lilo coffee

We tried Lilo Coffee recently.

Their system to ordering was a bit confusing, but in the end we ordered cups of Brazil and East Timor...350 yen (tax included) each.

I love how they give profiles of each coffee they serve.

Satoshi thought his cup of coffee (Brazil) was a bit lukewarm, while I enjoyed my cup (East Timor).

I'll be back.

Lilo Coffee
1-10-28 Nishi-Shinsaibashi
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6227.8666
Hours: Wednesday 13:00-23:00
Other days: 11:00-23:00

critters burger & streamers coffee company

Thursday, I had a dental appointment.

Afterwards, I ran some errands and then snagged the last table at Critters Burgers.

This time around I had their BBQ Cheeseburger.

The burger was a bit too salty this time around.

I'm glad they are still in business though...I'll be back to try their sandwiches.

Just around the corner is Streamers Coffee Company...they closed at their previous location back in 2014 and re-opened in their new location the other week.

I tried their military latte...I think they call it military because it sort of looks like camouflage.

Matcha, white chocolate and espresso...780 yen...it was pricey but the cup was HUGE.

I hope to bring Satoshi to try this place...

Our weather is still krazy, hope you have a nice weekend!

Streamers Coffee Company
1-10-19 Nishi-Shinsaibashi
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6252.7088
Hours: 8:00-22:00
Days off not set

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

foodie thursday in osaka

Yesterday Satoshi had the day off so we decided to check out Krispy Kreme.

I know this place is from America, and that we have one on Maui, but I'd never tried them before, so I was interested in what the hype was all about.

We went early in the morning, before most people line up to buy boxes and boxes of these doughnuts.

I chose caramel walnuts and chocolate iced with sprinkles.

Satoshi chose chocolate iced custard filled and creamy cheese.

The creamy cheese had a marscapone cheese filling, it was also topped with some cream cheese & parmesan cheese...this one was tart almost like yogurt.

Most of their doughnuts are really soft almost gummy.

The icing is way too sweet too. I'm glad we tried them but don't think I would go back.

From Shinsaibashi we decided to walk back to Umeda and came upon an interesting light post which looked like a stick figure.

There were several in this area.

We also saw the new EV Taxi. EV stands for Electric Vehicle, apparently there are 50 of these running around Osaka.

Satoshi had to visit the dentist later in the day, so we decided to have a quick lunch. Since we were both in the mood for curry we decided to stop in at Tokumasa.

I had the cheese curry donburi while Satoshi chose their tsukemen. Tsukemen is where the soup/curry is served on the side and you dip your noodles in to eat.

Before having lunch, we stopped in at Boulangerie Takeuchi. I've been here in the past, and wanted Satoshi to try them. The couple of times we were in the area they were closed, so I'm glad they were open today.

We picked up their roast chicken sandwich, smoked salmon sandwich, an olive bread (the crescent), baked curry bread, pumpkin brioche (filled with pumpkin custard) & chocolate w/griotte cherry bread.

We tried them for our dinner along with some wine and a salad, everything was delicious.

Lots of eating, lots of walking though the weather was overcast and a little chilly.

It is Friday here, hope you have a nice weekend.

Krispy Kreme UPDATE: as of 2/2013 this shop has closed
2-1-24 Shinsaibashisuji
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 0120.79.1072
Open 7:00-23:00

ola tacos

Awhile back, one of my readers, Rona, suggested Ola Tacos to me.

It is a tiny bar with several tables and a counter near Shinsaibashi.

After we were seated we waited several minutes, and were able to order drinks and then it took some more time before our food came.

While we were waiting for our food, we intricately checked out their book shelf next to our table.

Check out this calculator that was on their book shelf, it was HUGE! and it worked too! (Can you tell we were trying to figure out what to do while we waited for our orders??)

The first dish to come out was camarones al mojo de ajo, garlic seasoned shrimps still in their shell.

It was delicious very nicely seasoned with just a touch of spice, and very nice with a splash of lime....850 yen (about US$8.50)

Next came the tacos that we ordered...lengua (pork tongue) and chorizo (spicy beef with potato)...2 of the same topping for 550 yen (about US$5.50)

I really wanted to try the al pastor tacos since I've seen them on many blogs, but they were out.

I think they make their own tortillas, they were about 4 or 6 inches in diameter. Kind of tiny by US standards, but actually just right to try.

I thought the lengua was on the mushy side. We both liked the chorizo taco. We also loved the fresh salsa.

We had to wait a long time for the nachos...950 yen (about US$9.50), these were delicious, the chips were still crispy and we drizzled some of their hot sauce on it.

Since Satoshi was still hungry, we also ordered some totopos, chips with guacamole....550 yen (about US$5.50).

Satoshi had 2 beers and a frozen mango margarita and I had 2 frozen lime margaritas.

Except for the really SLOW service, we liked the food.

