fylgdu mer

Have been wanting to check out Fylgdu Mér out for some time.

Not sure how to pronounce their name.

Apparently it is Icelandic for "follow me".

I think their food is Moroccan.

This was their Mezze plate.

Loved the falafel, avocado hummus and all the veggies.

On this particular day, I had gone to the dentist and found out that I need some major dental work done in the coming weeks...it's gonna take at least 4 or 5 visits...eep.

Hoping I'll be able to eat after these appointments...

Oh and I'll be back to Fylgdu Mér when I'm in the area to try their other menu items.

Fylgdu Mér
1-13-17 Shinmachi
Nishi-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.4394.8715
Hours: 11:30-17:00
Closed Sundays

shopping foodie friday in osaka

You know how in Osaka we say "kuidaore" (coo-ee-dah-oh-ray = eat until you drop)?

Well Friday was "kaidaore" (kah-ee-dah-oh-ray = shop until you drop) as I got to meet up with Reader V since she is in Osaka at the moment.

If you remember, we first met up with Jalna over the summer.

It was funny because when we first met she said, "I thought you would be at least 200 pounds with all that you eat!"

Anyway, she had a nice amount of items on her shopping list, so we went together to Namba to hang out and to tick some those shopping list items off.

Within minutes of Takashimaya opening we ticked off a couple of the places she wanted to shop at and then headed to MUJI.

We then walked from Namba to Honmachi, stopping for a caramel pudding with coffee jelly (gelatin) break at Starbucks.

And then more shopping at a shop specializing in mainly bags and containers for shops called Shimojima.

(I love this place because I can buy muffin papers and other kitchen things here for reasonable prices.)

Back in Umeda we had lunch at a dashi chazuke shop called En and then had espresso sodas at City Bakery.

It was super grey and raining off and on, but all in all it was a whirlwind shopping day and I am glad we got to meet up.

V was so nice to bring all sorts of goodies for us...like these ulu (breadfruit) chips that I think she said her friend makes.

It was my first time trying ulu this way, so good!

Cropsticks will be perfect to bring on picnics.

Kula Strawberry Chili Pepper Jam as pupu (appetizer) sounds good with cream cheese and crackers...

One of my favorite snacks..Kind Bars...

And an introduction to Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimba manga character.

I hope she had a nice time and I am glad that we got to tick some of the things on her shopping list off!

Lots of walking, lots of talking and lots of retail therapy!

Thanks for a great day V!

monday

Because the hotel we were staying at had a "first come first serve" policy for riding their shuttle, we decided to get to the airport early and have breakfast.

On our way back to Osaka, I was in the right seat at the right time and got a "snowless" Mount Fuji video (click the photo to see it).

By 10:00-ish we were standing in this krazy line to see the Hokusai exhibit at the Abeno Harukas Museum.

People cutting in line for tickets and unreal shoving inside to see the different works, put a damper on my enthusiasm.

I tried patiently to see as many works as I could, but gave up towards the end of the exhibit and instead waited for Satoshi to exit the exhibit.

At 1:00-ish we went up 300 meters (984 feet) to the top of Abeno Harukas (which I think is the tallest building in Japan at the moment)

definitely not for those afraid of heights...

Lunch was late but delicious at Piccolo Curry.

This was their special beef and regular beef curries over rice topped with a scrambled egg.

Dessert was a matcha soft serve made with green tea from the Minami Yamashiro area of Kyoto at Hankyu Umeda Department store.

It was whirlwind 3-day weekend, even though it was quite summery, I'm glad we got to do all that we did.

Piccolo Curry
Abeno Harukas Dining 12F
Tennoji, Osaka
Phone: 06.6654.6063
Hours: 11:00-23:00
Open when Abeno Harukas is

reconnecting

Back in January, I got an email from cousin E.

The last time we saw this cousin was back in 2012.

Before that, was way way back when I was in high school (I think)...

Anyway, his email was to let us know that he and his family were coming to Japan in June.

