview the post before publishing. I couldn't answer any comments either.

Whatcha gonna expect for something that's free, yeah?!

Oh well...

I recently had lunch at Torisanwa. They specialize in Nagoya Ko-chin chicken, a brand name chicken of the area.

They sell tebasaki (wings) and karaage (fried chicken nuggets) to-go and they also have a tiny eating area where you can have donburi (bowl) type dishes like chicken katsu, oyakodon and the like. You can also order some wings or karaage to eat with your donburi.

I ordered their chicken katsu don...810 yen (tax included) This came with some collagen soup, a rich chicken broth. It also came with an umeboshi (pickled apricot). I didn't know when to work in eating the umeboshi, so I ate it at the end of the meal as a palate cleanser of sorts.

The chicken katsu were big pieces of chicken thigh, I believe, fried nicely and then coated with their sauce. The chicken was really tender and the sauce was a little on the sweet side...I enjoyed this.

I enjoyed the balance of the dish. There wasn't too much sauce to make things soupy and the egg was cooked perfectly...a little runny but not raw.

I'm not so sure if the portion would be enough for guys but I noticed lots of women were eating there.

Usually during the weekdays you'll see mostly to only women eating in cafes and such, but this was the weekend, so maybe it was because of the collagen soup?!

Anyway, I wouldn't mind buying some wings and karaage to try...I'll be back.

Torisanwa
Lucua B1F
Phone: 06.6151.1153
Hours: 10:00-22:00, open when Lucua is

amaranti

The other week Satoshi and I tried Amaranti in Lucua.

We had both been curious about this place for some time and finally got around to trying them.

Their interior is quite dark and the music quite loud, but we were quite impressed by their food.

I had their root vegetables & meat sauce spaghetti...1400 yen

I liked how there was gobo, pumpkin, renkon (lotus root) in there (and lots of cheese).

Satoshi and I shared this grilled seafood and vegetable salad...700 yen It was loaded with seafood!

Satoshi also had their mushroom soup which he didn't think was anything spectacular...500 yen. But, he did enjoy their porchini & bacon spaghetti....1300 yen

We'll be back.

Amaranti
Lucua 2F
Umeda, Osaka
Phone: 06.6151.1234　
Hours: 9:00-24:30

echi ponte vecchio

Another place that has a crazy line to get into is Echi Ponte Vecchio. They have several restaurants scattered around Osaka, but they are very high end.

Echi Ponte Vecchio is on the reasonable side.

For the price of your choice of pizza or pasta, you also get salad...this particular one had marinated mushrooms, sanma (pacific saury), some boiled potatoes as well as greens...really delicious.

This restaurant is certified to serve Naples style pizza, so I went with their margherita pizza...1575 yen

Just cheese, tomato sauce and a little basil...simple yet really delicious.

Satoshi went with their autumn pizza topped with diced sanma (pacific saury) which was marinated in a vinaigrette, and also topped with some grated daikon (white radish)...2100 yen

To end I had some espresso, while Satoshi had some coffee. They also gave us some truffles for dessert.

After seeing the pasta on the table next to us, I wouldn't mind coming back to try it.

We'll be back.

Echi Ponte Vecchio
Lucua 10F
Phone: 06.6485.7745
Lunch: 11:00-16:00, Dinner: 17:00-23:00
Closed when Lucua is

soup stock tokyo

So, I was telling you that I finally got to try Soup Stock Tokyo.

For 500 yen, you can have the soup of your choice. And you can choose rice or bread.

I chose rice, which came sprinkled with sesame seeds.

The rice is on the firmer side, so it goes really well with their soup.

The soup I chose was their 7 veggie with ginger soup...really delicious!

And, the recipe is in their cookbook, so I hope to try making it soon.

I'll be back.

Soup Stock Tokyo
Lucua B1F
Hours: 7:00-23:00 : open when Lucua is
Phone: 06.6151.1211

lei can ting

We've eaten at Lei Can Ting several times, but I guess I've never posted about them.

It's not that their food is bad, I think their food is pretty good.

