It's Just Me

At: Umami Noodle Bar (map)

In: Calgary, AB, Canada (16th Ave. NW, between 2nd Street and 4th Street) (Tiny parking lot in rear, otherwise street parking in residential side streets.)

On: February 10, 2016

At: The Ramenman (map)

In: Vancouver, BC, Canada (Bidewell Street, between Haro Street and Robson Street) (Street parking)

On: January 12, 2016

At: Harvest Community Foods (map)

In: Vancouver, BC, Canada (Union Street, between Gore Street and Main Street) (Street parking or 10 minute walk from Main Street Skytrain Station)

On: December 30, 2015

Eating: The ramen with pork shoulder, candied bacon, egg, and radish.  The pork was thick cut and incredibly delicious.  The broth was light and very tasty, and the noodles were perfect.  Truthfully, I didn’t think that the candied bacon added anything one way or another, and I wasn’t a fan of the choice of greens or the raw radish.  But Harvest Community Foods believes strongly in eating local and in season, so I think the choice of veggies in the ramen will change regularly.

At: Neverland Tea Salon (map)

In: Vancouver, BC, Canada (West Broadway, about 2 blocks west of Macdonald Street)

On: October 31, 2015

Eating: The “High Tea” set (pictured above are 2 sets).   The bottom tier of savouries included (from left to right):  Lemon herbed cream cheese, cucumber, and arugula sandwich, Thai red curry egg salad with sliced cucumber and mango chutney, warm truffled mushroom duxelle with ripe brie and arugula mini croissant sandwich, smoked Sockeye salmon on dark rye with edamame guacamole and crunchy peas, and  chicken salad with tarragon, salt-roasted pears, walnuts, and globe grapes sandwich.   The middle tier was, bucking tradition, the sweets tier with (from left to right): spiced pumpkin cupcake with granola crunch and maple buttercream, passion fruit custard tartlet with tropical fruit salad and coconut meringue, tiramisu, triple chocolate raspberry brownie with milk chocolate ganache.   The top tier held the scones (with Devonshire cream and strawberry jam).

Everything was really delicious!  My favourite was the egg salad sandwich! (I was worried about the “thai curry” part, but it was subtly, and deliciously, done.)  My least favourite was the brownie, which was a dry and the ganache had a weird sticky texture.  The scone was absolutely lovely.

Pro tip #1: It’s all-you-can-tea! And you’re allowed to switch up the kind of tea you order throughout the meal, so this is a really cool feature.

Pro tip #2: The Neverland Tea Salon also has a full food menu that looks delicious.  So if you’re not big on sweets, I would recommend sharing one High Tea set with a friend and ordering additional dishes from the regular menu.

At: Ukihashi (in the Hotel Granvia Osaka) (map)

In: Osaka, Japan (The Hotel is connected to Osaka Station, but is next to Umeda Station on the Hanshin Line)

On: June 8, 2015

Eating:  The traditional Japanese breakfast set. On the plate at the top left, there was grilled fish, tofu, and konnyaku with some light soy sauce for dipping. The square dish in the middle held seaweed jelly(??), rolled omelette with a blob of mentaiko, fried fishcake, and an umeboshi.  The plate on the top right was cheerfully occupied by an orange wedge.  The pretty green bowl in the middle held a fishcake dumpling in broth.  The wee plate with the stripes was for the pickles.  The set came with rice or congee, three sheets of nori in a packet, and miso soup.  The rice, congee, and miso soup were refillable.  My favourite item in this set was the grilled fish, followed very closely by the fishcake in broth (surprisingly!). But everything was DELICIOUS.  The restaurant setting was very elegant too. It was worth it to wake up at 7am for this.

At: Takoyaki Wanaka (map)

In: Osaka, Japan (Namba Station on the Midosuji Line, Sen-Nichimae Line, or Yotsubashi Line)

On: June 7, 2015

At: Kushikatsu Daruma (map)

In: Osaka, Japan (Dobutsuenmae Station on the Midosuji Line or Sakaisuji Line)

On: June 7, 2015

Eating:  The... deep fried things on skewers!  Kushikatsu!  I’ve never had this before (not this style anyway), so it was quite fun.  When you sit down, you’re given a container of the house sauce and a bowl of raw cabbage, and then you order your skewers individually. I ordered: eggplant, kabocha (pumpkin), classic tonkatsu (pork cutlet), pork belly, and gyutan (beef tongue).  My friend ordered the same 3 proteins, and then okra and some kind of shiso pickled garlic.  Both of us liked the pork belly the best. ^_^v  

Pro tip #1: NO DOUBLE-DIPPING. That container of sauce is for your whole table! (and actually... i think it might stay at that table for the guests before and after you. so be polite!)

At: Beard Papa (map)

In: Osaka, Japan (There are Beard Papa kiosks in most train stations. Lol.)

On: June 7, 2015

Eating:  The “peach melba” cream puff!  This was a summer limited item, so they probably don’t offer this flavour anymore, but it was really good!  The cream was light and with a good peach flavour.  There were little cubes of peach mixed into the cream too.  

At: Hokkyokusei (map)

In: Osaka, Japan (Namba Station on the  Midosuji Line, Sen-Nichimae Line, or Yotsubashi Line)

On: June 7, 2015

Eating: The hambaagu steak (hamburg steak).  This was really delicious!  Actually I liked it better than their famous omurice. Haha.  The patty was beefy and flavourful and the gravy was just the right balance of richness and salt.  The little scoop of potato salad was quite charming too. 

