Then we jumped to Osaka. Osaka has two major downtown areas:
Kita (North) and
Minami (South).
Kita is my old workplace and playground. I thought I could even draw a map. However, after I moved to the US,
Kita has been dramatically changing with multiple developments, which made me so confused. Good news is the leap has brought new restaurants and bakeries in. My targets were new places as well as old places where I used to enjoy (if they were still there).
Before going to Osaka Castle, it was lunch time. J said, how about Italian? I introduced him to my favorite Italian restaurant, Modo di Ponte Vecchio. It's on 40th floor with a great view of Osaka city from their chic dining room. Of course, their dishes were wonderful as I remembered.
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| Antipasto: Mozzarella cheese made with water buffalo's milk, Prosciutto, & Almond milk |
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| Ciabatta & Focaccia |
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| My pick: Kabu-Pesto Linguini with Marinated Buri & Ikura |
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| J's pick: Tagliolini Arrabiata with Simonita Leek and Pancetta |
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| My pick: Suzuki (Sea Bass) & Endoumame wrapped in Firo |
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J's pick: Guanciale (salt-cured Pork cheek)-wrapped homemade Salsiccia (pork sausage) with lentil
Then, followed by lovely desserts & tea/coffee. |
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On another day in Osaka, we went to my favorite dim-sum restaurant, To-To-Kyo. This small dim-sum cafe is always busy with an endless waiting line, but worth the wait for their great lunch combo.
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| My pick: Soup Noodle set |
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| J's pick: Steamed Chicken Rice set |
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| Skilled Chinese chefs from Hong Kong making fresh yummy pork buns everyday! |
A major Osaka Specialty in terms of foods is
Okonomiyaki, Japanese savory pancake. I took J to my favorite
Okonomiyaki special restaurant,
Kiji, which has kept a traditional menu, taste, style and atmosphere.
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| Very "classic" choices: Buta-tama & Modan |
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| The funny master said, "Who made those Okomoniyaki? WE DID!" |
After lunch, we took a walk in the food section of multiple department stores,
Depa-chika.
Depa-chika offers thousands of wonderful food choices. We bought three different kinds of Baumkuhen, a very popular German cake in Japan, at
Depa-chika, which is one of my favorite sweets.
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| Baumkuhen-making-at-site in Hanshin department store's Depa-chika |
It was the time for a tea break. We went to Jean-Paul
Hévin, a high-end French chocolate boutique that I have been interested in since it came to Osaka a few years ago. My dream came true!
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Osaka's Jean-Paul Hévin boutique is located in Isetan department store.
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We both ordered Violette
Violet-perfumed chocolate Bavarian cream layered with cassis cream and dacquises & paillete feuilletine,
topped with a tiny dot of silver foil |
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| J's pick: hot chocolate, Brésil; my pick: Jean-Paul Hévin's special blend tea |
