we took an express train in the morning from kyoto to osaka.
actually, its easy to navigate japan using their almost perfect public transport system and network.
we "threw" our luggage (wats new) at the hotel n started to roam the osaka streets.
went to hunt out this famous okonomiyaki shop which is hidden at the basement of a office building
i insisted on my yaki soba. n the chef recommended this!
baby got a mixed okonomiyaki w meat n seafood.
the chef cut each into 2 pcs n placed half of each in front of us for us to share. it was v tasty! i love it.
the v cute boss came n photo-bombed us while taking pix
he thanked singaporeans for our support n invited us to visit his shop again! love the atmosphere n food! we will b back again nxt time.
wat is a japan trip wout a visit to harbs? went to their shop at osaka for their famous fruit cakes
v creamy n fresh in-the-season fruits on good chiffon sponge. good.
a bit too much cream for baby
wat is a visit to osaka wout going to the famous dotomburi?
crowded as usual. wats new.
me: lets try fugu!
baby: how abt no?
me: wah lau eh, y u so hum one?
famous fried sticks shop which i wanted to try out. but for some reasons, i was not feeling well at dat time. did nt hav the appetite for oily food. nxt time pal.
the ramen shop was full w ppl. q was long too. wanted to try, but looking at the q, forget it.
kani nabe? nah, too expensive.
suddenly, we saw this.
baby n i got pretty excited n decided to q for this, there is this trend/craze in fusion food in japan, n this company actually had restaurants dat specialize in fusion cooking. they invite experts as consultant chefs and sommeliers, create their menus, n set up these cheap n good standing restaurant bar around japan. we've done some research b4 going to japan, n we're thrilled to find it here.
got in after 20mins. v excited.
everyone's standing ya. the atmosphere was lively n vibrant.it is a good place for couples, frens gathering. everyone juz seem to b connected (in a way), which is a rarity in this country.
ang mo menu pls
wine for me, juice for the lady
try peeping at the nxt table on their food. i muz say, the serving is huge!
here comes our food!
pasta w sakura ebi, mushrooms n mentaiko. slightly spicy, sweet w sakura ebi's crunchiness.
the super big sized sirloin steak w foie gras. look at hw thick the foie is. i mean, come on man. this is serious stuff. going to clot my arteries big time.
juz to let u c hw big the fella is. i am known for long fingers w big palms. look at hw big the meat n foie. n this thing cost less than $30. r u serious?????
white asparagus w prosciutto
food was really good. we cant finish the food though. cos at this point, i was feeling extremely unwell. stomach started churning, bloated n slight nausea. smth is not rite.
glico man!
tried to look normal.
there were tons of ppl on the bridge so it was difficult for us to take a pix wout other ppl in the frame
we went to grab some cheap (tax free) goodies nearby n went back to the hotel.
dat was when things went terribly bad.
i started to have serious diarrhea.
n i mean SERIOUS.
po chai cant stop the runs. n i oso ate the med (left overs) i brought along.
no chance.
i went to the toilet 20 times in 20 mins.
no kidding.
to a point dat i think i am going to die of dehydration n excessive LS-ing.
arse hurts max.
i hav to slp outside the toilet to prevent myself from, u noe, soiling myself in the middle of the nite.
wtf.
we were ready to dash to the clinic near our hotel the nxt morning.
we c hw it goes.
24th May - Day 9 (Osaka)
i started to hav stomach cramps n churns. but the diarrhea did subside for a while. maybe no input = no output?
baby went downstairs to buy some bread (shopping for bread) for me for bfast, n i stayed away fr dairy pdts n coffee. after monitoring the situation (still LS), i've bravely decided to carry on w our itinerary.
buay kiasee.
it was a dream for me to visit the instant ramen museum. i love noodles. n i hav this thing abt instant noodles. ate alot during teenage yrs. it became an emotional attachment for me. hahaha. noodle oni y so emo.
good to go!
wall of instant noodles history. started as food for astronauts
cutie mascot
noodles!
we q up to custom make of own instant cup noodles. look at the crowd. ya, inoe, wats new.
buy empty cup 1st
si beh 夸张
i drew one cup for baby, n she drew one for me. w my limited art skills, i muz say i've improved. from F9 to E8. one grade difference means alot to me. shut up.
finish drawing. can proceed to q again
our cups were placed on to of the ready fried noodles
turn
n its ready for filling
u can choose one soup base n 3 additional fillings for ur noodles
baby happily choosing
noodles were then sealed
n done!
they even gave us a inflatable bag to store our cup noodles. i wore it like a 乡巴佬
baby wore it like a handbag.
