Food
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How Good Is Taiwan’s Famous Fried Chicken Master Chain?
For my trip to Taiwan, one of the foods I was really looking forward to was their fried chicken. It’s extremely popular in Taiwan, especially at night markets. I got into Taipai late at night and found Fried Chicken Master right across the street from the place I was staying at. What better way to kick off the trip then by grabbing some food at a popular national chain?
Fried Chicken Master is a national fried chicken franchise which was founded in Taiwan. It has expanded to 110 locations globally and can now be found in countries such as Canada, Malaysia, and Jakarta.
Fried Chicken Master specializes in Halal Fried Chicken, which I’ve never seen from any major fried chicken chain in the world up to this point. You’ll find the normal fried chicken options on the menu: wings, popcorn chicken, breast, thigh, but with the Taiwanese fried chicken spin on it.
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How Is Tawainese Fried Chicken Different?
Taiwanese fried chicken has its own distinctive flavor and texture as one might imagine. The batter and coating which often uses sweet potato starch and tapioca flour, gives Taiwanese fried chicken a distinct crunch. After the chicken is deep fried it can get sprinkled with a bevy of different seasonings from salt, pepper, chili powder, and other Chinese spices.
The huge flattened cutlets, which are a staple on any menu that’s serving fried chicken, are definitely unique as well. These are huge slabs of chicken and come wrapped in a plastic sheet, piping hot. For myself that’s the picture that was engrained in my head when it comes to fried chicken in Taiwan and is what I had to get (and got often) when I visited Taiwan.
Fried Chicken Master Experience
With ample combo meals to choose from and several a la carte options, I was looking forward to getting this after I had checked into my room. It may have also been the fact that I was absolutely starving too lol.
I went with the #2 Fried Chicken Breast meal (129 NTD, $4.02 USD). This included french fries and choice of drink, so I went with an iced black tea. They had a choice of seasonings that you could choose and I went with the Taiwanese salt and pepper.
The Food Experience
Seeing photos of these flattened chicken breasts is one thing, but to actually hold it in my hands was another. It’s a huge piece of chicken. Like ridiculously so. It was heavily seasoned as well. A little too much for my liking. The exterior was very crunchy and the meat was tender and juicy in some parts. Other parts seemed a little tough and even a little under cooked. So overall it was pretty uneven. It put a smile on my face one bite and then had me frowing the next.
The seasoning was quite sweet overall too. I wasn’t expecting that flavor from Taiwanese salt and pepper. I’m pretty particular when it comes to sweet and savory on things like chicken and then tilted towards being too sweet for my liking.
The fries were decent, but nothing overly special or memorable. I’d never gotten a cold black tea before but it was quite good. Black tea is immensely popular in Taiwan and can be found everywhere. This cold black tea reminded of me a sweetened ice tea essentially.
Is Fried Chicken Master Worth A Visit?
If you’re in a pinch and in need of something cheap and fast and on the go, then sure, it’s worth stopping by and giving it a try. It by no means was horrible, but it wasn’t anything special in my books either. There’s a million of other places that sell fried chicken too so this isn’t the only option in town. I may have just ordered the wrong thing though and there may be a more popular item(s) on the menu, so I’d be willing to give it a go again.
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Hole In The Wall Taco Grill Delivers The Goods
Taco Grill is one of those taco shops you love to see. A little hole in the wall restaurant nicely tucked into a non-descript strip mall on a sleepy street. Southern California has many many taco locations scattered throughout (I’m very lucky to have so many options!) and it can be difficult to stand out amongst all these great taco locations. With great reviews on both Yelp and Google I was looking forward to giving it a try and seeing if it’s worthy of a spot in the taco rotation.
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Taco Grill Experience
Located in Westminister, CA, I’d seen Taco Grill several times over the years driving by on my way to other places. I’m always intrigued by these types of hole in the wall places and always wanted to try it, just never did until the other day. I’m glad I did! The restaurant is indeed tiny, a handful of tables inside with a few tables outside in the front with a convenient salsa bar also located in the front as well. There’s pickled onions and jalapenos and a few different types of salsas to choose from.
The menu is quite large. There’s a large variety of tacos: soft tacos (chicken, asada, carnitas, al pastor, chorizo), blackened fish or fried fish, grilled shrimp or fried shrimp, hard shell tacos (chicken, potato, beef), nachos, quesadillas, tortas, burritos, and carne asada fries. There’s a lot to take in for such a small spot. This go around I was focused on the tacos though.
