There is a popular saying in Japan that says "go to Tokyo for money, to Kyoto for culture but go
to Osaka for food". It's particularly true for Osaka where the locals believe in "kuidaore" or "eating oneself to ruin". I have certainly attempted to do so myself, each time I visit.
Osaka is both for the gourmet and the gourmand. While the iconic dishes -- kushikatsu,
takoyaki and okonomiyaki are very mass based, there are over 200 Michelin starred
restaurants which will bring you to the highest peaks of gustatory delight (and yes, expense).
However, for a proletariat like myself, I prefer to dive deep down into the local food scene and
enjoy what the locals regularly eat.
In Osaka, nothing can be more local or regular than the Shinsekai area, their version of
"shitemachi" or low city. Shinsekai dates back to the early 1900s and is anchored by the
iconic Tsutentaku Tower constructed soon after the Eiffel Tower in 1912.
It was dismantled and used for scrap during WWII but rebuilt in 1956 (the year I was born!).
For the true Osaka foodie (hate that word!) experience, always go with and trust a local.
Our long time go-to source for Osaka's rich and varied culture -- culinary and otherwise has
always been Minako Ando and her All Star Osaka Walk Tour Company.
We have traipsed through Osaka with her, on both food and non-food excursions and this time,
we took her hugely popular Tipsy Bar Tour.
Our first stop was a small kushikatsu place called Jyo Ryu Ken, right in the heart of Shinsekai,
which is where this Osaka specialty was born.
It may be called the Tipsy Bar Tour but there is quite a bit of eating involved. One cannot drink
on an empty stomach after all. Jyo Ryu Ken's one page menu listed all the available skewers --
at very affordable price points too.
The cardinal rule when eating kushikatsu is ... NO DOUBLE DIPPING!
Containers for the mildly sweet and slightly tangy sauce are communal and shared with other diners. For hygiene's sake, please don't dip your kushikatsu after you've bitten into it.
Japan is the only place where I will agree to drink my beer from a mug and not straight from the bottle itself (a practice my gourmet friend Abe san calls "barbaric").
In almost every izakaya and restaurant, nama or draft beer is served, always in a brrrr-cold mug.
Most of the time too, the house beer is Asahi Super Dry which is perhaps why it is the most
popular beer in Japan.
While the chef was preparing our kushikatsu, we were served a small dish of a very delicious Japanese style stew made with melt-in-your mouth beef tendons, potatoes, daikon and
konnyaku. So delicious! What I would have given for some rice or even a slice of good
crusty bread to sop up the sauce with.
This must have been our otoshi, the compulsory appetiser that izakayas serve along with
your first drink.
Since we were ahem, "bar" hopping, we did not want to eat too much at our first stop. We had a variety of skewers -- the meats were perfectly cooked and the vegetables still had a bit of crunch. Despite being deep fried, kushikatsu is totally non-greasy, I'd certainly like to know how they
achieve that!
Jyo Ryu Ken has a comfy, homey air . A wooden counter comfortably seats 12 (any more and you'd feel like you were being skewered). The chef cum proprietor is the one on the far left and he is assisted by just one other male staff.
Minako san told us that the chef used to work for one of the larger and more popular kushikatsu places in the area until he decided to venture out on his own.
Thank you Chef san! This was ichiban kushikatsu and I definitely will find my way back, if only for the scrumptious otoshi that you served us at the start.
We were still feeling a little light on our feet as we walked out on the deepening Osaka dusk. The
next stop was just a few hundred meters away, not even far enough to burn a calorie or two.
This is Kurumaya, a restaurant tucked away in a quieter area of Shinsekai.
The menu board by the door was all in Japanese with photos of premium sake and shochu and what looked to be a tasting menu. A larger photo board festooned with autumn leaves featured seasonal small plates that one could also order.
We were the first customers that evening, not surprising since it was just a little past 6 p.m.