They knew they were really slow and gave us a little discount...total 6350 yen (about US$63.50).

We hadn't been out to eat in Shinsaibashi in awhile, but enjoyed it. (Thanks for the tip Rona Y!)

Ola Tacos (UPDATE: 2016 they moved locations)
1-17-15 Higashi Shinsaibashi Marukiyo (or Marusei) Building 6F
Chuo, Osaka
Phone: 06.6251.2082
Closed Mondays

blingy saturday

Saturday we met our family friend, D, he is here with a group and had some free time to get together.

The first place we went to was Shinsekai, I've posted about this area before and we took him up Tsutenkaku, a large tower in lower Osaka where you can see the city.

The line to get up to the observatory deck of Tsutenkaku took about 45 minutes. After checking out the city from above, we walked to Namba (about 20 minutes).

We went to a bar that D had been to in the past and wanted to re-visit on this trip...Tako Tako King.

This bar serves takoyaki, as well as okonomiyaki and other items that can be cooked on a teppan (steel plate).

That photo above is actually of a takoyaki, in the lighting of the bar, this photo turned out to look like umeboshi (preserved apricots).

Everything we tried was delicious and very reasonable.

As we were walking back from the bar there was a showroom with all these blingy Benz. These were all covered in Swarovski studs! I checked their site and apparently they do accessorizing for Mercedes'.

After shopping a bit more, we made it back to D's hotel in time for him to meet up with his group.

We did a lot of walking and had a fun day with him. We hope he had a nice time. (Thanks D!)

Tako Tako King
2-13-1 Nishi-Shinsaibashi
Chuo-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.6211.0071
Open from 17:00-late at night

foodie saturday in minami osaka

Saturday, Satoshi had the day off. We planned to see his friend perform Rakugo (Japanese comedy story telling), but before that, we headed to Shinsaibashi for lunch. I had heard about Nanshomantouten while watching the news one day.

The original shop is in Shanghai and has been in business since 1900. They are known for shorompo (xiaolongbao, a soup filled dumpling) Apparently the one in Shinsaibashi has been in business for over 70 years.

I ordered the C-lunch (1785 yen (about US$17.85)). This came with an order of shorompo (dumplings), a choice of an appetizer, a choice of noodles or rice and a choice of dessert. I chose the mochi rice shumai (steamed dumpling filled with seasoned glutinous rice), I also chose the mabo tofu (spicy pork, tofu over rice) and the annindofu (almond tofu). The mochi rice dumpling was well seasoned, and the shorompo was delicious with black vinegar and shredded ginger. To eat it you had to becareful not to burn yourself as the soup shoots out of the dumpling when you bite into it. The dessert was delicious too, firm and not too sweet.

Satoshi chose the B-lunch (1596 yen (about US$15.96)) His lunch came with an order of shorompo, a choice of an appetizer and a choice of noodles or rice. He chose the curry filled gyoza, which was actually a puff pastry filled with curry. He also chose the tan tan men (a spicy beef topping) with noodles and broth. He enjoyed everything and even ate some of my mabo tofu. They also gave us lots of jasmine tea, very fragrant and delicious.

After lunch, we did some window shopping and walked around before the performance, since we had some time to kill, we also stopped into Marufuku coffee for some coffee and something sweet. The interior of the cafe is very retro and they have been in business since 1934. We both ordered the cafe au lait (490 yen about US$4.90 each) and shared a plate of cookies (220 yen (about US$2.20). It was nice to sit down for a bit and we enjoyed our coffee and sweets.

After our little break, we went around the corner to where Satoshi's friend was performing. The group performed 4 different rakugo stories and it was quite funny. Sometimes the story telling is quite fast and sometimes I have a hard time understanding, but I still had a nice time.

Hope your weekend was a good one!

Nanshomantouten
1-5-18 Shinsaibashi-suji, Fujii Building 1F
Chuo-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.6120.2185

Marufuku Coffee
1-9-1 Sennichimae
Chuo-ku, Osaka
Phone: 06.6211.3474

foodie tuesday

Tuesday morning I had my regular 3 month dental appointment.

Not wanting to go straight home afterwards, I caught the subway and wandered around Shinsaibashi.

In Daimaru was Debailleul, a belgian chocolatier. Of course when I saw these macaron, I had to get them. There were only 3 flavors, chocolat, cafe & citron. I was also surprised the person behind the counter gave me a little taste. Most places do not let you taste macaron.

Only thing was, they weren't the usual macaron. These are called Brizou Glace--a combination of the words bizou (kiss) + Brussels + glace = frozen Belgian kisses? The reason these were different was that you put them in the freezer, then take them out about 5 minutes before eating. The semi-glace (partly frozen) texture was like eating ice cream! The outside was a bit chewy. Yum.

Then I walked next door to Sogo. They have 2 food floors--1 for fresh foods and 1 just for sweets (both floors are huge!).