The Food
I ended up getting the asada soft taco ($2.75), blackened fish taco ($2.25) (which seems to be one of the most popular items at Taco Grill), and hard shell beef taco ($3.00).
Carne Asada Soft Taco and Blackened Fish Tacos 
Hard Shell beef taco The food came out quickly, probably within 10 minutes, even though the restaurant was quite busy, so service was great. The first thing I noticed was that the tacos weren’t huge, they’re pretty small in size. BUT they’re packed with meat and toppings. They don’t skimp here.
I tried the hard shell taco first. I liked the fact they provide a dollop of sour cream and guacamole with the hard shell tacos that you can include in the taco. It’s a nice touch. The taco had a good amount of tasty meat and ample amounts of lettuce and cheese.
What stood out most to me was how crisp and thin the taco shell was. It wasn’t oily at all either. It’s definitely one of the better hard shell tacos that I’ve had. it was very good.
The second taco I went with was the blackened fish taco. This had a big chunk of fish in it with lots of cabbage and pico de gallo and sauce. The tortillas are very fresh. Overall a very solid taco. Plenty of fish which is seasoned well, tortillas are great, there was a little bit too much sauce for my taste. It kind of overtook the overall flavor of the taco but that’s nitpicking to be honest.
Last up was the carne aasada soft taco. This is generally a staple as a must try taco for me at every new taco place I venture out to. This came with the basic onions and cilantro and those same delicious tortillas. Again, the asada is well-seasoned here and quite tasty. The meat was good as well. There weren’t any really chewy, fatty pieces to be found in this taco. I was a little surprised since generally there’s always a few pieces like that in the carne asada mix. I wasn’t complaining though, it was good.
Is Taco Grill Worth A Visit?
In my opinion Taco Grill is certainly worth a visit to at least give it a try. All the tacos are pretty small but packed with meat and toppings and the fresh tacos were really delicious. The hard shell taco was the real standout to me at Taco Grill. I loved the crispness of it and how it wasn’t greasy at all. I’ll definitely come back here to try some more food. I definitely want to try their burritos. Either the bean and cheese or the California burrito, I’m thinking, but I’ll definitely make room for that hard shell taco as well.
Taco Grill
Address: 8481 Heil Ave H, Westminster, CA 92683
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How Delicious is Pholicious In Fountain Valley, CA?
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The Pholicious Background
Pholicious in Fountain Valley has been around for quite some time. I’ve been coming here for at least 15-20 years but hadn’t eaten here in a few years. Somewhere along the line the restaurant changed ownership but the restaurant itself looked exactly as I had remembered. I was curious to see if the pho tasted the same from what I had remembered when used to frequent it often or new ownership introduced new pho broth.
The front of Pholicious The Experience
I stopped by for lunch on a random weekday recently. It was fairly busy since it was lunch but this is a larger strip mall with ample parking so that’s not an issue here, which is always nice. I was able to find a table and seat with no issues. Service was extremely fast and the menu seemed like it was pretty much the same as I remembered. No big surprises or noticeable changes, which was nice.
The menu at Pholicious After taking a quick one over of the menu I opted for the #9 ($14 USD) – the Pho with rare steak, which is always my go to pho order. Like all pho restuarants the food came out within minutes, piping hot.
The Food
The bowl of pho came out with all the usual side trimmings – bean sprouts, jalapeno, lime, cilantro – you expect to get with a nice bowl of pho. The pho was topped with green onion and white onion. The bowl itself wasn’t overly large or too deep either, so I wasn’t sure if would be enough food at first glance.
Before digging in, the first thing I always do is get a nice spoonful of the broth. This particular broth was pretty mild. It wasn’t overly savory and had a hint of earthy sweetness from the star anise. That deep, rich flavor was missing here but the broth was still decent.
For the size of the bowl there was a good amount of steak in it. It was thinly sliced and tender. I think when it comes to the steak in pho it’s generally always pretty similar and hard to REALLY stand out. So long as it doesn’t stand out for the wrong reasons, it’s always pretty solid. This was no different here. The steak was what I would expect and was good.
The noodles were nice and fresh, with a good texture and a good bounce to them, they tasted great. I did feel like there could be more noodles though. Maybe due to the size of the bowl they just can’t fit much more in there but it certainly left me wanting a little more.
