Travellers: Mei 2018

Amidst of the hustle and bustle of this area, Dotonbori is still my favourite spot to go back and forth in Osaka. Well who can resist the lines of shops and great eateries here? Let me list down a few great eateries to enjoy around this area through this post.

I visited Dotonbori on Saturday and Sunday, and it was surely packed with people, locals and tourists were buzzing around this spot. I visited this place on weekdays back in 2015, still it was crowded with tourists especially. This time since it was mid November, the weather was quite chilly and windy - around 15°C as I remember - so more food is good to warm the body (well it's just me reasoning with my big appetite actually). I always love the colourful neon signage around the area. It's so lively!

Me and my friends, waiting for a while to be captured by this LED camera.

So, these are a few eateries that I think worth trying when you are around Dotonbori. I believe there are a lot more to try, but since I was only there for a day or two, these were a few those I could recommend.

1. Ichiran (一蘭)

JPY 790

Back in 2015, I went to Ichiran in Kyoto, this time I went to the Dotonbori shop. There was a queue, but not too long. Many said that Ichiran is not the best tonkotsu ramen ever, and yes I believe that. I prefer ramen with thicker broth. But still it was overall delicious.

2. Rikuro Ojisan No Mise (りくろーおじさんの店)

I knew this place through my friend's recommendation. I've been a fan of Pablo since the first bite, but she said I should try Rikuro's cheesecake. So there I was, having an afternoon tea time at Rikuro's.

If you want to dine in, you could head to the second floor of the shop where you can sit and have a peaceful teatime while watching the chef baking his pastry and the barista brewing her coffee.

I actually plan to buy the whole cheesecake for JPY 685, but since my friends said it was too much for them to finish, we opt for the teatime set.

Set (1 slice of cheesecake with tea) - JPY 440

Rikuro's cheesecake is the fluffy jiggly kind of cheesecake - you know, the super soft and light one. It was good, really, but still, I love Pablo's kind of cheesecake better. And that's why I went back to Pablo, though they already have several stores in Jakarta.

3. Pablo

JPY 350

I went here not for cheesecake actually. I went to Pablo to buy some biscuits to take home. Their ice-cream was tempting, so I decided to treat myself a cone of their cheese-infused ice cream.

Zoom-zoom!

The perk of eating ice-cream on a chilly day is - your ice cream doesn't get to melt so fast! And yes, I love their ice-cream, just the right amount of balanced saltiness, sweetness and creaminess.

4. Gyukatsu Motomura (牛かつもと村)

Don't expect to find the signage written with GYUKATSU MOTOMURA on it, instead, find the signage with the kanji letter written like above - there you find the Dotonbori branch of Gyukatsu Motomura. I've been hearing about this place here and there, and it seems like it is one of the must visit restaurant in Japan. Yes, they have a branch here in Osaka other than the other Tokyo branches.

Well, it's no good food when you don't have to queue in Japan. So there ware me and my friends, queueing on one chilly night in Dotonbori for this piece of meat. We waited for around 45 minutes - an hour to get our seats.

130 gr set (No Yam) - JPY 1,300

Each of us ordered this set, with 130 gr of breaded meat, rice, salad, and soup.

You need to grill the meat yourself on this mini teppan. Tips - just grill your meat for a little while for a piece of juicy heavenly meat.

I must say Gyukatsu Motomura is really worth trying. I was heavenly good! Other than the meat itself, the salad, the soup, the rice were all good. When I went to Tokyo days later, I went back to Gyukatsu Motomura, and I must say the meat was slightly different in texture, the one I had in Osaka was better.

5. Acchichi Honpo Takoyaki (あっちち本舗)

You'll find this place easily. It is located just two or three buildings away from Ichiran, right on the river walk. Why I tried the takoyaki here? Well just because we went through this place several times, and since Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki are must eats in Osaka, we tried a portion to share.

JPY 500

Chewy octopus inside covered with the not to thick takoyaki skin. Something good if you wanna chew something while walking around the area. You could dine in also, the have several seats in their basements. Free water available also.

6. Mizuno Okonomiyaki (お好み焼「美津の」)

The problem of finding the eateries here is, sometimes their English name is not written, or if written, the size is super small that you could hardly spot it when your eyes are wandering around trying to find it. Trying to find Mizuno? Try to find the signage above with the small Mizuno name on the bottom right of it. Actually the easier way to find the famous eateries is by the queue of people in front of it. So yes, we were queueing (again) for a plate of okonomiyaki.

Why this place is so famous? Michelin, Michelin, and more Michelin.

What to order here? Well actually we only picked the one listed on the TOP 5. I ordered myself this Mizuno-Yaki with pork, minced meat, scallop, shrimp, octopus and squid. Sit still and wait until they finished cooking on the teppan on your table.

Mizuno-Yaki JPY 1,405

Tadaa! My Mizuno -Yaki was finished! It was tasty and fulfilling. If you have a big belly like me, you might be able to finish one by yourself, but if you don't, go share.

Modan-Yaki - JPY 1,135

Not in the mood for okonomiyaki, you could opt for their Modan-Yaki. We just finished eating for a while and the waiter tell us there were still a long queue - yeah, you cannot sit for a long time here, you need to quickly move after the eating business is finished.

Worth trying? Yes! Will go back? Don't think so - okonomiyaki is not really my thing.

7. Mel's Coffee Roaster

I was longing for a good coffee and quietness after strolling around Dotonbori for hours. So I decided to find a good coffee shop around, and Mel's was listed. Actually this spot was not really in Dotonbori area. It was around 10-15 minutes walk from Dotonbori. It was a humble coffee shop in a quiet area, just coffee beans, coffee machines and baristas inside, so if you want to sit, you could sit in front of the shop.

JPY 380

It took quite awhile for me to get my cappuccino, but thank God it was wonderful! Though I'm not a coffee expert, I just knew that they use fresh roasted beans.

That was all for this post. Until I see you again Dotonbori!

Ichiran (一蘭)

Rikuro Ojisan No Mise (りくろーおじさんの店)

Pablo

Gyukatsu Motomura (牛かつもと村)

Acchichi Honpo Takoyaki (あっちち本舗)

Mizuno Okonomiyaki (お好み焼「美津の」)

Mel's Coffee Roaster