At: Hokkyokusei (map)

In: Osaka, Japan (Namba Station on the  Midosuji Line, Sen-Nichimae Line, or Yotsubashi Line)

On: June 7, 2015

Eating:  The chicken omuraisu! (omurice? omelette rice.) According to the restaurant, this is the original, original. They invented the omuraisu dish.  A tomato-y fried rice with diced chicken, wrapped in a thin layer of egg, and draped with a sweet/sour tomato sauce.  Hokkyokusei makes their own tomato sauce, so it’s not straight ketchup like in most other restaurants.  While this was very tasty, I personally preferred the “Tanpopo-style” one I ate at Taimeiken in Tokyo because I felt the Taimeiken rice was more flavourful and I liked the substantial amount of egg in the Tanpopop-style. ^_^v

At: Kukuru (kiosk in the Takoyaki Museum) (map)

In: Osaka, Japan (Universal City Station on the  Sakurajima Line)

On: June 6, 2015

Eating:  The mochi cheese takoyaki which are takoyaki with mochi and cheese inside as well as the octopus.  These were SO excellent.  (or is it because it was 10pm and I was starving? haha. no, seriously, these were really good.) The octopus was tender, the mochi was chewy, and the cheese was a nice salty creamy touch. (^-^)b The “akaishiyaki”, which is basically a softer takoyaki that you dip in a clear broth before eating it.  My friend said that they’re supposed to be paler in colour, but because these were the last batch of the night, they were probably a bit toasted.  These were tasty, but I prefer normal takoyaki because of the texture.

Random note: Kukuru is a famous takoyaki chain with branches all over Japan. You can find your nearest location on their website here (jp only).

At: Universal Studios Japan(map)

In: Osaka, Japan (Universal City Station on the  Sakurajima Line)

On: June 6, 2015

Eating: The “Minion” steamed bun was filled with braised pork belly. My friend actually ate this one but she said it was good with lots of pork. The “Hello Kitty” steamed bun was filled with minced pork and cheese. It was fine. Tasted like a chinese pork meatball really.  I didn’t feel there was any cheese flavour although I could see it in the filling.  Overall, it was good, and a nice snack while you’re wandering around the park, but flavour-wise I don’t think you’re missing out if you don’t buy one.

At: Wizarding World (Universal Studios Japan) (map)

In: Osaka, Japan (Universal City Station on the  Sakurajima Line)

On: June 6, 2015

Eating:  The Butterbeer.  AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS. A+++. Would drink so many times again.  Vanilla-y, slightly caramel-y(?), somehow creamy.. and refreshing.  It is a little sweet, but that is the way carbonated beverages tend to be.  It is not as sweet as cream soda or cola, so that’s nice.

At: Baby Mon Cher (map)

In: Osaka, Japan (Basement of the Daimaru department store at Osaka Station) (It’s also connected to Umeda Station on the Midosuji Line)

On: June 6, 2015

Eating: The “baby deco roll” cakes which were individual slices of a mini roll cake laid on their side and heaped high with toppings: mango, blueberry, grapefruit, and pudding.  I ate the mango, half a blueberry, and half a pudding.  They were absolutely delicious, fresh fruit and fresh cream, soft cake, not too sweet.  SO PERFECT.

(These were sold in a set of four, and they might have been a June special (not sure)).

At: Kiji (map) (sorry, they don’t have a website!)

In: Osaka, Japan (Umeda Station on the Midosuji Line) (Osaka Station on the Tokaido Main Line or Osaka Loop Line) (Next to the Hankyu department store, underneath the Midosuji Subway Line)

On: June 5, 2015

Eating:  The “mixed” okonomiyaki with meat (i assume pork?), shrimp, chikuwa, and konnyaku. This was super tasty with lots of different textures.  The konnyaku was a  super bizarre texture to add to okonomiyaki, but then I started to really love it. hahaha. The modanyaki with soba and a fried egg (somewhere in there).  This was my favourite between the two.  I might be biased toward starches. ^_~  But it’s the best of both worlds if you can’t decide between okonomiyaki and yakisoba.

(the picture above is half of each, just to be clear. haha.)

Pro tip #1: This place is super tiny and super popular. I think their capacity might actually be like 20-22 people.  So go during off-hours if you don’t want to wait in a cubbyhole of a waiting area or standing in a narrow stairwell.

Pro tip #2: If you want to watch the chefs cook your food in front of you, then you need to sit at the counter. The 4 tables have flattop grills, but your food comes to you already cooked, so it’s just for crisping up your food before you eat it.

At: Patisserie Mon Cher (map)

In: Osaka, Japan (Basement of the Hankyu department store at Umeda Station on the Midosuji Line) (It’s also across the street from Osaka Station)

On: June 5, 2015

Eating: The pudding in a jar!  I love these little jars of creme caramel that are so common in Japan and Taiwan~ ♥  They’re perfect little containers of happiness. This one was creamy and rich and not too sweet. The caramel at the bottom was not too bitter. (^-^)b  You will encounter many places offering pudding when travelling in Japan, and I would definitely recommend trying this one.

At: Patisserie Mon Cher (map)

In: Osaka, Japan (Basement of the Hankyu department store at Umeda Station on the Midosuji Line) (It’s also across the street from Osaka Station)

On: June 5, 2015