The Verdict
Having been a few years since I’d eaten at Pholicious there was still a sense of familiarity and comfort with both the restaurant and bowl of pho.
There were some things that seemed different as well. The pho broth seemed a little lighter than what I remembered and the serving size seemed smaller.
Maybe it’s due to having expanded my pho taste buds and gone to several other pho places over the years, I can’t say.
But this didn’t quite hit home like I remembered. It’s still a solid option which I enjoyed, but in terms of pho places in the area it probably got pushed down my own personal pho list a bit.
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Does Hokkaido Ramen Santouka Live Up To The Hype?
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Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – The Background
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is a ramen chain from Japan that’s made its way over to the US. The chain originates from Japan’s northern most island, Hokkaido, and has restaurants all the way to one of it’s most southern islands, Okinawa. It’s truly a nationwide restaurant but doesn’t have a ton of restaurants in total.
The first Hokkaido Ramen Santouka opened its doors in 1988 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido with a single type of ramen: shio (salt). The base broth consists of boiled down pork bones. To produce a milder flavor the bones are boiled down over a long period of time. When the white colored broth is complete, it’s never re-boiled. This is to protect the overall flavor and smell.
The menu and selection of ramen has since expanded quite a bit. Miso, soy sauce, and spicy miso have joined the salt ramen as options on the menu.
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka has found success both domestically and abroad. Locations have expanded throughout Southeast Asia and also in the US and Canada.
I went and visited the location in Costa Mesa, CA, located in the Japanese grocery mart Mitsuwa’s food court.
The Experience
I’ve been to the Mitsuwa food court before and they’ve remodeled it. The space is much more open with a lot more seating. Seating had previoulsy been problematic at peak times here. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka has been a staple in the food court for quite a while. It had been YEARS since I’d eaten it so I was certainly looking forward to grabbing a bowl here.
There’s a lot of selections to choose from. Much like in Japan, there’s a large array of plastic food in the display case showing what they offer. It’s a lot to sort through, so choosing while waiting in line can certainly be difficult!
I opted for the Chashu Pork Soy Sauce Ramen (L) ($16.45). It doesn’t take too long for the food to come out, about 10 minutes or so. You get handed a ticket with a number and they’ll call it out over a microphone when it’s ready to pick it up.
The Ramen
The large is a pretty massive bowl. You get a lot of food with this. There were about 5 pieces of thick chashu in it along with bamboo shoots, green onion, a piece of nori, and the famous Santouka red pickled plum.
The broth offers a blend of both savory and a hint of fish, enriched with the addition of the soy sauce. It’s not an incredibly rich or deep flavored broth, which is a nice change of pace if you’ve had a lot of tonkatsu broth of late. That doesn’t mean the broth isn’t satisfying. It’s a well-balanced, almost comforting, kind of broth, which is always enjoyable.
The noodles are fairly firm. A little thick for ramen noodles but have a nice bounce to them and a good overall texture. Quite delicious!
The chashu pieces were meaty, fairly thick, and well seasoned. The chashu is very flavorful, with minimal fat. With the large bowl you get a lot of pieces which was awesome.
The Verdict
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is an excellent choice for ramen in the Costa Mesa area (which has a TON of ramen places). What’s most enjoyable about it is that they specialize in shio and soy sauce ramen, which you can find at other ramen locations, but it’s not their specialty like it is here.
The soy sauce ramen is definitely a different tasting experience than the usual tonkatsu and I’d highly recommend giving a try if you’re a ramen lover wanting to try something newish.
Afterwards you can also walk around Mitsuwa and do some shopping and grab some Japanese snacks to boot. Not too shabby!
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How Does Phoholic Compare To Other Pho Restaurants in Orange County?
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The Background
Phoholic first opened up its first location in Westminister back in 1991 and has since expanded to three total locations, all in Southern California. It’s best known for it’s rich beef broth. I’ve never had Phoholic (which is pretty surprising) before and was looking forward to giving it a try since it’s a well-known pho restaurant in Orange County.
The Experience
The first thing you notice, before you even step into the Phoholic, is how incredibly small the parking lot is. I got here about 11:30am and was lucky to get a spot. I can see parking being a major problem at peak hours. Just something to be mindful of if planning a visit for the first time.
