A Kansai Treasure ... Tonkatsu KYK (Kehwaikeh) in Osaka -

It pays to get friendly with the locals!  On this last trip to Osaka, we discovered a regional tonkatsu restaurant chain that ranks right up there in my all time best tonkatsu list.  Minako san of All Star Osaka Walk recommended Tonkatsu KYK and what a great find it was!

KYK (or Kehwaikeh as the website so helpfully puts it) has a number of restaurants in the Kansai area and more than a few in Osaka itself.  We went to the branch on the 28th floor of the Hankyu building in the Umeda/Osaka station area.  

Because we were at the restaurant a little before 6 p.m. there were more than enough tables to choose from.  The very friendly and kind waiter led us to a choice window table, the better to enjoy the view.

And what a view it was!  Twenty eight stories above the ground gave us a bird's eye view of Osaka as far as the hills and mountains that surround the city.  It was quite a breathtaking sight.

We were perched even higher than the giant red ferris wheel on top of the Hep Five building, a new entertainment and shopping centre in the Umeda station area.  This ferris wheel is definitely on my list of things to do, on my next trip to Osaka!

 I order the large bottle of Asahi super dry -- last beer for the road?  We're leaving tomorrow morning, after all.

I sometimes define myself as a vegetarian ... but only when I'm "at home".
When I'm out of the country and a significant, not-to-be-missed, iconic taste experience presents itself, who am I to be so rigid and inflexible?  It's like cutting off my nose to spite my face.
So instead of opting for the usual fried ebi that is also a staple in tonkatsu restaurants, I ordered my favourite rossu cut.

The rossu was very tender, the batter was crunchy and not at all oily.  The fat that naturally comes with this loin cut was thin and just enough to enhance the juicy and succulent mouth feel.
Tonkatsu KYK brought back memories of all the good and memorable tonkatsu meals I have enjoyed in Japan.

 I normally eat my meal at such a fast pace but this time, I deliberately slowed down -- the better to savour and enjoy each and every bite.  And of course, to continue to marvel at the gorgeous view right outside my window.  To see dusk fall and watch as Osaka turned on her lights  -- it was a lovely way for each of us to say good bye to each other  ... at least, for now.

An All Star Osaka Experience from All Star Osaka Walk

It was Sunday and our last afternoon in Osaka.  I had booked a food themed walking tour with a company that I found on the web -- All Star Osaka Walk.  While they did not have regular tours on Sunday, the owner, Minako san very kindly gave up her Sunday afternoon and agreed to take us on a private tour.  

She mentioned that since the huge local market that they normally took tourists to was closed on Sundays, she would nevertheless try to give us as much of a local experience as best as she could. 

Our walking tour started at the food market section at the basement of the Hanshin Department Store in the Umeda area.   According to Minako san, this is one of the best and most popular food markets not just in Osaka, not just in Kansai but in the whole of Japan.  Indeed it was crammed with shoppers on that Sunday afternoon that we walked through.  

The food market is a good place to graze -- sellers offer free samples such as this smiling vendor who very nicely gave us fish sausage and tofu sausage tidbits to try.

In addition to cooked food, there is a wide variety of the best and freshest produce available.  These matsutake mushrooms are devilishly good but also so expensive.  Minako san pointed out these very affordable ones which were imported from Canada -- hence the much lower price.  The locally grown matsutakes run for more than 10 times the price of the imported ones.

Genuine Kobe beef!  This premium box of 1.2 kilos of beautifully marbled beef sells for Y50,000 or about P25,000.

There are slightly less expensive cuts and variants available and when I peeked, the least expensive was at Y1050 for 100 grams or over Y10, 000 for a kilo.  P5,000 per kilo for Kobe beef is still an astronomic amount.  Thank goodness I don't have a thing for steak!

Walking through the market, I noticed that even if there were a lot of fresh seafood around, the area was very clean and completely free from any fishy smells.