After emailing a couple of times, we decided to meet yesterday.

Even if we met up in 2012, it was actually our first time to "hang out" with them.

Instead of eating at the shopping mall we met up at, we bought some bento and other items from a supermarket in the complex and had a makeshift picnic near the Osaka Castle.

I think they enjoyed checking out the pre-made food section at the supermarket too.

Then after walking through the castle, we walked around Dotombori and had an early dinner at Honke Ootako.

Takoyaki, yakisoba, okonomiyaki and other nibbles.

I think everyone had a nice time and I hope everyone had enough to eat.

side note: If you just want to eat takoyaki, Honke Ootako has a stand called Ootako around the corner from their shop. (as we left, we saw wait staff running orders of takoyaki from the stand to the shop)

I don't really care too much for takoyaki as the "innards" are always kinda undercooked for my liking, but this shop's takoyaki was delicious with huge pieces of tako (octopus) inside.

It was a blazing day, but I'm glad we got to spend some time reconnecting with them and I hope they enjoyed their visit to Osaka.

Thanks for a great day, E & Family!

Honke Ootako
1-1-6 Namba
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6213.1888
Hours: 11:30-23:00

krazy foodie thursday in osaka

Thursday, we met Ryan and his wife, S.

A couple of years back, he gave us a bottle of his mom's homemade ohelo jam.

Even though we were meeting for the first time, it turns out we have a LOT of connections (super small world), so it was easy to chat with them.

After doing some shopping, we had lunch at Okonomiyaki Yukari...Satoshi has been here a couple of times...even if we had to wait to get a table...the food came out quite quickly once we ordered.

We shared a mixed okonomiyaki, negiyaki (pictured above), some yakisoba & a sakura mochi ice cream (and beers).

Bellies full (at least mine was), we walked through Doguyasuji, the area in Osaka that sells all sorts of gadgets & kitchen items.

Around the corner, Satoshi & S had dessert...taiyaki.

And then while walking through Kuromon Market, Ryan and Satoshi had uni (sea urchin) and other goodies...

We went back to their hotel and had drinks at the bar...mojitos & sake

And since Ryan was about to order food from the bar, we decided to grab dinner...

Kushikatsu (and beer) at Hotaru...remember no double dipping.

We let the cook choose so they gave us 10 different types which the waitress rattled off...there was asparagus, shiitake, scallops, tako (octopus), kisu (sillago japonica), onion, minced chicken with cheese, quail eggs, and two more that I can't remember.

Before saying our goodbyes, Ryan gave us this huge Aomori apple that we saw at Kuromon Market.

(I measured and it is about 4 inches (10 centimeters) across and about 4 inches (10 centimeters) tall)

It is a different variety called "mutsu" and different from the ones we see in our area markets.

While very crisp, the fruit itself isn't sweet like Fuji apples...we had half for breakfast one day and the other half for another breakfast...so good!

They also gave us tons of omiyage...mostly things that I have on my Omiyage List.

And also jars of ohelo and ume jam that his mom made!

Lots of walking, lots and lots of talking and lots and lots of eating.

It was so nice to be able to meet them and hope they had a nice time.

We felt so bad because they wouldn't let us pay for anything!

Over the years, our teeny blog has brought us so many new friends and connections and we are so thankful.

"You guys, next time we go holo-holo (galavanting), we're paying...."

Thank you again for a great day, Ryan & S!

Okonomiyaki Yukari
2-11-12 Sennichimae
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6647.8001
Hours: 11:00-23:30

Doguyasuji
14-5 Namba-sennichimae
Chuo, Osaka

Kuromon Market
2-4-1 Nipponbashi
Chuo, Osaka
Hours: 9:00-18:00

Kushikatsu Hotaru
3-3-3 Namba
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6616.9800
Closed Mondays
Hours: Weekdays: Lunch: 11:30-15:00, Dinner: 17:30-23:00
Weekends: 11:30-23:00

craft burger co.