The restaurant itself is quite small and was filling up quickly when I got there. Luckily, I was able to grab a table without having to wait. Definitely would not have been the case 30 mins later.
The menu is laid out nicely. Especially for pho noobs. They have a lot of pho options and do a good job of separating out the different bowls and even have a handy key to translate the Vietnamese. I haven’t been to a pho restaurant that offers two different types of noodle options. It was a nice twist!
I ended up going with the Steak Pho – yeah I know, I’m boring – with the fresh noodles ($12.99). I can never pass up fresh noodles if given the opportunity!
Literally less than five minutes after I placed my order a big ol’ metal bowl of steaming pho came out. It’s seriously a VERY sizeable metal bowl.
The broth looked incredibly rich. And it didn’t disappoint! There’s a deep, beefy rich flavor to the broth. It’s also very savory. The lime helps to soften this. The tanginess, which always go well with pho, seems even more pronounced when added to this particular broth.
You really don’t need to add anything to the broth like the usual hoisin sauce and Sriracha. It’s good on it’s own with the lime. Due to my spicy preference, I still added some Sriracha to go along with the jalapenos slices.
I was a little torn on the fresh noodles. First off they’re delicious. They’re silky smooth, thin, and very light. They definitely taste fresh. My only gripe was that they were too soft. Not sure if they’re usually served like that or perhaps this batch got cooked a little too long.
The steak was very tender. Usually the steak in pho is nothing of note for me personally. But that isn’t the case here. It’s actually legit tender and genuinely good. The best part is the amount of steak in the bowl. There’s a LOT of meat included. You won’t get cheated on the quanity nor the quality here. With such a massive bowl they don’t skimp on the amount of food they give you too, especially for a very reasonable price.
The Verdict
Phoholic has been an iconic pho restaurant in Orange County for 30 plus years for a good reason. They know how to make pho that’s immensely enjoyable. The broth offers a unique rich flavor and the meat portions are not only generous but also quite good to boot. The overall portions for the price are great too. For only $12.99, the huge bowl of pho is well worth the price.
Whereas the noodles taste good and are definitely fresh, the firmness was a little too soft for my liking which dampened my overall experience, to an extent. But not so much where I wouldn’t go back, which I think speaks volumes to the overall quality of the broth and meat at Phoholic.
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Shin-Osaka Station: Great Food Options to Try While Waiting for Your Bullet Train
If you’re taking a bullet train out of or into Osaka, you will end up at Shin-Osaka Station. Fortunately, there’s a number of restaurants and places to grab snacks at here. I was at Shin-Osaka Station a couple of times and ate at two of the restaurants there.
Hokkyokusei at Shin-Osaka Station
Hokkyokusei is a restaurant that specializes in omurice. A Western influenced dish, omurice is a very common and popular Japanese dish. The beloved dish traces its history all the way back to the early 1920s. Its origin is a bit hazy, with some believing it started in Osaka, while others claim a restaurant in Tokyo was the first to offer the tasty dish. Regardless of its origin, omurice is now a national dish and another iconic food in Japan.
Omurice includes ketchup fried rice, yes ketchup fried rice, wrapped in a very thin omlette with ketchup drizzled over the egg. The egg is very crepe like, it’s a very thin layer. The ketchup fried rice is generally mixed with chicken and vegetables.
The Omurice
The omurice I got was the traditional chicken fried rice encased in the thin crepe like egg (970 yen, $6.65 USD).
This came loaded up with chicken fried rice. A little sweet, a little savory the pieces were nice and tender as well. The sauce drizzled on the plate was pretty much like a thinner, bitter ketchup. Interesting flavor to it.
Despite the omurice being loaded to the gills with fried rice, this was stll a very light meal. The egg is so light and airy. I really have no idea how they’re able to wrap the rice inside of it like they do. It seems so delicate and easy to rip. This was my first experience eating omurice and it was definitely an enjoyable breakfast. It’s certainly something I’d enjoy trying to make in the future myself. I doubt the presentation will look as good as this though!
Dashi Chazuke En at Shin-Osaka Station
Dashi Chazuke En is a chain restaurant in Japan that is know for serving ochazuke with various toppings over it.
What exactly is ochazuke? It’s a simple Japanese dish that includes a bowl of cooked rice with hot tea or dashi poured over it. You add toppings such as Japanese pickles, nori (seaweed), salted fish, and really any other topping which sounds appealing to you, you can throw in there!