The other day we had lunch there, it was one of the only restaurants that didn't have a line to get in.

I ordered their salad rei men (cold noodles)...980 yen. This came with two pieces of yum cha (dim sum).

Lots of fresh veggies and the sauce for the noodles reminded me of the sauce we use for somen salad.

Satoshi had their tan tan men...1500 yen, his tray had two pieces of yum cha plus some other "small tastes", which I didn't see because he ate so fast!

We'll definitely be back.

Lei Can Ting
Lucua 10F
Umeda, Osaka
Phone: 06.6347.0797
Hours: 11:00-23:00, open when Lucua is.

foodie wednesday in osaka

Wednesday, Satoshi had the day off, so we went to check out a friend's art exhibit in Osaka.

It was just about lunchtime when we arrived at Honmachi, so we went to check out a cafe, but the line was out the door. (top left photo)

So, we checked out a ramen shop around the corner, Rakuzan.

This shop seats 15. The base of their soup is a curry, with a hint of coconut milk.

I tried their won ton men and all their ramen comes with a musubi...700 yen.

Satoshi went with their tan tan men (with a musubi)...750 yen.

This was good, just the right amount of heat and I liked their thin noodles.

Unfortunately, because it was peak lunchtime, we couldn't sit around and chat, there was a line of hungry office workers, ready to take our seats.

So we thought we'd have some coffee at Hiraoka Coffee Shop. This place has been in business since 1921.

They are known for their coffee 320 yen and donuts 120 yen each.

When you walk in, be prepared to be enveloped in cigarette smoke...blah!

And then when you bite into the donut your mouth is coated with oil...eww!

A definite hangout for older male office workers, I think they've stayed in business because of their coffee. As for their donuts, I think they need to keep them on paper towels or something...

After visiting the art exhibit, we walked around the area, you could still see a lot of people in search of lunch and feel the excitement of it in the air.

We saw this objet called the "global tree" and I liked how it reflected the surroundings.

I had an appointment in the afternoon, so Satoshi and I met up for dinner in Umeda afterwards.

We checked out Nakanoya, located in Lucua. I had the torisoboro teishoku, this came with soba or udon (I chose cold soba)...delicious and a lot of food for only 850 yen.

Satoshi had the take-kago (bamboo basket) bento...1450 yen, this came with all sorts of little dishes and soba or udon, which he chose hot soba.

Great foodie day, the weather has been quite sunny and HOT!

Rakuzan
4-6-2 Hirano-machi
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6226.1417
Closed Sundays & Holidays
Hours: 11:00-15:00

Hiraoka Coffee Shop
3-6-11 Kawaramachi
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6231.6020
Closed Sundays & Holidays
Hours: 8:00-18:00 (M-F), 8:00-13:00 (Sa)

Nakanoya (no longer in business : 2021)
Lucua 10F
Umeda, Osaka
Phone: 06.6151.1382
Hours: 11:00-23:00

boo!

Saturday before Satoshi's German class, we stopped in at Hope de Est for something sweet.

Their creation, Ghost, is a chocolate cake, topped with cream and pumpkin puree, like a Mont Blanc.

I notice that with every year that passes, Japan is getting into Halloween more and more.

The whole thing is wrapped with a thin soft mochi...cute and tasty.

Not too sweet too...with coffees, 1210 yen (about US$12.10)

While I was waiting for Satoshi to finish his class, I went up to the rooftop where they have a sitting area and many gardens.

I found this cosmos...loved the reflection in the pool behind.

Have a great week!

Hope de Est
Lucua B1
Umeda, Osaka
Phone: 06.6151.1216
Open 10:00-22:00 UPDATE: this shop is no longer at this location

dominique saibron

We recently tried some items from Dominique Saibron. His main shop is in Paris and he also has several shops in Tokyo, and this is the first one in Kansai.

Satoshi and I shared the following items for breakfast the other day....Escargot (Pistache), what Americans would call a "snail".

This one was a puff pastry style danish filled with pistachios...I love how even though we ate it a day later there was still a nice sheen to it.