The other day, I had intended to have lunch at El.Zocalo Burrito, since it had been some time since the last time I visited.

But when I stood in front of the shop, they had their "closed" sign out and it didn't look like anyone was around.

The wind was icy and I wasn't willing to wait a couple of minutes to see if they would eventually open...

Luckily I spotted Craft Burger Co. just around the corner from El.Zocalo Burrito.

The shop isn't too large, and since they had just opened for business it was still quiet and there weren't any customers.

For 880 yen (tax included), you can choose from their 5 different burgers...

I chose their pulled pork which wasn't an actual burger but a nice sized brioche bun filled with tender pulled pork, bbq sauce and cole slaw.

They gave me a triangle paper sleeve for my burger and told me to put the burger inside before eating...

um, please put the burger in the sleeve for me...since my sandwich wasn't an actual burger it wasn't actually sturdy enough for me to one handedly put it into the sleeve.

I ended up nixing the sleeve and just eating the sandwich with a fork.

The meal comes with your choice of a side and I am glad I chose these fried potatoes.

The outside was crisp and had a nice amount of rosemary and salt.

For 120 yen more you can order a drink...so I added a cola.

Of course, as I left, I noticed El.Zocalo Burrito had opened for business...

I still hope to go back to El.Zocalo Burrito one day, but if they aren't ready for business, I know where else I can lunch at.

Craft Burger Co.
1-6-12 Kitahorie
Nishi-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.6556.6682
Closed Mondays
Hours: 11:30-22:30

grill bon

I've had Grill Bon bookmarked for a long time. It's the beef katsu sandwich that made me bookmark them.

Finally, we got to try them on Saturday.

We arrived 10 minutes before opening and there were already 6 people ahead of us.

The shop is teeny.

3 counter seats, and 3 tables for 4.

Their lunch service is only 2 hours, so you should try to get there as early as possible.

Satoshi tried their beef katsu curry.

Tender beef is fried then cooked in their curry sauce...1800 yen (plus tax).

If you want rice, it is a separate order and they only have one size...200 yen (plus tax).

I ordered the beef katsu sandwich...1800 yen (plus tax).

Everything is cooked to order, so be prepared to wait.

Also, if you don't have 4 people in your party, be prepared to share your table with others.

The sandwich was a little larger than the one I had at Harijyu Grill.

Though Grill Bon's could use less karashi (Japanese mustard)*cough*

We want to try other items on their menu and hope to come back to this area soon.

Grill Bon
1-17-17 Ebisu Higashi
Naniwa, Osaka
Phone: 06.6632.3765
Lunch: 12:00-14:00, Dinner 17:00-20:00
Closed: every 6th, 16th, 26th

foodie saturday

Saturday, after Satoshi's German class, we went to check out Harijyu Curry Shop.

Satoshi had the beef katsu curry...the katsu just as tender as when I had it the week before. Though he said the curry could've been spicier...950 yen

I had their hayashi rice (hashed beef) is a rich demi-glace based "beef stew". It was so good, though their peas were on the hard side...850 yen

Since they get their beef from their meat shop, we definitely recommend the beef dishes!

Since we had time before meeting up with Satoshi's friend for dinner, we went to check out Mondial Kaffee 328.

I was surprised it was right across the street from El.Zocalo Burrito.

In fact, the building that the cafe is in was new too.

Not a very large shop, they did have many chairs to lounge in.

Satoshi had their European blend while I had their matcha latte.

I liked that this latte wasn't overly sweet like some matcha lattes can be.

Dinner was with Satoshi's friend and his wife at a hotel buffet.

The buffet's theme was Australian. There was crocodile, kangaroo, lamb and lamingtons. I loved their chocolate fountain, you could coat just about anything with it at their dessert station.

A great foodie day, filled with lots of walking and lots of talking.

