Lost in Japan: Osaka - Part 1

On the fourth day of my Japan Trip, we go to Osaka using Shinkansen.

Let me tell you a bit about Shinkansen. I used my JR Pass to go to Osaka using Shinkansen (more info HERE) We went to Tokyo Station and looking for the Shinkansen platform. If you are lost, just ask anybody and they will show you the direction. By using the JR Pass, all you need to do is show the pass at the maned gate and find the platform. Wait for the train to arrive and pick the empty seat on Car 1 - 5 (It is the unreserved seat car)

By using JR Pass, you can ride any Shinkansen except the Nozomi and Mizuho train. I don't really know the difference since I never ride on Nozomi trains but according to some websites/forum there is no difference about the condition of the car. The difference is the schedule, the Hikari train which we took has fewer schedule than Nozomi train and stops at more station than Nozomi train. In other words, using Nozomi train will get you to Osaka faster than using Hikari trains. Well, we are on vacation so 30 minutes difference is not a problem, so don't be a princess and use JR Pass.

Now, the shinkansen ride... It was AWESOME. Seriously man, it was wayyyyyyyyyyyy better than the Malaysia Airlines ride to Tokyo. The train was ultra clean, reclining seat (semi sleeping position), wide leg space, bigger chairs and better interior. Don't forget to buy food at the station to be eaten on the train, well my idea of killing time is munching on food, so u know.... :p

 

The trip from Tokyo to Osaka took approx 3 hours, not that long and the train ride was smooth. We arrived at the Shin-Osaka Station and went straight to the AirBnB apartment. The place I booked using AirBnB is a small apartment 3 minutes walking distance from the Shin Osaka Station. Perfect choice, saving us a lot of trouble dragging the luggage and not changing trains/subway. Recommended place if you are visiting Osaka. Minimarts are like 1 minutes away from the apartment, Midosuji Subway Line Shin Osaka Station 2 minutes walk, clean apartment, what else do you need.

After checking in to the apartment and get a rest (actualy resting approx 2 hours) we started exploring Osaka! Destination... Dotonbori!

From all the googling I did, Osaka doesn't have much to offer. Besides Dotonbori, there's Osaka Aquarium, Universal Studios and Osaka Castle, nothing much right? BUT let's try them all

To go to Dotonbori, I took a subway ride on the Midosuji Line and get off at Namba Station os Shinsaibashi Station. From there... Just get lost :) In every trip, I do a lot of planning. BUT when I arrive in a place, I purposely try to be lost. Somehow, being lost in a foreign place adds a certain thrill to the trip.

Shinsaibashi is a shopping area. Like many other shopping spot in Japan, the characteristic is many many stores in a no driving zone. It's like Pasar Baru in Jakarta, if you know what I mean. I didn't do much shopping so I didn't really pay much attention to the shops. Dotonbori is an area consists of many restaurants, some shops and clubs. It's the place where you can find the iconic Glico Man.

Some say that Osaka is the kitchen of Japan. It's THE place to enjoy Japan's best food. I can't say that I agree since IMO Tokyo's food is better than Osaka... Well maybe I didn't explore much in Osaka.

One of the place I tried is a famous Okonomiyaki place called Mizuno. Okonomiyaki is a pancake like dish, consist of cabbage, scallions, meat in a batter, pan fried and then topped with katsuiboshi (bonito flakes), mayo and tonkotsu sauce (kinda like bbq sauce but less tangy)

Waited for a bit over an hour (Japanese really loves to queue) then finally got to taste the damn thing. While waiting for the queue I wondered around the area and found this queue of takoyaki shop. Ordered this takoyaki with lots of scallion and soft boiled/raw egg. The takoyaki is very mushy, the scallion helps a lot with the raw egg. I found it kinda weird but kinda yummy too. It's gooey and creamy at the same time.

After the long wait, we finally got seats and ordered two dishes. One is called Yamaimoyaki, a yam based yaki dish with pork and scallop and the other is Mizunoyaki, a typical okonomiyaki with 6 toppings.

The dishes are prepared in front of us. First is the Yamaimoyaki. The cook kinda put everything on the hot pan and mixed all the ingredients together. When it is cooked, he put all the sauces and slide the "pancake" in front of us, provided a small iron spatula, just like the one he uses to cook the dish.

Tastewise... Yummmm. Well, it is not something you can find in Jakarta. It's authentic japanese and a yummy one. The proteins esp the scallops are cooked nicely. This dish looks like a mess, but addictive when eaten. The combination of the savory tonkotsu, the fragrant katsuiboshi, the creamy mayo and the gooey cake is yummmm.

Second dish is the Mizunoyaki, which in terms of taste kinda similar to the Yamaimo but softer and more creamy.