Minako san pointed out interesting and very local seafood such as this certain type of eel.

And of course, octopus, neatly packed and ready to be transformed into takoyaki!

This stall had all kinds of cooked food, ready to take home for those too tired or lazy to cook.

After the long walk through Hanshin's huge basement food market, we ended up at a small food court called the Snack Park where kiosks of Osaka snacks are available for shoppers too hungry after seeing all that food.

 I hesitate before a takoyaki stand but Minako san promises food at the next destination so regretfully, I move on.

From Umeda, we hopped on the subway and got off at the Shinsekai area.
Shinsekai is also known as "new world" since it was developed after the second world war.  While it's now a bit run down and seedy,  it's extremely popular with young locals  and still very much busy and alive particularly its shopping and eating areas.

This takoyaki stall greets us when we get off the subway.  A portent of the eating to come?

Minako san leads us through yet another of Osaka's many covered shopping arcades.  This is very different from Shinsaibashi or Ebisubashi as it's older and definitely more downscale.
Just  the kind of place that I like.

Restaurants abound in the area -- and stand side by side with small stores selling all kinds of stuff.
No zoning in this arcade!

I am surprised by these locks placed by couples inside these  heart frames. Each lock carries names of lovers who have sworn to eternal love.   Channeling the bridges of Paris!

We come to the end of this particular covered arcade to continue our Shinsekai walk.

Buzzing with commerce and activity, Shinsekai has lots of stores targeted to locals.

The best spot to get a view of Osaka Tower is right in the middle of this busy shopping street in Shinsekai.  All around us people  are walking, shopping, meeting up with friends and just enjoying the sunny week-end afternoon.

Soon though, it's time to stop walking and start the eating portion of this food and walking tour.  Minako san leads us to a popular kushiage place called Yamatoya.  It's not yet five thirsty but I feel the need for a restorative glass of cold beer.

Yamatoya is a distinctly local place and even on a Sunday afternoon, there are a few regulars having kushiage.

We don't want a full meal, just a light snack so we order skewers of fried lotus root,  quail eggs and my personal favourite, chikuwa or fish sausage.  Beside the tray of kushiage is a small vat of really good dipping sauce.  Minako san reminds us .... "No double dipping!"

After the meal, we have our photo taken with the very friendly and cheerful chef / owner of Yamatoya. I hope I can find this place again, next time I'm in Osaka.

Pretty soon, we're walking back to the station to head back to the Umeda area.  Along the way, Minako san points to the tallest building ... in Japan and it happens to be here in Osaka.  "Osaka is now number one in food and in many things", she smilingly tells us.  "Tokyo is just number two!"

 We pass by this unique vending machine, the only one of its kind in Japan, Minako san says.  For each drink that you buy, you get a chance at winning a prize.  Jay was in luck that day, he won a name card holder after buying this orange drink.

 It had been a good three hours of walking, talking, eating and having a wonderful time.
Here we are in the subway, headed back to Umeda Station with our amazing and wonderful guide, Minako san.
An all star experience on our last afternoon in Osaka -- from All Star Osaka Walks!
Ookini Minako san!  Hona mata!

A Salary Man's Lunch in Osaka in the Middle of a Busy Day

On this last business trip to Osaka, the full day of meetings meant that I had less than an hour to grab a bite at lunch.  I headed out into the sunny September day to experience a very typical salary man's lunch.

Most of the buildings around the office had small cafes and restaurants, to serve the working crowd.
Wait, I spy a menu board!

Located a few steps down from the ground level, this plain, unassuming eatery seemed like the place that I was looking for.

True enough, full of office workers on their hurried lunch breaks, it was just the sort of place I wanted to try and experience.

Bottles of sake laid out neatly on top of the lunch counter show that this place easily transforms into a drinking spot after office hours.

 No english menu but a picture menu shows an assortment of fried dishes.  Tonkatsu, katsu curry and other fried items are the lunchtime specials.