This is something that I’ve eaten with my family after certain Japanese meals, essentially my entire life. We use the rice left over from the meal for it and pour tea over it and eat with pickled vegatables.
I’ve never seen ochazuke in any restaurant in my life before so I was actually quite excited to see there was a restaurant in Shin-Osaka Station whose menu tilted towards serving the dish.
It was definitley helpful that the menu was in English as well. I went with the grilled salmon and sesame kelp option (650 yen, $4.10 USD). This little meal set comes with the bowl of ochazuke a couple of side dishes and some pickled vegetables. You get your own personal teapot and pour the tea in yourself. There’s also a seasoning packet provided that you can pour into the ochazuke to add some additional flavor.
I dumped in all the side dishes and pickles as well. It all combines to make what could be considered a type of stew. With rice, salmon, pickled vegetables, there’s a whole lot of different textures to enjoy with this meal. This is definitley a comfort food for myself and it was great to be able to enjoy it in Japan. This was a perfect breakfast as I waited for my train. Light, yet filling, warm, and comforting, it was a great way to kick off the day and was extremely affordable as well!
A Lot Of Options
These are just two of the restaurants you can eat at. There’s about 10 total restuarants but over 36 total shops / restaurants / cafes within this area in the station. If you don’t want or have time for a sit down restaurant there’s a ton of places with pastries, sandwiches, sweets to choose from within Shin-Osaka Station. I wouldn’t necessarily worry about grabbing a bite to eat prior to heading over to the station, there’s plenty to choose from here!
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10 Amazing Foods In Japan That Are A Must Try
There’s no question there’s a ton of unique attractions and sights to see while visiting Japan. It’s a truly beautiful, bustling country which never ceases to amaze me. One of the biggest draws of the country for myself is the food. To say the food in Japan is delicious would be an understatement. It’s absolutely amazing.
Here are some of the standouts that anyone visiting Japan must try!
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Mochi
Mochi is certainly one of the most 10 amazing foods in Japan. A traditional rice cake, mochi is chewy and has a chewy texture and can be either savory or sweet. It’s a versatile rice cake which can be filled with various fillings like red bean paste and have different types of toppings like fruit on top. The freshness, and how soft and chewy the mochi is in Japan really stands out. While mochi can be found worldwide, the mochi in Japan is on a different level!
Ramen
Ramen is easily one of the top 10 amazing foods in Japan. Everyone knows ramen, let’s be honest. Ramen is everywhere in the world but it’s something that absolutely must be tried in Japan. The number of ramen places and different types of ramen are insane. The atmosphere itself, with many ramen shops just being a counter that seats 15 or less is a pretty cool experience. The ordering process, with the ordering machines in the front of some ramen restaurants is certainly an experience as well.
Sushi / Sashimi / Chirashi
Without a doubt, sushi in all it’s variations is one of the 10 amazing foods in Japan that you must have. Japan has some of the best quaility seafood in the world and the quality of the sushi / sashimi / chirashi certainly reflects this. Whenever I go to Japan I eat as much tuna as I possibly can. It’s the best tuna I’ve ever had. The crab, scallop, uni, it’s all outstanding. Whatever your fish of choice is, you will not be disappointed by the quality.
Fruit
Speaking of high quality, the fruit in Japan is on another level from what I’ve ever had in the United States. Quality takes precedence over quanity when it comes to Japanese fruit. Farmers are very attentive and closely monitor their crops to insure their fruit meets lofty standards in association with the fruit texture, sweetness, size, and shape.
These high standards, along with the country being smaller, which leads to less time for the fruit to make it from the farm to the store, leads to some exceptionally high quality fruit.
The melons and strawberries I had were the juiciest and sweetest I’ve ever experienced. With quality comes higher prices though. The fruit is definitely more expensive, but it’s well worth it. Fruit may not be on the radar as one the 10 amazing foods in Japan, but it certainly deserves to be!
Japanese Curry
Japanese curry is a very popular food in the country and is considered a comfort food and is one of the 10 amazing foods in Japan. Japanese curry is its own unique curry and different from other types of curry found in the world. It’s a little bit thicker and is more sweet and savory. Commonly made with both a protein (beef, chicken, or with tonkatsu) and vegtables, it’s more in the vein of curry stew. Served with Japanese short grain rice which is stickier than basmati rice, the rice also really soaks up the curry.
