Gokan is probably the most famous French-style pastry shop in Osaka. They call themselves “Patisserie du Samourai” (the Samurai’s pastry shop). Their store in Kitahama also operates a tea house upstairs where it is possible to enjoy their creations in an elegant environment. The neighborhood also hosts a number of traditional Japanese sweet shops, but Gokan stands out with its ability to blend Western techniques with Japanese ingredients. Not far away, they also have a chocolaterie now called Cacaotier Gokan.
The visit
I went to Gokan an afternoon (summer 2019) for a dessert. The store that I visited in Kitahama was opened in 2005. I had to sign my name on a list waiting for a seat to free for me. It did not take long.
Meantime I had a look around their shop on the ground floor.
Their signature cake is a creamy roll with some red beans.
They have many cakes that are unique to their shop, like a green tea roll.
They also have some dishes for breakfast or lunch.
However I was interested in their cakes. So the waitress brought in a tray with samples of their dessert. It was an amazing view.
I ended up having their signature roll and a sweet soup with red beans. It looked like a nice East meat West platter that I fully enjoyed. Even if I was not that impressed by the roll.
The check
For the two sweets and a drink I spent 1,479 yen (13.65 USD).
I think Gokan is a great place where to have a serious dessert while in Osaka.
Where in Osaka: 2-1-1 Imabashi, Chuo-ku | Arai Bldg. In Japanese: 大阪市中央区今橋2-1-1 新井ビル. Website: www.patisserie-gokan.co.jp (in Japanese). They also operate a store in Hankyu Department Store in Umeda and in Takashimaya in Namba, but the Kitahama store is the place to visit. Here you can read the review of their chocolate shop.
I listed Chiharu Sushi as one of my top dining experiences in 2018. It was just natural to go back during my summer 2019 trip to Osaka. This time I opted for the premium omakase dinner (they offer two different omakase for dinner, one in the downstairs room, that is cheaper, and one more expensive offered in the room upstairs, which was mine).
At the end of the dinner the chef spoke with the guests and provided more information about the restaurant. The venue is owned by a group that also runs a sushi school (both in Osaka and Bangkok). At any given time there are half dozen chefs working shifts in the restaurant and they are mostly fresh graduates from the school. This is quite radical: usually new cooking staff has to work for years cooking rice and cleaning fish before being allowed to serve the customers. The fact that the chefs are young did not compromise the experience in any way. The chef who worked on the evening of my visit was very professional and also spoke English to present the dishes (I was the only foreign customer).
The visit
I used their new booking website to make a reservation. It required a credit card hold, but it worked fine.
The upstairs dining room is more comfortable because has a low counter with normal chairs. Downstairs they have bar chairs around the counter.
The first appetizer was octopus sashimi, with some pepper and mustard.
A second appetizer was amaebi (sweet shrimp) with mandarin jelly and biwa (loquat).
The third appetizer was a piece of boiled abalone, with some roe and juice.
Next was a platter with red grouper and bluefin tuna, both offered raw and seared.
The series of opening dishes was completed by flat head fish boiled with a herbal soup.
The first sushi was amadai, a prized seasonal fish from the waters of Kansai.
The second nigiri was shard sushi completed with egg yolk and vinegar powder.
The third nigiri was kampachi (amberjack).
The fourth nigiri was a classic tuna with a bit of mustard.
At this point we were offered some cubes of ginger root. The flavor was actually the same as regular sliced pickled ginger.
The fifth nigiri was nodoguro, a new fish for me with a distinct powerful wild flavor. Very pleasant if you like raw flavors.
The sixth nigiri was shiro ebi (baby white shirimp); its flavor was very different from a classic shrimp, with a plummy texture.
The seventh nigiri was lightly torched golden eye snapper. Another powerful flavor.
The eight nigiri was anago (salt-water eel).
The ninth dish was a temaki (handroll) with tuna and uni (sea urchin). A good dose of freshly-grated wasabi (horseradish) was also added (but this kind of wasabi is not too hot). The nori (seaweed) was gently warmed.
At this point the end of the omakase was marked by the classic miso soup.
The tenth and final dish was the restaurant’s version of the Japanese omelet. This was almost a cake, with some sugar, and very fluffy.
The whole service took around 2 hours.
The check
The check was 8,600 yen (80 USD). It was sharply more expensive than the lunch, but not excessive as a dinner omakase. I was particularly impressed by the choice of seasonal and sought-after seafood. If you seek value, probably the dinner omakase served downstairs at 4,000 yen plus tax is a better deal, as it should be remarkably similar (just one fewer nigiri and one fewer opening dish and perhaps some changes in the types of fish used for the nigiri).