Harijyu Curry Shop
1-9-17 Dotombori
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6213.4736
Closed Tuesdays
Hours: 11:00-21:00

Mondial Kaffee 328
1-6-16 Kita-horie
Nishi-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.6585.9955
Hours: 8:30-21:00, call to see if they are open--days off not determined

ANA Crown Plaza Hotel
1-3-1 Dojimahama
Kita-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.6347.1112

harijyu grill

On Saturday, after Satoshi's class and before his study session, we had lunch at Harijyu Grill. This shop has been in business since 1919!

They are a meat shop that uses their meats in their various shops.

Upstairs of Harijyu Grill is their sukiyaki and shabu shabu restaurant.

Next door to Harijyu Grill is the meat shop and next door to that is their curry shop.

The inside of Harijyu Grill is very retro, like you went back into time. Dark colored wood.

The tables are wooden and covered with their oil cloth tablecloths.

Satoshi ordered Lunch A...1800 yen.

This came with a corn potage, some rolls, a salad, some potato salad, a slice of ham, pieces of steak and fried shrimp.

At the end of his meal it came with a tiny cup of coffee.

I ordered the beef katsu sandwich...1900 yen.

Whoa! this was super tender.

I let Satoshi eat a piece and he was surprised at how tender it was too.

For that price, I'm glad it didn't disappoint.

I was impressed that the place didn't smell "oily" like some yoshoku (western) type shops sometimes smell of.

We want to try the curry shop around the corner, we'll be back.

Harijyu Grill
1-9-17 Dotombori
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6211.5357
Closed on Tuesdays
Hours: 11:30-22:30

standard bookstore (abeno)

Yesterday, I had an appointment near Tennoji and had lunch at Standard Bookstore.

This shop is bigger than the one I usually go to in Chayamachi.

Curious, I ordered the taco rice.

I was surprised at how much "greens" they use. Even the addition of some avocado AND dessert!

I think I prefer this version better.

For a comparison, here is Chayamachi's version.

I wouldn't mind trying other items on their menu, they have quite a few that aren't served at the Chayamachi shop...I'll be back.

Standard Bookstore (Abeno)
1-2-30 Abeno-suji, Hoop 6F
Abeno, Osaka
Phone: 06.4703.5881
Hours: 11:00-21:00

basara usagi-do

I recently tried a tiny cafe inside of the Kintetsu Department Store, called Basara Usagi-do.

They have all sorts of yoshoku (Western style) dishes.

I went with their veggie curry...972 yen (tax included).

Under that renkon (lotus root) is a slice of onion, it was so good!

All the veggies were cooked until the sweetness of them were bursting.

The curry had a slow burn. I like that they gave me just enough rice.

Your choice of coffee or tea comes with the meal. I chose coffee.

I like the atmosphere of this place...I'll be back.

Basara Usagi-do
Kintetsu Uehonmachi 12F
Tennoji, Osaka
Phone: 06.6771.0039
Hours: 10:30-22:00
Open when the department store is

talo coffee

Last year when I bought some bread from Cocoro, I stumbled upon Talo Coffee.

I made a note to try them and finally got a chance to yesterday.

From the outside they don't look too spacious, but when you go inside, wow! I loved the place. Huge windows at the front of the cafe gives the place lots of light.

They had 5 different plates to choose from for lunch...all 950 yen (tax included).

The plates come with salad and choice of coffee or tea.

I ordered their hamburger with teri-mayo sauce & nikujaga(literally meat and potato) croquette.

Everything is homemade.

I loved the moist hamburger patty!

For my meal, I had chosen coffee. I love that all their coffee is siphon-style.

The mug that they served it in was cool too!

This cafe is a nice find, I'll be back.

Talo Coffee (UPDATE:2021 moved to new location)
3-10 Higashi Kozu-cho
Tennoji, Osaka
Phone: 06.6765.7080
Hours: 7:00-19:00, Closed on Sundays & Holidays

foodie saturday in namba

Yesterday, after Satoshi's German class, we finally got to meet up with Kirk of mmm-yoso and "the Missus".

Rewind to June, when I was planning to go back to Hawaii for the summer, I emailed Kirk to see if he would be there at the same time.