Man U on the cup. pls bring back a real cup nxt yr, nt cup noodles.
i can eat all of this!
seriously contemplating to buy from a fake vending machine
ramen truck! will this work in singapore?
our fav 一丁
y we dun hav this in singapore??????
i wan all!!!!
god father of instant ramen
was feeling quite ok after the museum visit. so i've suggested to hav a late lunch at the kani shop near our hotel.
my heart sank the moment we stepped in. this was no ordinary shop. this was the specialize shop which sells crab (note: dotomburi). wat hav we got ourselves into?????
me: wa bo lui leh
baby: then how? eat grass?
baby: dun try to trick me into paying for this
me: damn, my plot was exposed
it was quite crowded at even late lunchtime as u can c. we were sitting in our own little booth. reason for this is that they hav pretty cheap n good set lunches available, as compared to the extensive dinner menu. i knew this b4 i came, juz wan to scare baby abit. hehe. but she didnt fall for it. ah well. next!
ordered the set lunch which came w sashimi crab n boiled crab. baby was "beady-eyeing" me when i ate this. she was worried abt my stomach.
no worries. the crab was fresh n sweet
apparatus for complete crab destruction
crab salad. nice n light w ponzu sauce
baby's crab rice. she was instructed NOT TO OPEN the cover. we hav to wait for 30mins for the rice inside to cook. precision.
crab chawamushi. juz like tofu consistency w crabby sweetness.
crab meat gratin. i didnt eat this, got cream.
crab tempura. firm n super juicy crab leg.
crab shabu w osaka style zushi
finally, the rice is ready. n of cos, it tasted good.
baby was filled up to the brim at this point
my crab shabu.
stiil got dessert, but no crab. pana cotta w green tea cake
for u to clean ur hands after the feast. pls rem this is oni the CHEAP set lunch. imagine dinner.
look at the crab tank they had outside the restaurant. the food here was delicate n fresh. clean n simple, yet v filling. good experience.
baby was nt really comfortable w me roaming the streets w a bad stomach, so we walked around the area near our hotel, went to this electronic store nearby n bought 3 pairs of earphones (u will ask how many ears we hav), shopped for some med for my stomach.
dinner was at this shabby little shop (can sit oni 5 pax) in the dark alley behind the train stn.
its weird dat most shops werent open dat day.
the ramen shop stinks, n looked rundown, but the tsukemen the shop served was really tasty! thick yellow noodles w thick pork dipping broth. i finished my noodles (minimum 200 grams) w my bad stomach. nt bad for me actually, while baby still quite worried abt the aftermath of our dinner.
ate the med we bought from a local pharmacy n all seemed well.
for the moment.
25th May - Day 10 (Osaka)
everything seemed ok last nite.
although i still hav cramps n churns, the diarrhea had somehow subsided.
muz b the med we bought.
i was happily looking at the noodles we've "made" the day b4. n suddenly i realized that it will b difficult for us to bring this thing back. too bulky.
my terrible art
baby's drawing was much better
hmmm......how ah?
we've decided to eat it as bfast! hahaha.
baby's chicken flavor noodles w egg, cutie fish cake, prawn n spring onions
my seafood flacor w special fried chix, egg, garlic n spring onions
i was so happy. tasted so good. hahahaha. dun judge me. i was deprived of instant noodles. this tasted like heaven to me ok.
来，我帮你撑伞
went to the osaka aquarium. another of my "must do"
baby promised me to visit every aquarium we come across when we travel. so ya, we r here.
si beh song
the penguins were juz standing around in an army, letting the ice hit them on the face. v funny
look at hw big this fella is
this jelly fish emits lights!
hello. 5 dolla for one pix pls.
baby tried to touch the stingray. nope, she didnt. she gave up in the end. i did. slimy n jelly texture.
n it came charging at the crowd, sending kids into a frantic mode, screaming n running away. wat a scene.
they even had package for u to go out to the sea. we skipped. too choppy dat day.
we opted for a safer option. take pix w lego giraffe
lunch was at this teppanyaki shop specialized in their wagyu beef
starter was scallops w asparagus
baby's starter was scallop n prawn w shiso leaf
lobster w mushrooms
konyaku n veg
bamboo shoots w sansho pepper leaf
pan fried foie gras (again!!!!)
our meat! i opt for wagyu. baby took the special ribeye
baby's ribeye. juicy n tender
my wagyu was melt-in-your-mouth good. hehehe. v happy.
they r juz too adorable
bought this white cherries (v expensive leh) to snack b4 going for the ultimate meal we've been waiting for.
we've made a reservation to this restaurant many mths b4 we came over. this was the place i came w my sinseh in 2012 when i was here to learn how to cook. n in 2 yrs, this place had earned its 1st michelin star.