Where in Osaka 5-12-14, Fukushima, Fukushima-ku Osaka-shi, Osaka Address in Japanese: 所在地 〒553-0003 大阪府大阪市福島区福島5-12-14コーポ福島1 See their website for more information and link to the reservation system.
Miyazaki beef (gyu) comes from Japanese Black cattle produced and fattened in Miyazaki Prefecture and is Grade 4 or above in the meat quality grading standards set by the Japan Meat Grading Association. Furthermore, Miyazaki Beef has been registered as a local collective trademark. In a nutshell, it is high quality Japanese wagyu and it is kind of a big deal: in Japan restaurants that are allowed to offer Miyazaki Wagyu on their menus are requested to put up an authorization notice in their store.
The visit
I went on a Saturday evening to a restaurant specializing in this kind of wagyu called Tennosachi Yamanosachi (天の幸 山の幸) in the basement of a hotel. My visit was impromptu, as other places I was interested to go were full.
I was the only customer at that time and the staff, for good measure, reminded me the closing time.
The menu was only in Japanese, but it was not a problem since they were mainly offering set menus, along a format that is popular also in Kobe. I chose one.
The course dinner started with three cold appetizers: roast beef on eggplant (center), beef stock jelly uni and beef (left), somen noodles with marinated beef (right).
The second dish was also an appetizer: two cubes of stewed beef. As you may expect, it was really tender.
The center-piece of the dinner was 150 grams of Miyazaki beef with vegetables and sauces nicely laid down on the plate. It was excellent, even if it was not top-grade in terms of marbling.
The final amount of starch was provided through some Inaniwa cold udon noodles.
The dessert was a forgettable lemon sorbet.
The check
All in all, the check 6,901 yen (64 USD). The set meal was actually pretty good, notwithstanding the ghastly atmosphere of the empty restaurant. I cannot complain about the value: a similar menu in Kobe with their wagyu would be easily above 100 USD with probably a lesser amount of meat and a similar quality. They also had a gyukatsu set menu that was pretty interesting.
Where in Osaka: 4-2-7 Kouraibashi, Chuo-ku (basement of Unizo hotel). In Japanese: 大阪府大阪市中央区高麗橋4-2-7 ホテルユニゾ大阪淀屋橋 B1F. (There is also a main branch of the restaurant in Umeda.)
Kushikatsu (or kushiage) is a deep-frying style of Japanese cooking; more specifically, the term is applied to restaurants serving battered meat and veggies mostly on skewers. It is one of the cooking styles associated with Osaka (but it can be found throughout Japan).
The visit
I had a kushikatsu from the popular Daruma and it was really underwhelming. Through research, I identified a few “mid-range” joints that were promising a better experience (Daruma is the fast-food version of kushikatsu).
I went to Karatto on a Saturday evening and it was, of course, full. It is located on an alley, near Shinsaibashi station. But I was able to make a reservation for the next night. I noticed that all customers seemed to be Japanese, that’s why I believe this is a place locals go.
I sat at the counter on the ground floor overlooking the kitchen. I believe they have more rooms upstairs.
Ordering was pretty easy as they had an bilingual (Japanese/English) order form. I ordered their premium selection (“extra good Karatto set”).
I was quickly offered an appetizer included in the set. It was a bowl of doteyaki, a stew of of beef tendons in a golden miso-enriched liquid.
The first dish of skewers had (from left to right): beef (just ok), Japanese conger (yummy), onion (good), crab claw (very good), two pieces of tuna (very good, one piece was extra order).
The second dish had a shrimp (great), sausage (super), lotus root (very good), scallop (excellent), asparagus (good).
I also had yet an additional tuna skewer and one with mozzarella cheese. I was advised not to use the special sauce on the tuna and some other skewers.
Each seat had a container of the special sauce used with this kind of skewers. It is quite sweet and, personally, I do not over-use it. The usual rule applies: you can only dip once (to avoid contact with an half-eaten skewer). If you need more, some cabbage is available that you can use to transfer more sauce from the container. In the picture above I captured a little behind-the-scenes moment: after a customer leaves, the sauce is filtered, to eliminate crumbs and any residual food that may have fell into the container.