Outside of rice curry, there’s other ways to enjoy Japanese curry as well. One of those “other” dishes is curry soup. A staple in Hokkaido, this is Japanese curry in soup form. While I’ve had curry rice many times, I’d never heard of curry soup before. If you’re a curry fan than this is a must try while traveling through Japan. I actually enjoyed it more than the curry rice. Very tasty with different vegetables and fall- off-the-bone chicken, this was one delicious dish!
Kobe Beef / Wagyu
Kobe beef is a worldwide delicacy renowned for its flavor, tenderness, and fatty, well-marbled texture which easily places it amongst 10 amazing foods in Japan. As the name implies, Kobe beef is cultivated from Japanese Black cattle which is raised in the Hyogo Prefecture region of Japan, near Kobe. It’s considered the highest quality beef that Japanese cattle can produce and is a must try! There’s various cuts of this and obviously the higher the price the better the cut and quality. So the experience can certainly vary upon how much you’re willing to spend.
But it’s an experience that must be tried!
Omurice
Omurice includes ketchup fried rice, yes ketchup fried rice, wrapped in a very thin omlette with ketchup drizzled over the egg. The egg is very crepe like, it’s a very thin layer. The ketchup fried rice is generally mixed with chicken and vegetables. It’s an all-around unique looking and tasty dish that must be tried while in Japan! It’s a very common and popular breakfast item which is why I’m including it on the list of 10 amazing foods in Japan.
Tempura
Another food on the 10 amazing foods in Japan is tempura. Tempura is very famous in Japan and you’ll be able to find it thorughout the country. Tempura, for those who haven’t had it before, consists of seafood (shrimp is a staple) and vegetables coated in a thin batter and deep fried. The quality can differ, but the outer batter should be light and crispy and not saturated in oil. It definitely makes a big difference while enjoying this classic meal.
Tonkatsu
A classic food in Japan, tonkatsu, is certainly on the list for 10 amazing foods in Japan. Tonkatsu is a breaded pork cutlet that’s deep fried in oil. The breaded exterior is nice and crunchy, while the pork, which is generally a pork fillet or tenderloin, is juicy and tender. Served with a side of cabbage and a thick Worcestershire-style sauce, this is a must have while in Japan. Certainly do your research and find a quality spot to enjoy this Japanese comfort food.
Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki is a popular, savory pancake dish that is found throughout Japan. Consisting of a flour batter and cooked on a teppan, common ingredients include cabbage, meat, and seafood, with toppings including a thicker worcestershire type sauce, dried seaweed flakes (aonori), bonito flakes, Japanese mayonnaise, and ginger. There’s two distinct types, one hailing from Osaka and one from Hiroshima. The Hiroshima version is layered instead of mixed and uses 3-4x more cabbage.
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Exploring One Of Japan’s Largest Chinatown’s (Nankin-machi) in Kobe
The Kobe Chinatown is one of Japan’s three largest Chinatown’s in the country. The other two being located in Yokohama and Nagasaki. It’s one of the major tourist attractions in Kobe and is a must visit for any serious foodie!
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Kobe Chinatown (Nankin-machi)
First developed in 1868 by Chinese merchants when the port of Kobe first opened, the small, compact area became known as “Nankinmachi”, named after China’s former capital city. The entire area is only 270 meters east to west and 110 meters north to south, so this is a very compact area. It’s jam packed with over 100 shops, food stalls, and restaurants.
The two main streets in Nankin-machi converge into an open area called Nankinmachi Square. Here you can find the Azumaya pavilion which is a hexagonal, two-tiered roof, gazebo. The square is a popular location where many people mill around eating food and just hanging out. Definitely good energy here!
The Food
There’s so much food in Nankin-machi, it’s pretty tough to decide where to start initially. But after taking a walk around you start seeing that a lot of the stalls are selling the same kind of foods. I decided to go to places that had the longer lines or seemed to have a different variety of food compared to other stalls.
The first item I got was pork slices bao (300 yen, $1.86). The bao was very soft and fresh, they steam it right in front of you. The pork slices were a little tough, tasty, due to the sweet sauce which was lathered all over it but a little too tough for my liking. This was just decent overall.