Continueing the journey that night, we tried another takoyaki which tastes even worse. I dunno, I think all the takoyaki are mushy, I like it a bit firm and dry, not crumply and gooey... From what I learned, that kind of consistency (mushy and gooey) is the best for takoyaki, so maybe it's just my personal preference. One thing that's funny is when I bought this takoyaki, the lady seller yells a lot, there was a yelling war with the adjacent takoyaki stall and the lady won! Damn, Japan is so overwhelming (and this comes from a trained Muara Karang residents with all the yelling medanese auntie)

Last, before we got back to the apartment, we stoppend by Doutor, a coffee shop chain which can easily found all over Tokyo and Osaka. The cake and coffee package cost around 400 JPY. The coffee is so light, tastes like milk with a drop of coffee (like any other coffee in Japan) The choux is YUMMMM!!! Ridiculously creamy but not too sweet, the puff was crispy and has the perfect bounciness, love love love!

On the way back, at the station I found this stall called Horai 551, I remembered seeing the stall in Tokyo too. I was curious and bought a pack of gyoza for around 200 JPY. Then, we bought some instant noodle at 7-11 and a packet of pork belly. Oh damn, seriously yummy!!!!

See you on the next post!!! Next is Osaka Aquarium...

Shabu Ghin

One of the current trend in Jakarta culinary scene is all you can eat japanese shabu shabu. Shabu shabu is not a new item in Jakarta BUT the opening of Shaburi, which offers unlimited premium beef shabu with affordable price, really change the scene.

Meet Shabu Ghin, a late bloomer in Jakarta shabu shabu competition.

Like the hugely succesfull Shaburi, Shabu Ghin offers packages of all you can eat premium shabu beef. I tried the premium shabu beef package (168K IDR) with a 30% discount from Kesles (an android app) Yeah I know, what a bargain!!!

The strong point of Shabu Ghin is their delicious appetizer, dessert and drink bar. All of them are GOODDD!! The japchae (korean stir fry glass noodle) is off the hook. I really don't know and don't care why they serve a korean food in a japanese restaurant, all I know is that is one of the best japchae ever. Try their chicken karaage, a deep fried battered chicken thigh, dip it in the creamy nut shabu sauce, HEAVEN.

The beef, IMO is slightly better than shaburi. Somehow I feel em thicker and juicier. To enjoy the beef you will be given several choices of cooking soup, feel free to try different soup. I tried the original konbu, yummy.

Last, dessert and drink bar.... They have melon juice dispenser!! Oh the juice is a major help after the heavy beef shabu, totally in love. They also serve some soft cream, a rather yummy one compared to other all you can eat joint.

Overall, I really enjoyed my visit here, recommended

Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Wolter Monginsidi No 53, Jakarta

Coco Curry Ichibanya

Holaaa mina san, O genki desu ka?

This post is about one of my fave Japanese Food, curry! Ever since I met Japanese Curry, I fell in love with it. The smooth creamy thick brown liquid over a plate of warm steamed rice, oh so addictive! Japanase curry unique characteristics differs it from other curries aroun the world. Most of the world's curry comes in a more liquid consistency, less creamy and more spicy. Apart from it, I think japanese curry is an ultimate comfort food

Coco Curry Ichibanya is a place which main purpose is serving us the most delicious Japanese Curry. Since it's been a long time since I dine at Coco Curry Ichibanya, I will only go over some superficial detail

Starting from the tuna salad, the veggies are fresh, crunchy and not bitter at all. Putting some mayo tuna salad on top is brilliant. The dressing is basically thousand island with japanese touch, a bit sour and watery compared to the americe style thousand island dressing. I love how a bite of the salad will take u into a refreshing blast.

I ordered the breaded mince beef curry rice and it was a foul decision. The curry, yum! Perfect consistency, perfect heat and bits of cheese for some extra jolt of yumminess. IMO, not the best but surely tastes good. The curry lacks boldness. The minced beef is soggy and tasteless, not good :(

My sis ordered this gooey creamy omu rice and it was awesome!! Once u cut through that egg, the filling will ooze out, heavenly! I love how the omurice tastes creamy but not too creamy. The creaminess of the omellete amplifies the curry's creaminess.

Overall, I think Coco Curry Ichibanya is a place worth visiting. Since the price is quite affordable, I'm sure many high school or university students will find this place perfect for their weekend :)

Rating: 7/10
Location: Grand Indonesia, West Mall 4F

Abura Soba Yamatoten

Abura Soba Yamatoten is a japanese soba restaurant in Pantai Indah Kapuk area... Unlike it's predecessors, Abura Soba Yamatoten specializes in Soba. I am not a soba fans, my fave type of japanese noodle is actually udon. When this place became huge is social media, I wonder why people gone crazy over soba. Sooo, I decided to give it a try with my sis and mom

The place is very PIK. Renovated shophouse with minimal decor and simple modern japanese touches here and there. I don't think the place can handle more than 50 guesses (no wonder people always queues outside).