The check
Final check was 4,300 yen (39.80 USD) including the big set, some additional skewers, and non-alcoholic drinks, which were a bit overpriced. It was marginally more expensive than Daruma, but way better in terms of food and convivial experience. If you are looking for a good kushikatsu joint, Karatto is a solid option.
Where in Osaka: 1-3-23 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku. In Japanese: 中央区心斎橋筋1-3-23.
Kame Sushi is a very popular sushi joint in Osaka. It opened in 1954 and consists of two shops facing one another. For lunch I believe only the main shop is open. They were one of the first restaurants in Osaka combining fresh high-quality sushi with the atmosphere of a bar. It seems to be popular with tourists and locals alike.
The visit
I found myself in front of Kame sushi quite early, I believe around 11.15. And I decided to wait until the opening time at noon. I had read some good reviews and I thought it was an interesting place where to have a good sushi. Very soon, I found myself heading a queue of over two dozen people. It was that popular. You can see the door of the main restaurant above without the typical curtain with the shop’s name that is put up only during opening times.
Above is a view of the second shop that was closed for lunch when I visited.
I was one of the first to be seated and I started to order directly to the sushi chef in front of me. The first 20 minutes were super hectic, with the chefs trying to catch up with all the initial orders. An English menu was available. My first bite was sashimi: tuna, hamachi, and squid (ika): all super-fresh.
Then I started ordering nigiri sushi. My first order had prawns (ebi), khodama, aji, tai. Typically you order two nigiri pieces per type.
More: I had Japanese cockle (torigai) and scallops (hotate). The scallops could be raw or flame-torched, mine was seared. They had so many sushi type to choose from. Torigai is a type of shellfish that is not so common on sushi menus.
Next another special treat: two nigiri with the sweet anago (the Japanese saltwater eel),
To finish up I had two more prawns (they were so tasty) and razor-clam (shako).
You usually end a sushi meal with the Japanese omelet and miso soup. The omelet pieces came with some rice squeezed inside.
The miso soup was good, but it was an occupational hazard… it was boiling hot.
Everything was really fast, my meal did not last longer than 30 minutes. It was not the most comfortable meal as the small restaurant was very crowded. While leaving, people were still queuing.
The check
The check took the form of a pile of chips that were accumulated by the sushi chef that attended my orders. The total cost was around 6,000 yen (55 USD), for 27 pieces of sashimi/sushi plus the omelet and the miso soup.
Was it worth? In terms of quality, certainly they were a tad above the average and I do not mind the check. Everything was fresh and there were many exotic seafood varieties available. However I would not repeat the experience of waiting almost one hour. If you go, try perhaps odd times like in the mid-afternoon.
Where in Osaka: Sonezaki 2-14-2. Website: kamesushi.jp.
In my summer 2019 trip to Osaka, I was able to score again a perfect yakitori in Osaka. This time was Ichimatsu (焼鳥 市松), one of the two yakitori restaurants in town awarded a Michelin star.
The visit
I had a reservation made through an online service (it was totally worth the 800 yen spent). They have two turns for night. I joined the second one at 8.15pm. On a Thursday night, all seats were spoken for. The counter hosted 10 people and there was a small private room for 5 additional covers. The restaurant has a very understated store-front as usual for this kind of restaurants.
The welcome dish was warm ricotta cheese.
I just drank Fuji Water. Another opening dish was a small piece of chicken breast sashimi (it is always incredible how good it is… Japan is the only place where I would eat raw chicken), with a soy sauce mousse and sesame oil powder (this dish is not pictured).
The first skewer was chicken neck. It was a bit chewy.
Next was a skewer with what was described as the external part of the gizzard. It was nice as every skewer would carry new flavors.
Meantime we were offered some thinly-cut radish with soy sauce and olive oil. This side dish was replenished on demand.
The next dish was one of the most unique of the evening: chicken’s Fallopian tubes. I can say that they were sweet.
The next skewer was a classic: chicken skin.
Next we were offered some grilled shishisto pepper.
The next two dishes marked a departure from chicken. The first was a delicious piece of pork with vinegar. I believe the pork was from Kagoshima.
Then we had a Chinese-inspired duck broth with tofu and rice sauce.
Then we were back to chicken with a substantial wing, lightly crispy and salty.
The next dish included a piece of Japanese orange, marinated tomato, and (on the bottom) a specimen of chicken ovaries. It was basically what comes before the egg. It popped in the mouth with flavorful liquids.
Another soup had char-grilled duck with green onions and Japanese peppers, to mix.