sat at the counter. v premium seat
start the meal w a fruity sake
finally got to eat some sea bream! sashimi w peanuts???? but it was god damn tasty!!!!
soup w sea bream n handmade tofu. hehehe.
aburi top quality clam
house smoked bonito. fell in love w these in 2012. still so good.
sinseh made this in front of u n passed this onto ur hands. otoro sushi. need i say dat this was VERY TASTY????
stuff the whole thing into the mouth
this dish really blew us off. sweet shrimp sashimi (buried below the sauce) w crab roe sauce and fresh sea urchin on top. the slight crunch of the prawns w the creaminess of the sauce and the uni creates a strange yet harmonizing mouth feel. the sweetness n freshness of the shrimp marries well w the creamy robust crab roe n of cos, the soft, outrageously seafood-y(?) uni.....not forgetting that the flowers added a floral scent n slight bitterness to the dish.its a symphony of taste in your mouth. this dish is definitely a culinary masterpiece.
more sake to continue the feast. if u realized, it was a different sake. sinseh make sure the type of sake goes well w the food he is going to serve ltr. this sake is light n fresh.
braised fish w shirako
yes, its the sperm duct of cod. :) creamy n savory. i like.
grilled fish. i am not sure wat fish this was, but u can eat e bones n gut n everything. slightly bitter, w firm flesh.
we r supposed to put this fish (saury?) into the v v hot broth to "cook" it. although we were super duper full at this point, w finished the soup n the fish. it was so light, slightly savory n fresh. baby loved this dish. the broth was awesome. light seaweed taste. good.
if u've realized, when japanese serve u rice, it means dat the meal is ending. we were told dat this will b the last dish. sakura ebi rice. look at the huge pot. yup. one huge pot for 2 of us.
the best best ebi rice i've eaten. the prawns actually gave a distinctive savory umami taste to the rice dat was cooked in the ebi stock. mixed w some parsley, simple yet v v tasty rice dish.
muz hav desserts. creamy matcha ice cream w sweet mango.
we were well fed w the incredibly delicious food dat was prepared by sinseh w passion n much love for the ingredients n his customers. i rem he once said to us, he did no want to b famous, he juz wanted to cook real osaka kappo ryori for people to enjoy. he respects the culture, the ingredient origin n of cos, the customers' senses. this, is cooking at its best. cook w heart n soul. n we've once again, felt his passion in the food he prepared for us. thank u sinseh for letting us experience this food journey. pls continue to cook! gambate!
one thing though. this pix was taken in 2012, when sinseh juz started this restaurant.
this was taken after the dinner. u can c he had put on some weight (ahem). still v earnest n humble.
and BLUR. i've asked him how to get to the nearest mrt stn when he saw us off to the door. he gave specific directions, as in which corner to turn, at which traffic light, etc. we followed hi instructions initially, n then at one corner of the street, when were abt to cross a road, someone cycled to us n called out to us.
it was his protege (he served us n chatted w us in the restaurant). apparently, he told us the wrong traffic light to turn. panic, he sent his protege to chase us on his bicycle to tell us. he even offered to take us there. hahahaha. wat love! we felt touched by the kind gesture, but we declined, saying dat we will walk to the stn by ourselves, then bid goodbye.
we felt warm in our hearts. thank you again sinseh.
note: work for him oso jia lat. need to cycle out n give directions. hahaha.
the left over rice were made into rice balls, packed nicely for us to bring back to our hotel. we were chuffed.
c, i've even dressed up for the occasion. this was how serious i treat this meal. v impt to me.
26th May - Day 11 (Osaka - Singapore)
time to go back!
after spending more than a week (n lots of money) in japan, it was time for us to return (n earn more money).
we were quite tired by then, so we juz walked around (n bought more things!!!) our hotel area after we checked out.
we've randomly selected a cafe to rest after walking. surprise! this cafe serves good coffee!!! not like those thin thin floral coffee we've had for this trip, this coffee is italian style, rich n robust. finally. n the rum baa baa was FANTASTIC. this gem was SOAKED in rum. super tasty.
too much rum for baby. so much dat we actually took a short nap in the cafe b4 we left. wtf.
had some chinese ramen b4 we catch the airport limo. decent. yellow noodles w clear broth, i am not complaining.
the shop served tasty gyozas too! thin skin n juicy fillings. good.
luckily we manage to reach the airport early. the airline counter was conducting a "training", jamming up the q. our boarding passes were even hand written. hw's dat for e return flight!
dats all folks. our japan trip.
we've enjoyed (n spent) tremendously, n we will b bk soon.
when i got the money to spend again.
hahaha.
