Street Food Tour @ Dotonburi, Namba, Osaka

It goes without saying that if you are in Osaka, you must visit Dotonburi. Famed for being the origin place of the phrase "kuidaore", which translates to "eat till you drop", you know there will be a lot of street food to chow into.

The front gate. 

Being the poster child of almost every tourism poster of Osaka, this giant shopping street is bursting with energy and has neon lights scattered everywhere. This is the home of the giant Glico Man and robotic crab, and are ultra popular photo spots.

As the sun sets, the crowd comes!

I have always wanted to visit Dotonburi to try out all the street goodies that it has to offer, and fortunately I had Tom and June to loan their stomach space for this one. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

The first point of attack, is the well famed takoyaki and there is no where else but Kukuru. II had Kukuru before in Tokyo (click here to know more), but having it in its own home turf may be something different.

Delish

We had two types of octopus balls, one set of takoyaki and akashiyaki. As expected the takoyaki was just the same as what I had in Tokyo and I mean it in a good way. Soft and runny batter on the inside and fluffy pancake like crust on the outside. One tip I taught my friends was that not to actually pop the whole ball straight away, as you will burn yourself from the molten core that bursts out. Rather, break the ball open to let the heat escape before hand.

Something different.

The akashiyaki is an even lesser known regional specialty. It is the same as takoyaki, but it has more eggs in its batter and it will be dipped in a vegetable soup, rather than that zesty brown sauce that usually accompanies takoyaki. This has a more dense texture and has a greater bite. The soup makes it very moist and gives the dish a cleaner profile, compared to that flavour explosion from takoyaki.

Fresh batch in the works. 

Both are good in their own way and it depends on what you feel for that night.  Dishes vary from ‎¥‎ 700-900 depending on what you order and size.

If you have a giant robot crab, you already win in the publicity game. 

Speaking of crab, we had a whole leg as well that was grilled via a charcoal flame. And the shop was really very easy to find. I mean, there is a giant robot crab in the front. It cannot be missed even if you really tried.

Eating with chopsticks was really messy though. 

But what about the end product? The crab leg was really delicious. The smokiness of the charcoal gave a deep aroma to the light and sweet crab meat. It was a bit pricey, as one crab leg stood for ‎¥‎ 900. But then again, crab is expensive wherever you go.

Does not look local to me...

And now for something sweet. Although not really Japanese, we got ourselves egg tarts from Lord Stow's bakery, which are really popular here. There were various versions and toppings to have, but we got ourselves the original which is their best seller and it stood for ‎¥‎ 270 a piece.

Small but powerful. 

 They were absolutely phenomenal. The crust was flaky and buttery, which contrasts with the soft and custard-like interior. The two contrasting elements worked so well together and was a joy to chow down. If you like your sweet treats or a fan of buttery pastries like danishes and croissants, then this is for you. After that was done, we went to have even more food! I am sure if my doctor is reading this, he would not be happy.

Another unmissable fixture. 

Gyozas were the final port of call for us and there is only one place to have it, which is Osaka OhSho. There are a few branches around Osaka but the one in Dotonburi is said to be the best. Well, I am not too sure if I believe that claim, but the gyoza was good. It was basic, but the basics done right.

The outside is crispy and the inside were still juicy and tender. The meat was well season, and yet there are still some strands of vegetables, probably cabbage which gave this another flavour and textural profile. And pouring it with a bit of black vinegar completes the whole package. A serving of 6 was for ‎¥‎ 320. It was cheap and delicious.

Fizzy...

Being a walking food tour, there was not much of drinks that we can get around with. So what we did was we went to a convenience store and just get a can of booze to accompany us around. The tonic for the day was the Sapporo Apple Chu-Hi. It was not too bad, tasting like shochu with apple juice. But I probably would not drink it again. I will stick to Strong Zero the next time around.

A preview of the not so busy parts of one of the Dotonburi streets

There is seriously alot of food to enjoy here and things to see even if you come in the day. However, if you are here for the neon lights, then the answer is pretty obvious. I thoroughly enjoyed my walk around the place and am forever grateful for my travel companions for the evening in accompanying me around.

Mr Famous. 

There is a con I would like to point out though. Most of the shops here do have branches outside Dotonburi and most of them are in Shinsekai. Even if you do not find the exact outlet, there will be a wide variety of shops that would sell the thing you are craving for. And although I work in a big city and I do love cities like London and Tokyo, I think going to Shinsekai, which is more quiet and local is a better bet. Despite that, rest assured that I will be coming here again to eat myself to ruin!

Still looks amazing, But not the same. 

So if you want to come over one of Japan's most fabled eating spots, it is good to know that  trains lead to Dotonburi as most station lead to Nanba or Nipponbashi Stations.

Thank you all for reading! Until next time.