At one counter was Floresta, they are relatively new. They say they have the "nature donut" because they use mostly organic ingredients. But it is still fried, so the calories are unfortunately still there.

I bought the earl grey, chocolate and coconut chocolate. I halved them all so I could try each one (of course!) and gave the other halves to Satoshi. My favorite was the earl grey. Satoshi's was chocolate.

I first heard about Moisan from David Lebovitz's blog. This bakery is organic and the only one in Japan, the rest of the shops are in France.

I bought the ficelle apertif (with lots of white sesame seeds and poppy seeds), a pizza like bread with lardon (bacon fat & salted pork) & mini pomme (mini apple).

Again, like Le Sucre-Coeur, you have to talk to the person behind the counter and tell them what you want. I like that, more places should operate like this.

I had the pizza like bread for lunch yesterday, it was delicious and chewy and the mini pomme, flaky.

I had part of the ficelle this morning for breakfast. Nuttiness from the sesame seeds and poppy seeds, crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside...delicious.

It was a delicious Tuesday.

the depths of osaka (part 2)

Well, the rain has stopped and we have cloudy skies.

Yesterday, we met some friends that we hadn't seen in 5 years for a champagne lunch at Trader Vic's, a restaurant in the New Otani Osaka Hotel--they are closing the restaurant down at the end of the month. It was a nice, leisurely lunch and we had endless glasses of champagne and plates of food. Did you know that most people in Japan, don't take a normal lunch hour? A lot of them eat on the run or at their desks. Koichi commented that it had been a long time since he was able to chat and eat at such a leisurely pace.

After lunch, we asked Koichi where he wanted to go. Since he is actually from Tokyo and now works in Kyoto, he hadn't seen much of Osaka. He said he wanted to see the Festival Gate. We had never heard of it, but told him that we would show him Tsutenkaku tower instead. In December, Satoshi and I took his friend, Gen, to see the depths of Osaka, which I wrote about (here).

When we got to the Tsutenkaku, Koichi didn't want to go to the top, so, we kept on walking and it was a good thing that we did. We found the Festival Gate! The Festival Gate is actually a run down amusement park. The roller coaster is still running, but most of the shops have closed down and there are a few fast food places. It is also the home of the Osaka professional wrestling ring which still hold matches. Koichi is a big fan of wrestling, so he was more elated that we found the Festival Gate than with Tsutenkaku.

From the Ebisucho area, we then walked towards Shinsaibashi. There are many shopping arcades in this area. Here is one of them, down the center of the photo is really dark, but it is actually ALL people!

Here is the "symbol" of Osaka. His name is Kuidaore Taro. Kuidaore, as I understand it, means to "eat until you drop". He is dressed up to cheer for Japan in the FIFA World Cup of Soccer.

Satoshi is working today, hope you are having a nice foodie weekend!

dishes, gadgets and pans...oh my!!

If you're a "foodie", chances are you don't only like to eat good food--you like to make good food too. Well, in Osaka, there's a place just for you. It's called "Doguyasuji", "dogu" is tools/utensils, in this case gadgets, "ya" means store, "suji" means street = gadget store street....

From the Namba station, it's about 3 minutes to this shopping arcade. There are about 50 shops selling all kinds of things from utensils to the plastic food models you see in the windows of restaurants. These shops used to only serve businesses, but now anyone and everyone can be spotted here. You can find "takoyaki" molds--a snack food in Osaka, they are round dumplings containing bits of octopus, and "teppan"-hot steel plates to cook on. If you need something for your kitchen, this is probably the place to find it.

The "maneki neko" is a good luck charm often seen in stores and restaurants. "Maneki" means to invite, "neko" is cat. There are all kinds of forms and colors of this cat. If the cat holds up his left paw up it is to invite customers into stores/restaurants. If his right paw is up it is to invite money into your home. The maneki neko of the past used to be ceramic, the maneki neko of recent has an electric moving arm. This huge cat found in Doguyasuji had an arm that was moving...

From Doguyasuji, I walked to Shinsaibashisuji--another shopping arcade. In this shopping arcade there are lots of clothing shops and two department stores--Daimaru and Sogo. Sogo re-opened last November after being closed for about five years. They have a whole floor dedicated to fresh foods and a whole floor for Japanese and Western sweets. One area in this department is the Mariage Frères counter. They have all kinds of teas and are kind of pricey, but I got the number one seller, "Marco Polo". We had this tea for breakfast this morning--it has a very sweet fragrance of fruits and flowers. Also, in Shinsaibashisuji are many discount shops. I found these Cafe Tasse neapolitans (squares) at a discount shop called "Wa~h burashin".

After my foodie shopping adventure, I met Satoshi in Umeda. We stopped in for tea and dessert at Malebranche--a Kyoto dessert shop. I had the caramel chocolate cake.