Kurumaya's atmosphere was cool and chic. Even my beer looked stylish in its decidedly more upmarket, unbranded glass.
Kurumaya is not an izakaya so there was no otoshi or compulsory appetiser. Instead, we ordered
this lovely amuse bouche of lightly simmered renkon or lotus root, artfully stacked and dusted
with sesame seeds. Pale hued and delicate, the dish showed off the chef's deft touch.
Next up was a piquant dish of sliced squid garnished with bits of yuzu. This too was delicious
and stirred our appetites for the next dish.
For our finale (at least from this restaurant), we had asked for omakase leaving our culinary fates
up to the chef.
He sent out a plate of harvests from both sea and forest. It was almost too pretty to eat.
A well balanced presentation of textures, tastes and colours ... grilled gingko nuts (my absolute favourite), grilled edamame beans, soft baby potatoes, a chewy slightly sweet yam,
dainty polka dotted snails with a fine mild flavour and exactly four wooden teaspoons filled with deep red, fresh fish roe. The entire dish was a delight to the senses.
The handmade plate in half brown - half green was evocative of the colours of both earth and sea. Bravo, Chef san!
The handmade plate in half brown - half green was evocative of the colours of both earth and sea. Bravo, Chef san!
Kurumaya is a restaurant run by this young, very personable second generation chef who took over from his father. His mother, a spry and sprightly septuagenarian takes care of the front of the house -- offering recommendations, taking and bringing orders and making customers feel welcome with her friendly and funny banter. As you can see from this photo, this chef has a humorous streak as well.
For our last stop, we took a subway to Nippombashi. We were still walking straight as we had really been eating more than we had been drinking.
Our destination was just a few minutes away. This is Ura Namba or literally "back of Namba",
a warren of streets and alleys where the locals go to drink and eat. You can find everything here
from hip and trendy bars to old and traditional izakayas. This very colorful and brightly lit building is Sakagami, a place that specialises in barbecued meat and the very popular horumon or beef and pork offal.
Akie san said that each red lantern features the name of a dish from the restaurant's menu.
Sakagami's vivid, vibrant facade totally captures the spirit of Ura Namba.
Small alleys are lined with izakayas, all buzzing with activity. It was officially thirsty o'clock
so everyone was out drinking and in our case, also "kuidaore-ing".
so everyone was out drinking and in our case, also "kuidaore-ing".
Minako san waved us into this izakaya. Kitaro Sushi was almost full, we got the last four seats at
the edge of the long bar. Sapporo Beer is my ichiban daisuki so I was glad to see that it was
the beer on tap.
Kitaro serves sushi and at quite reasonable prices too. Minako san said she liked this place because the quality of the food was much higher than the price.
The place was humming with conversation and laughter -- this being Japan, it was all kept at a considerate and muted level. Various kinds of fish and shellfish were kept in glass chillers and displayed right in front of the customers -- all you had to do was point to whatever your palate desired.
First beer at Kitaro! I love all Japanese beers but lean more towards Sapporo which for me has
a lighter, easier taste.
Even if we had enjoyed small bites at our previous stops, we were all quite full by the time we got
to Kitaro. I had already imbibed three large mugs of beer but that certainly did not stop me from ordering a final, one for the road mug of Sapporo. It went extremely well with our plate of sushi -- omakase style or chef's recommendation once again.
The plate had 15 generously sized sushi and I didn't think we could do it -- but yes, we finished each and every one.
Kampai! Akie san was my beer buddy as Minako san and Jay had opted for cold tea throughout
the evening.
We passed by this lonely fellow on the way out -- I think it was a puffer fish. He was probably relieved that none of us had asked for puffer fish sashimi. Aaah, to live another day!
P.S
We had an amazing time with Minako san and Akie san of All Star Osaka Walk. Don't be thrown
off by the name Tipsy Bar Tour -- I guarantee you'll have a great time, even if you don't drink!
Ookini, Minako san and Akie san! Hona mata!
Nomimasho!
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