I'm so sorry, I kindo forget the names of the dishes but no worries, i'll try my best to describe each and every dish. The soba is handmade and produced fresh daily by the chefs, using authentic and high quality ingredients. I love the consistency of the soba which is different from the soba we usually find in Japanese restaurant. The soba is like ramen but thicker and more chewy.

The soba is served with bamboo shoots, onsen tamago (runny half boiled egg), nori shreds, finely chopped spring onions and pork slices. This is the basic version... Noodle consistency is beautiful. Mix the soba with all the ingredients, put seasonings as instructed (chili oil and vinegar) and voila, creamy gooey savoury japanese noodle. It reminds me a lot of pasta carbonara. I can't say it's not delicious but it is not my cup of tea. This dish is something new to my palate and I really enjoyed it BUT after finishing half of the soba, I found it boring, two dimensional and in the end a bit too creamy (and not in a good way)

This is another version of the soba, using soybean paste base sauce. Taste more like chachiang mian or korea's jajjangmyeun. Ugh... Hate this noodle, sweet and pungent. Big NO NO

Last one is their rice dish. Abura Soba Yamatoten serves a limited variety of japanese dishes. When we went there, Mom doesn't want to eat noodle so we ordered this one and only rice dish. Basically a bowl of rice with grilled pork belly slices on top. The pork belly is very oily, then it is served on a bowl of rice with NOTHING else other than garnish. I wonder how people can enjoy this dish. Sure the pork is good but come on... Rice and pork slices only?

There are many other places in PIK that serves better food, I don't think I'll be coming back here...

Rating: 6/10

Location: PIK, near the JORR entrance

Follow my instagram @doc_babi for live update of my culinary journey

February: Around Jakarta

Today's post is gonna be the Around Jakarta series. I used to post this kind review under the title "Dimana-mana Makanan", just upgraded it into English so it can reach non bahasa user --> go international!

Let's start the yummy stroll patients :)

First one we got Bakso Afung. A legendary bakso (meatball) stall, sprawling across Jakarta. The pontianak style bakso charaterized with super yummy beef broth, thin meatballs, scallions and garlic oil makes this particular meatball stands out. The meatballs are served in a bowl of hot broth, usually with beef inards and noodle/kway teow on the side. One of my favorite comfort food hehehe

Now we got this vegetarian pesto pasta from Ideas in Streel Gallery Pondok Indah. A delicate and elegant dish, very appropriate with u gals in diet. The pasta is al dente with smooth and sophisticated taste and fresh ingredients. Price is on the high side though.

Next is Indonesia's favorite noodle, INDOMIE. Yes I mention the brand and no I wasn't endorsed by the company. This is from Tovas, a small street stall selling indomie and roti bakar (toast) in setiabudi area, just beside Four Seasons Hotel and Aston Hotel. The toast is off the hook and the Indomie is to die for.

Last is Marutama Ramen. Their ramen for me is one of the best in Jakarta. Despite the hugely popular Hakata Ikkousha or Ikkudo Ichi, Marutama is in another class. Their place exudes elegance and exclusiveness. Not like the quee-for-one-hour place, with wooden small chairs and the waiters yelling every 5 seconds. The broth is silky smooth yet savory, the pork is tender and flavorful. Not to mention the noodle, springy and soft at the same time. Put more of those fried garlic to add some spark in your bowl

That's it for now, see u guys aroud.

Tsurukamedou

Hey patients. how's your day? Today I'm gonna post a review of Tsurukamedou. Ramen boom started 2-3 years ago in Jakarta. The pioneer is the one and only ramen 38. People would queue for a bowl of authentic Japanese noodle. Then... Come Hakata Ikkousha.. The one place in Jakarta where people would wait for hours standing in front of the small restaurant just to get ramen. Thank god I live like 200 m from Hakata so I could come near closing time and enjoy my ramen queue free :)

Tsurukamedou is a the last big name in Jakarta ramen scene. As a late bloomer, Tsurukamedou certainly in a huge disadvantage. Opening the one and only branch in Taman Ratu area, this ramen offers a different kind of ramen.

The ramen is plated (or bowled in this case) differently than the other. The half boiled egg is served on a different plate than the ramen. Firstly, the ramen. This noodle, a bit fragile IMO, resembles hongkong noodle. A bit different to the usual rather chewy ramen. Toppings are beansprouts and scallion. Soup a bit thick and dominated with the taste of fermented beans (Miso?) Meat is great, tender juicy and yummy. This rather unusual combination in a ramen is a bit distracting for me. I just can't enjoy a fresh crunchy beansprouts with warm salty thick soup. Doesn't make sense for me. As for the ramen and meat, acceptable.