An exotic chicken part came next: marinated kidney to wrap in a leave of lettuce. It was surprisingly delicious.
The mandatory meatball was a little rare and dripping-juicy. Every yakitori chef has a personal recipe for this skewer. It also usually marks the final part of the course.
In the end we were offered rice with cabbage and corn, chicken soup, ginger pickle. At this point it was also possible to order additional skewers from a menu.
A cup of tea completed the meal.
The check
The check was 9,850 yen (88.65 USD). It was on the pricey side, but everything was executed so well that I did not mind. It is not an experience for everyone, but if you like strong flavors and skewers, this is probably one of the best in Osaka
Where in Osaka: 1-chome-5-1 Dojima Kita-ku In Japanese: 大阪府 大阪市北区 堂島 1-5-1 エスパス北新地23・1F.
Takagi (たか木) is the restaurant owned by chef Takagi Kazuo located between Osaka and Kobe in a wealthy township called Ashiya. Since 2010, the restaurant has been awarded two Michelin stars. It was mentioned to me by a friend and since I had intention to visit some attractions in Ashiya anyway I tried to make a reservation. Despite the location, the restaurant is faithful to Kyoto culinary traditions and serves kaiseki meals (traditional Japanese multi-course cuisine).
The visit
I tried to make a reservation calling the restaurant a few days in advance. They could speak some English with me. The first answer was no. But when they heard that I was insisting proposing other dates, the answer changed into a yes. I went for a lunch on a Saturday.
It was easy to reach on foot from a nearby train station (both JR and Hankyu have a station within walking distance). It was nested in a residential area.
I was offered a seat in a room with a long wooden counter ideal for solo-diners. During the meal, only another customer was in the room.
The first appetizer was a composition with pumpkin, octopus, okra, in a base of yuzu jelly. Shiso flower on top. A young chef would bring me the dishes and provide some explanation in English.
The second dish was a hearty soup with egg custard and red beans. I was explained that they used shrimp paste to create the aspect of ice in the soup. It was a way to pay homage to the summer.
The third dish was a bowl of quality sashimi: tai from Awashima and tuna from Shimane.
The fourth dish was a composition of five beautifully-crafted snacks: taro with uni (top-left), white fish and cucumber (top-right), marinated and grilled salmon (center), squid with shiso flower (bottom-left), a roll with zucchini, ayu fish and miso (bottom-right).
The theme of the summer was strong in the fifth dish that had a piece of fried hamo (a type of sea eel), a favorite in Kyoto during the summer.
At this point the meal was coming to a close and they offered me hot tea.
The classic rice dish kept for the end was a bowl of simple steamed rice, miso soup (with fried tofu) and pickles.
Finally for dessert there was lemon and yogurt ice cream on a jelly of mixed berries (not pictured), a piece of monaka with the classic filling of red bean, and a bowl of hot matcha.
The all service took around 105 minutes (it was a bit slow at times but I did not mind).
The dishes were as delicious as beautifully presented.
The check
The check was 6,372 yen (59 USD) that was an incredible value for such a perfect meal. They also had a set menu with an higher price (I believe 10,000) that was actually my preference but we could not understand each other on the phone about this point (apparently you need to express your preference at the moment of the booking). The higher value set came with more premium ingredients and I believe an additional grilled dish.
To me this restaurant was absolutely worth the detour from Osaka and will remain one of my top dining experiences of 2019.
Where in Ashiya 12-8, Oharacho In Japanese: 〒659-0092 兵庫県芦屋市大原町12-8.
Running along the canal with the same name, Dotobori is one of the principal tourist destinations in Osaka. Food is one of the main attractions and takoyaki is one of those soul foods that are sold everywhere on this busy street.
Takoyaki is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus (tako). It is a fixture in Japanese street food and festivals.
The visit
What attracted me to Takohachi (たこ八), which serves also okonomiyaki on the upper floor, was an air-conditioned room where to eat the snack. On a very hot day, it was a big plus!
I had 5 takoyaki (for many places the minimum order was 6) that came covered in bonito flakes. This was not my first takoyaki in Japan, however it was very different from my previous experiences. The main difference was that it was very creamy and almost sweet. Way better than my previous ones. As usual, it was very hot and I had to cut it in two to get it cooler. Eating it in one shot was not advisable.
The check
Five takoyaki cost 400 yen (less than 4 USD). It is still an affordable eat.
Where in Osaka: 1 Chome-5-10 Dotonbori, Chuo Ward.
Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake containing a variety of ingredients in a wheat-flour-based batter. It is one of the typical dishes of Osaka.
There are literally hundreds of okonomiyaki restaurants in Osaka, so choosing one was not a simple task. I think that in the end I made a good choice.
The visit
The restaurant was down an alley in the maze of Namba shopping district, very close to Dotonbori.
I had to wait just a few minutes to be escorted to my dining room. The centerpiece of the room of course was the long table with the teppanyaki. I shared the room with two Korean guys.
From the menu I chose the “special mix” containing a little bit of everything (minced meat, pork, shrimp, octopus, squid, and oyster). As in many restaurants like this, they also offered yakisoba or udon (two types of fried noodles). If you wish to have some fried noodles on top of your pancake you can choose the “modern yaki” option.
Soon, a lovely old lady came into the room with the ingredients that were laid down on the hot surface.
She left it simmer for a while under a pot.
Finally, when she was satisfied with the cooking, she started to put the sauce on the finished pancake.
The sauce is usually made with tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and honey or sugar or soy sauce.
The last touch was painting the Osaka Tower with mayonnaise on top.
How was it? My expectations were low because I did not like okonomiyaki that I had tried before outside Japan. Well, it was delicious. The paste was thick and all ingredients were well amalgamated together. The flavor was savory and there was definitely an umami thing going on. I will try it again.
The check
For some reason I could not get the receipt… I spent 1,400 yen (13 USD) including an iced tea. Not bad considering the overall experience and service.
Where in Osaka: 1-9-19, Sennichimae, Chuo-ku. In Japanese: 大阪府 大阪市中央区 千日前 1-9-19.
Nagasaki is known to most people for the deadly atomic bomb dropped by the Americans in August 1945. However, the city has a long and intriguing history. For 218 years – until 1853 – Japan enacted a policy of complete isolation and during this time Nagasaki was the only port allowed to trade with foreigners. This made Nagasaki a multicultural city, with Westerner (mostly Dutch) and Chinese merchants interacting with locals and even living in the city. It was unavoidable that this interactions would influence its cuisine. One of the distinctive features of Nagasaki is its fusion dishes where you can see these influences at work.
Fresh seafood
As a port, you can expect to find fresh seafood. You can try a sashimi platter from a friendly izakaya to taste the freshness of the local catch.
Shippoku “fusion” high-cuisine
Shippoku is unique to Nagasaki and is a form of high-cuisine combining Japanese, Chinese, and Westerner elements. The result is beautifully presented dishes. We tried Ichiriki that has some very affordable menus to try this cuisine.
Champon noodles
Every city in Japan seems to have its own noodle dish. For Nagasaki it is Champon, a creamy noodle with pork, shrimps, squid, and much more that was influenced by Chinese cuisine. We tried it at Shikairo, a restaurant that even has a museum dedicated to Champon noodles. Otherwise just look for a place in Chinatown.
Toruko rice and its endless combinations
Toruko (Turkish) rice is a Nagasaki dish combining pilaf rice, tonkatsu (pork cutlet), spaghetti (and more depending on the place), all covered in demi-glace. Why it is called Turkish is a mystery, but it is a very popular dish found in cafes around Nagasaki. We recommend a cafe called Nicky Arnstein that offers hundreds of permutations in the ingredients of the dish.
A quality Japanese hamburger chez Gyumaru
Gyumaru is a small chain of hamburger shops from Saga prefecture. They do a terrific job in serving quality Japanese hamburgers, which are nothing like the Westerner counterpart. We enjoyed the Nagasaki branch in Mirai Cocowalk.
Nagasaki beef
Nagasaki is famous for its beef (wagyu). Why not trying it as a beef cutlet? We found a lovely little restaurant serving quality gyukatsu, the Japanese beef cutlet.
Refreshing with a milk seki
Milk seki is the Nagasaki’s version of milk shake (with condensed milk) and is typically eaten, not drunk. It was invented in a cafe called Tsuruchan that is regarded as the first modern cafe in Kyushu, dating back to the 1920s, another testament of Nagasaki’s modernity.
Castella cake to finish with a dessert
The Portuguese were among the first to trade with Nagasaki and the delicious Castella cake is regarded as a legacy of theirs. We tried it from Fukusaya, the oldest shop selling it in Nagasaki. Or you can try a Western cake from Baigetsudo or even the Chinese-inspired fried-dough called yori yori (if you have good teeth). Nagasaki is as international as it gets when it comes to its desserts.