He replied that they were instead thinking of visiting Japan in the Fall...whoo!

Fast forward to last week Monday...we had plans to meet up but Typhoon Vongfong had other intentions.

And so yesterday, we finally got a chance to meet up.

Having read Kirk's blog for many years and then meeting up in person, it wasn't like we were meeting for the first time, there weren't many silent moments, just lots of conversation and lots of laughter.

At first we had planned to check out a cheesecake cafe, but the line was krazy, so instead we sat along the Dotombori river with coffees and chatted for awhile.

Then as the sun started to set, we decided to eat something and found ourselves at Kushikatsu Gokakuya.

The name "kushikatsu" are fried foods on a stick, "gokakuya"..."gokaku" means to pass an exam and "ya" is shop. This shop is kind of like a lucky place for students studying for exams.

They even have a stick called "gokaku kushi" which has a piece of beef, pork and chicken　and is supposedly good luck...which I found out about afterwards while researching for this post.

As I read off most of the menu for Kirk and the Missus to choose from, Satoshi was in-charge of yelling our order to the cooks.

We started off with enoki wrapped with bacon, quail eggs, red ginger, horumon (pork innards), tan (tongue) and "big" kushikatsu, some karaage (fried chicken), pickled cucumber, and wasabi tako (octopus).

The missus loved the sauce...

Gokakuya's sauce is their own special blend, a little sweet and tangy. The panko they use to bread the different food items is fine and gives the outer coating its crunch and keeps things light when fried.

In Osaka, remember when eating kushikatsu...no double dipping!

Next up, "big" shrimp & whale....

um, we all decided that we tried whale and can now cross it off our bucket lists...(if you are curious, it tastes like the "dark part" of a fish).

Last up, fried chicken skins so light and crisp, addicting!

We had a great time, I hope Kirk and the missus enjoyed themselves and had enough to eat.

I hope they come back to Japan soon! (I can't believe with all the travelling they have done that this was their first trip to Japan!)

Oh, and they were so nice to bring us these gourmet salts that are made in San Diego, by Salt Farm. We'll have to try them soon.

It was so nice to meet up, lots of eating, lots of talking...Thank you Kirk and the Missus!

Kushikatsu Gokakuya (Sennichi-mae Honten)
1-7-5 Dotombori
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6214.4194
Hours: Mondays-Fridays 15:00-23:00
Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays 11:00-23:00

grove cafe

Tuesday, I had lunch at Grove Cafe.

It was a beautiful sunny day, I got to the cafe just before their opening time and there was already a line!

We were all soon seated. I chose a seat at their bar counter overlooking the park that is next door.

With lunch, you get all-you-can-eat salad and bread.

Some people took one of each kind of bread and lots of salad, but this is what I chose...lettuce with edamame, corn, olives, roasted pumpkin, "ham" made from chicken and quail eggs seasoned with anchovies.

The dressing I chose was a lemon onion dressing...really delicious!

I also had a slice of their garlic bread.

The park has many sakura (cherry) trees and is very popular during cherry blossom season (you have to make reservations during this time)

For my main dish I chose their eggplant meat sauce pasta. This was delicious too, lots of ground beef and diced up eggplant.

It doesn't look like a lot but was very filling.

Also with lunch came a drink which I had a glass of grapefruit juice....1180 yen (tax included).

There are other choices for lunch such as their daily fish or daily meat plates at different prices too.

The cafe's atmosphere is so relaxing and they had jazz playing in the background.

It is open-air, so I didn't get too peeved by all the smokers.

I really enjoyed this place, I showed my pics to Satoshi and he wants to eat here, so we'll definitely be back.

Grove Cafe
1-1-41 Kozu
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6765.7000
Lunch: 11:30-15:00
Cafe time: 15:00-17:00
Dinner: 17:00-23:00
Check their website or call for days that they are closed or have private events.

room cafe roca

One of my friends on Tabera (Japan's Instagram for food) uploaded a sign that Room Cafe Roca was closing at the end of the month.