Pied noir chocolat...a soft milk bread filled with mini chocolate chips.

I like that the amount of chocolate wasn't skimped on.

Pain au chocolat...this had just the right amount of chocolate and the pastry was flaky.

All very good.

He also has some chilled items like macaron and flan (what the Japanese call pudding).

And there is also a cafe area but I'll wait until the crowd dies down to check it out.

Dominique Saibron Marche et Cafe (UPDATE: 2/2015 this shop closed)
Lucua B1
Kita-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.6151.1207
Hours: 7:00-23:00

dotombori kamukura

Thursday, Satoshi had the day off and we went to pick up my foreigner visa.

Afterwards, we went to check out Dotombori Kamukura.

Apparently this ramen shop has been around since the late 80's and Satoshi has eaten at the shop in Namba.

A new shop recently opened in Lucua and we stood in line for lunch.

The line moved quite quickly, and while you wait in line, they take your order.

When you get inside, you pay for your meal and then wait for a seat to open up.

After being seated, it takes some time for your meal to come out because the noodles are being cooked right before you sit down.

Satoshi ordered the gyoza set...850 yen with a soft cooked egg (plus 100 yen)...total about US$9.50...this set also comes with a musubi with your choice of "innards", he chose konbu (kelp).

I ordered the original which is called "oishii ramen" (delicious ramen) 600 yen and added a topping of kim chee 100 yen (total of about US$7).

The broth...OM! is so rich and delicious. I think it was chicken based and kind of smoky.

The char siu...wow, thinly sliced and lots of flavor...this was shoyu based and roasted.

Their kim chee is delicious too, spicy and a nice crunch.

Also, there is a lot of hakusai (chinese cabbage).

The gyoza filling seemed like it was chicken too with a little shiso inside...yum! You can choose between original sauce and garlic flavored sauce, we tried the original to dip the gyoza in.

Very very good ramen, and now I understand why the lines were insanely long.

It isn't a place to have a leisurely lunch, but for really good ramen, it is the place to try.

Dotombori Kamukura
Lucua 10F
Umeda, Osaka
Phone: 06.6415.7070

new

Over the past couple of weeks a lot of new shops and eateries have opened up in the Umeda area.

In Daimaru, which renovated all their floors, there is a Tokyu Hands. Tokyu Hands is an odds & ends shop, you can find almost anything and everything there.

They even opened a cafe which we want to try. Their store is on 3 separate floors, it is really big.

Also in Daimaru is a huge Pokemon Center as well as a cooking school.

Then NU Chayamachi opened an annex called, NU Chayamachi Plus.

They have all these statues of colorfully painted gnu lining the street in front. (I thought it quite weird that they named their building after the animal (gnu)...)

I liked how they are using real plants to create their sign, hope they can keep this up with summer approaching.

I stopped into the Starbucks in this complex. It was relatively empty.

I tried their new mini macarons...it came with one green tea and one black sesame. The green tea one had a white chocolate green tea cream, but needed more green tea flavor. The black sesame had a dark chocolate filling, this was good but needed more filling.

The JR Osaka station has been renovated too.

There is a huge domed roof and very very long escalators, doesn't it look like you are going up to heaven?!

Actually by going up these escalators, you can go straight into Daimaru. They even have an open cafe on this level.

Two department stores, Lucua & Isetan opened too.

These places were packed, mostly people riding the escalators to check it all out. (like me!)

I was happy that they have a place to sit on the 11th floor and a roof garden on the 14th. (If there is one thing you'll notice right away in Japan is that places to sit are really rare.)

Satoshi and I tried a tapas restaurant called Rosa Roja for dinner. This restaurant is actually run by the Osaka Granvia Hotel. The food is good. I particularly enjoyed the gyu-tan (beef tongue), it was tender and delicious with the thinly sliced veggies.

The Spanish wine, Volteo Tempranillo we tried was good too.

There are many food places from Tokyo which I'm sure we'll be able to check out in the coming months, but for now, it is best to let the crowds die down.

Rosa Roja
Lucua 10F
Umeda, Osaka
Phone: 06.6151.1384