I settled for a sakana and ebi fry. Two pieces of breaded shrimp and fish plus a bowl of rice, miso soup and the ubiquitous small dish of tsukemono or pickles.
I was done with lunch in 20 minutes.
So this is how Japanese office workers take their lunch breaks.
Now, back to work!

Tanaka at Kitashinchi -- terrific okonomiyaki in Osaka

Just south of the JR Osaka station is a lively, vibrant and very contemporary area that now rivals the popularity of Tokyo's Ginza.  

Kitashinchi is known as the nightclub and entertainment capital of Osaka but it is also a food destination.  There are many restaurants that  range from those that are top quality, expense-account-worthy  to those that are more affordable and salaryman friendly to even brightly lit kiosks and holes-in-the-wall where take out takoyaki is the main menu item.

Arriving way past dinner time at Kansai International Airport a couple of weeks ago, and finding ourselves  craving for a late night supper,  we headed to Kitashinchi to forage for food. 

After peering into the restaurant windows (at least at those we thought we could afford), we decided on this  restaurant that had displays of okonomiyaki in its brightly lit front window.  Okonomiyaki is an everyday Osaka specialty so it was just the thing for the late night hunger pangs.

Since none of us could read Japanese, we didn't even know the restaurant name ... we just pushed the door open and walked right in.

The interiors were not intimidating and neither was the late night dinner crowd, most of whom seemed to be  office workers who were having a last bite to eat before going home from the usual evening drinking session.  As in most Japanese restaurants like these, specials and menu items are tacked up on signs along the walls but the smiling waitress assured us they had an english menu.

All the tables had hot grills laid into them -- oh no, I briefly panicked.  I love okonomiyaki but not to the extent of cooking it myself.  A glass of cold beer was just the thing to calm my nerves.

The name of the restaurant, I would find out later from a Japanese colleague, is Tanaka and it is widely regarded by locals as a top okonomiyaki restaurant in the area.
What luck to have walked into it on our first night back in Osaka!

Thank heavens for an english menu!  At least I wouldn't have to stand up and look at what other diners were eating to communicate what I wanted to order.

Of course okonomiyaki was a must-have.  Often referred to as a Japanese pancake, I find that quite misleading since instead of being fluffy and spongy as a pancake is, okonomiyaki is actually a compact, savoury mound of batter, vegetables, squid, octopus bits, shrimp and even meat. 

The top is glazed with some kind of sweetish brown gravy and you can add japanese mayonnaise for a more creamy taste,  if you so desire.

A small dish of bonito shavings are on hand for sprinkling on top of your okonomiyaki.

 Aside from okonomiyaki, Tanaka also offers yakisoba with different types of toppings.
Cooked in the kitchen, it is placed on top of the hot grill for diners to mix and cook a bit more.  Tanaka's yakisoba was excellent!  We ordered the "everything on it" version and it was probably the best yakisoba I had ever tried. Crunchy strips of red ginger on top add tartness and spice to each bite.

We must have been really hungry because after the okonomiyaki and the yakisoba,  we still ordered beef teppanyaki which came with slightly caramelised sweet white onions.  I don't eat meat but  the carnivores in the group pronounced it very tasty as well.

I cannot resist fried food on a stick.   Kushiage, also known as kushikatsu,  is deep fried, slightly battered anything-you-want on small bamboo skewers.
Along with okonomiyaki and takoyaki, kushiage is considered an Osaka "soul food" and a must try when in the city.
Tanaka's kushiage comes in orders of 6, 8 or 14 sticks.  We got an assortment that included crunchy asparagus, mushroom, shrimp, chicken, green pepper, fish,  squid and beef.  There is a small dish of sweetish sauce -- but remember the number one kushiage etiquette  -- no double dipping please!

Finally sated with this last order, we walked out of Tanaka and back towards the hotel ...
satisfied, happy and full of more than just okonomiyaki.  It was an auspicious start to another Osaka eating adventure.