Pork Gyoza is good but not great. A bit too oily for my liking. 

Japanese fried rice with pork. A plate of happiness! Yummyliciousss. The rice is cooked perfectly, not too dry and not too soggy. Pork toppings in moderate amount, doesn't overpower the rice. Addictive!

Overall, a place u should try. Maybe for a different ramen experience.

Location: Taman Ratu
Rating: 7/10

Tajima

Sebagai salah satu dari sentra kuliner Jakarta, kawasan Muara Karang - Pluit - Pantai Indah Kapuk menawarkan resto yang cenderung oriental (Jepang nyerempet nyerempet lah) dan banyak menu non halal nya. Tajima adalah salah satu dari sekian banyak resto baru yang bermunculan di kawasan Pantai Indah Kapuk. Terletak dalam gedung yang sama dengan Fish and Co, Tajima menjadi one of the hottest spot in PIK right now.

Sesuai namanya, Tajima merupakan resto Jepang yang menawarkan Yakiniku atau BBQ sebagai menu utama. NAMUN, gw ngeliat banyak terselip menu menu korea disini... Itu uda bikin lemes deh, IMO resto yang makanannya ga jelas ke arah mana biasanya engga enak.

Karena uda laper abis, gw sama Ratu Iblis en Pudel Perek memutuskan uda deh coba coba aja. Pesen aja macem macem, secara tempatnya rame, couldn't be that bad right? So.. These babies are what we ordered that night.

Tajima's Mentii (20K) and Tajima's Croquette (15K)

Mediocre taste, not that crispy. Nothing special really, fortunately we were hungry otherwise we wouldn't finish this rather greasy croquette.

 

Seriously, I don't know which meat is what part. Beef is good, tender and moist, cheapest wagyu quality. Pork also good but a bit chewy. Ox tongue are good too. Portion is small, around 5 small pieces per portion (beef 50K-120K, pork around 30K). Sauces, plain and boring. The quality of the meat helped a lot! I LOVE the old fashioned bricket grill, somehow more delicious :)

 Me and my meat!

The weird korean style soup

Overall, not bad. I expected more but hey this is Pantai Indah Kapuk. I think this area offers A LOT of cute and interesting place to dine but unfortunately only a handful really satisfies me. Tajima needs a little bit more effort to be on that super small list of THE go to place in PIK.

Rating: 7/10
Location: PIK, Ruko Crown Golf

Ikkudo Ichi

Ikkudo Ichi is the IT Ramen restaurant right now. 2012 is a very good year for ramen. Aside from the old contender like Ramen 38, now we have the elegant Marutama Ramen, the rich Hakata Ikkousha, the premium Hokkaido Santouka and now, the trendy Ikkudo Ichi.

Heard about this place from twitter and when I passed through this place on a breezy sunday afternoon, I yelled in excitement. Soo... This is THE Ikkudo Ichi looks like. The place is divided into air-conditioned and outdoor area. Opted for the open air area, we sat on this wooden chair, just like the Japs we saw in movies. PIK area is perfect for outdoor seating, windy and not too crowded (except for Saturday night when It turns into a massive parking ground). The place is still new, Japanese themed decor with Indonesian waiters (which I found quite funny) and a Chinese guy lurking around us doing God knows what.

The food:
1. Ikkudo's Tori Kara (Rp. 39.800)
Chicken ramen with Ikkudo's special red sauce. Okay... Presentation wise, it's not bad. Maybe I had too much ramen since now I think all ramen looks the same. For me, the ramen is just okay. The broth is not as rich as Hakata but bolder than Marutama. I didn't taste the meat but my auntie said it's okay. The condiment is Indonesian standard, sambal and garlic. The egg is a bit overcooked but still acceptable.

2. Ikkudo's Buta Kara (Rp. 39.800)

Identical with the previous but with pork. The pork is also good, no smell and quite tender. Again, the broth is the problem. I don't know how to describe this but Ikkudo's broth is somewhere in between Marutama and Hakata. That is what confused me. The ramen is good, cooked perfectly and got two optionn, straight and curly. I always pick the curly one since the straight one tastes weird with soup.

3. Yaki Buta Gyoza Ebi Iri (Rp 35.000)

The gyoza is good. Thin skin and juicy fillings, a perfect appetizer and a great side dish too.

4. Mini Chasiu Don (Rp. 10.800)

A bowl of rice topped with minced pork meat. Again, this dish is very similar with the other ramen places. I think you can't do much with a dish as simple as this one. A nice add on if you are not full from ramen.

For me, Hakata Ikkousha is still the reigning champion of ramen war. Marutama comes close in second (although it's because their super yummy nabe). Ikkudo is definitely worth a try. Nice place to hang out and enjoy a bowl of quality ramen.

 Mom - Auntie Foing

Rating: 7/10
Location: PIK