Noraya

When: Many times since me and Kenji met in 2008

Where: Closest location is in Namba by Nankai station 大阪市中央区難波5-1-60 なんばCITY南館1Ｆ

What: Udon! The set lunch or dinner is great. There are a lot of udon to choose from (kitsune, curry, zaru, etc) plus you get a choice of rice (don't care for the red bean rice myself) and tempura. I like the zaru udon because I can order extra and it comes in a stacked box. The chubby kitty mascot appears on their dishes and you can buy souvenirs at the register if you like. Not expensive at all.

http://www.noraya.com/

ラーメン 峰味 (Ramen Houmi)

When: Many times since November 2009

Where: 大阪市浪速区敷津東3-3-16 サンウッド森本102 Near Imamiya Ebisu station in Osaka

What: Delicious melt-in-your-mouth pork ramen! The pork is so so good, it makes me momentarily weak after I take my first bite. There's also the pork rice bowl which is also fabulous. The best part is that the shop is run by this kind of surly "ojisan" guy who is the owner and in the evening, the only staff (he stays open til really late too). His ramen place is spotless and filled with a certain Showa-era vibe, not at all like Osho. Ramen Ojisan does his work so methodically that it's impossible to rush him, no matter how many customers- he's like 'The Man Who Planted Trees' but with noodles. We always look forward to seeing him.


http://www.houmi.net/index.html

Magic Spice Restaurant

When: December 2009

When: Osaka city, south west of Namba station.

大阪市浪速区稲荷１－１０－２０ Phone: ０６－４３９２－８８７７

What: First of all, the crazy decor is what caught my eye. It's like a kitschy Indian restaurant on acid, with the crazy lighting, giant Ganesh statue and various draperies. The food here is called soup curry, so it's like extra spicy broth with noodles, veggies and meat of your choice, kind of a choose your own adventure type of meal. There was a little chart on our table of spiciness so you could choose the strength of your curry. Being the wuss that I am, I chose the lowest level, "Awakening", which was nice with beef. Kenji gambled and took level 4, "Nirvana". Took him ages to sweat through his bowl! And I don't to imagine how hot level 6, "Aumair" (or Almair?), would be. Plus, we also had lovely kebabs and Kenji and his friend ordered the sparkly sundaes.

http://www.magicspice.net/

GARLIC POWER!

When: November 2009

Where: Near Hanazono-cho Station, on the Yotsubashi line

What: Garlic! With ramen and gyoza. Hooo boy, there was a lot of garlic. The next day I was still smelly and I've decided from now on, only go before my day off. It wasn't expensive at all and just a small place with all counter seats. The ramen came in these massive stone bowls and just the broth alone was heaven. Mmm-mm mm-mm mmm!

彩鶏キッチン 八女小町

When: I think March 28, 2009. We used someone's wedding present money.

Where: Namba, Osaka (near Yoshimoto) 大阪府大阪市中央区難波千日前13-16 ＫＳなんばビル1Ｆ

What: Izakaya (like a pub), most dishes involving chicken. It doesn't make sense why someone who is allergic to chicken would go but A. The shop is so cramped and cute and I had been wanting the window seat for ages and B. I can't or don't read kanji much so I was oblivious to the chicken aspect until we sat down. It was a bit expensive but we were happy and I ATE OSTRICH! RAW!! It tasted a bit like beef.

http://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ000716962/food/#category003

Salon de The Alcyon/ サロン・ド・テ アルション

When: September 16, 2009

Where: Hozenji area, Namba, Osaka
〒542-0076
大阪市中央区難波1-6-20

What: Afternoon tea (or high tea if you like). This was such a cute shop we found by accident, because Hozenji is my favourite little shrine. Anyhow, the cafe's on the 2nd floor, which was of course packed with ladies. They have a huge tea selection and the best part was a half-size afternoon tea is only 1050 yen! We opted for full size which was 550 yen more. It was very yummy with a fancy cake, canapes, quiche and scones. I had the maron (chestnut) tea and Kenji had their original blend, Alcyon. Very nice!

http://www.anjou.co.jp/shop/saronhouzenji/

ファンファン Giant Onigiri Shop!

(The onigiri was giant, not the shop! Jeesh)
Date: August 26, 2009
Where: Universal City Walk (ground floor, by Mosburger)
Price: under 200 yen for the regular sizes, over 500 yen for Biggie
What: Freakin' onigiri! There was a menu of all different types and, in a bid to woo the fussy foreign crowds, there was a "no nori" option too. But get this... we ate an onigiri that was the size of a small rabbit. Awesome! It was "hamburg" too, mmm. Next time, I'll have the takoyaki rice ball!

http://www.ucw.co.jp/shop_restaurant/fum/