I went to try them this past Tuesday.

A small cafe, they have seats at their counter as well as a few tables and a sofa.

Their lunch starts at 11:30 and I was amazed at how many were there waiting for them to open.

They have a daily lunch, which I ordered...800 yen, this comes with miso soup and brown rice.

Fried fish, tofu hamburger and salad with renkon (lotus root) and hakusai (chinese cabbage)

You can also order some items a la carte, but from what I saw, most customers were ordering their daily lunch.

It did take some time for the food to come out but their food was delicious and relatively on the the healthy side.

It's a shame they are closing at the end of the month, but I'm glad I got to try them.

Room Cafe Roca (UPDATE: 2014 closed)
1-29-16 Shinmachi, #5 Nakamura Kousan B1
Nishi-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.6532.1524
Closed Sundays & Holidays
Hours: 11:30-16:30 Mondays to Thursdays, 11:30-21:00 Fridays & Saturdays

crazy!

I had the chance to walk through Kuromon Ichiba (literally Black Gate Market), a shopping arcade with food vendors and fresh groceries...

This caught my eye...

Whoa?! 1500 yen for 1 wasabi root (Japanese horseradish)

Crazy, yeah?!

It's Friday here, yesterday we had rain all day, they say our air will be polluted by that PM2.5 from China today(boo)and then over the weekend they say we'll hit another cold snap...I've never known how to dress during winter but with the weather flip-flopping I'm even more confused!

Have a nice weekend!

critters burger

I checked out Critters Burger on Tuesday.

It is a rather small shop with dark-ish interior.

After seeing Kirk's teri-beef sandwich, I was kinda craving something teriyaki...so I ordered their teriyaki burger and added a slice of cheese.

With a drink, it was 1000 yen, not bad.

The bun was so good! light like a cloud and toasted nicely on the grill.

They are the sister shop of Westwood Bakers (WB), I think WB makes their buns which is why they were fabulous...

It was a little messy eating, but they have tons of napkins, and I would've liked that they marinate their burger instead of topping it with a teri sauce, but all in all I still enjoyed this.

They have other items on their menu that I wouldn't mind trying...I'll be back.

Critters Burger
1-10-35 Nishi-Shinsaibashi, Arche 11, 1F
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.4963.9840
Open everyday 11:30-23:30

maison kayser

Before I start today's post, I want to tell you that we stayed indoors all day yesterday.

The weather was forecast to be snowy or rainy, well, we weren't taking any chances and just stayed put.

We woke up to white covered roof tops but it soon melted with all the rain.

I think Tokyo was supposed to get snow for the next two days?!

Stay warm everyone!

On to today's post...

Next door to A.C. Perch, is Maison Kayser.

I had heard good things about him, and learned that he had opened a shop in Osaka, so when I checked them out, I ordered their steak lunch...1300 yen.

This came with a salad, all-you-can-eat bread...this round was fig, walnut, a slice of baguette and sweet potato.

The baguette was a nice "hard type" whereas the fig, walnut & sweet potato were a "soft type" of baguette.

My problem was that they also served fries with the steak.

The fries were super crispy and delicious, but with bread?! too much carbs...

The steak was well seasoned and had a shoyu-onion-garlic sauce.

Still, when they came around with the tray of bread, I decided to try two more slices...this time turmeric (with hazelnuts & other assorted nuts) and orange peel.

I think they should vary the types of breads you are allowed to try instead of serving basically the same type of bread with different "goodies" in them.

I ended my meal with tea and a slice of lemon. Well, it was more like a slab of lemon, so thick!

A nice touch was that they serve the tea with a teeny financier.

Don't know if I'll be back to have lunch here, but I do want to try some of his other baked goods, so maybe I'll be back...

Maison Kayser
Abeno Harukas Kintetsu Department Store 1F
Abeno, Osaka
Phone: 06.6654.6190
Closed when Kintetsu Department store is
Hours: 10:00-21:00