The next street food I got was a duck burrito (400 yen, $2.48 USD). This was wrapped in a thin sort of rice paper. Inside of the rice paper was a nice chunk of duck, thinly sliced cabbage, and a sweet dark sauce.
This was a tasty little “burrito”. The duck was really juicy and tender and the skin nice and crispy. The subtle crunch of the cabbage and the tasty sauce combined well with the duck.
Next up was a steamed pork bun. This was a HUGE dumpling, more like 2 or 3 dumplings in 1 (300 yen, $1.86). This came out piping out but came at a price. This was over steamed with the dough a little mushy. The pork filling was flavorful but the mushiness of the steamed bun took away from the experience.
The last street food I got was pork soup dumplings (500 yen, $3.10 USD). Let’s be honest, soup dumplings are a must if they’re available! For $3.10 USD you got 6 dumplings. These were freshly made and came out piping hot. Pretty simple dumplings, with seasoned ground pork and quite a lot of soup in each dumpling. The dumpling skins were just the right thickness and you could tell these were fresh. Overall, pretty simple but quite tasty and enjoyable.
Is Nankin-machi Worth Visiting?
If you’re doing a day trip to Kobe from Osaka or Kyoto, Nankin-machi is worth a visit. There’s a TON of food options here. If you’re craving some Chinese street food, this is the place to go. Not only are there plenty of food options in a small area (you’ll be able to save your feet from a ton of walking) but the food is also relatively cheap. For all the food I ate that afternoon I spent a total of $9.30 USD.
That’s quite a lot of food for less than $10 USD!
If street food isn’t your thing, there’s also some restaurants that are quite popular here. They had VERY long lines, even their to go windows. Not sure what the restuarants were, or what kind of food they had, but they were definitely popular. Since I was only spending the day in Kobe I didn’t want to wait, but was certainly curious. Maybe next time!
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Discover Ikkakuya: A Good Tonkatsu Ramen Spot in Tokyo
If you find yourself wandering around the Ikebukuro / Toshima City area and have an grumbling stomach, there are, of course, no shortage of options to be had in this busy area. I was craving a nice bowl of tonkatsu ramen though, so I was glad I knew exactly what I was looking for and not wandering around having a difficult time choosing what to eat. It was under these hungry cicumstances that I came across Ikkakuya.
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Ikkakuya
Ikkakuya is a large nationwide ramen chain. Known for their tonkatsu ramen, Ikkakuya also offers a variety of different types of bowls with various toppings you can choose from. The location I went to had the automated ordering machine in the front which you order from. Luckily, there was an English button you could select and easily create your order with. Those machines, common in Japan for ramen shops, can be a little intimidating if there’s a long line and no English options, so when there’s an option for English, it’s always a very welcome sight!
The Ordering Experience
I opted for the Max ( I mean it’s the No.1 option per this billboard!) which was 1310 yen, $8.30 USD. This bowl of tonkatsu ramen included three pieces of chashu, six pieces of seaweed, and a flavored egg. On top of that I also got a ground pork rice bowl for 350 yen ($2.22 USD) as a side dish.
The restaurant is very tiny, like many ramen restaurants. It was just a narrow countertop facing the kitchen with stools. I came at a weird time, a little bit before 5pm so (fortunately) it was not very busy.
I handed a cook my ticket from the ordering machine and boom the bowl of tonkatsu ramen and ground pork bowl came out within 5-10 minutes. It was extremely fast, which I was grateful for since I was starving!
The Food Experience
I loved the presentation of the tonkatsu ramen bowl with the pieces of seaweed lining the bowl like shown above. That’s the first thing I noticed. The chashu looked like it had a nice little char on it so I was looking forward to giving it a try. The broth also looked quite oily at first glance and noodles looked fairly thicker for ramen noodles.
The first thing I always do with a fresh bowl of ramen is to give the broth, without any additioinal spices I generally toss in there, a taste.
The broth was very rich and savory. It had a deep, porky flavor to it. Definitley a little oily and salty as well.
This was a very thin chashu, it did have a nice little char to it and was very tender. It was quite salty as well. The chashu wasn’t too bad but it wasn’t the best either. The saltiness of it stood out, which isn’t the best attribute you want to stand out.
The noodles were definitely a bit thicker that what I’d seen at other ramen spots, not necessarily a bad thing as the noodles were al dente and tasted fresh.
The egg was nice and creamy and as usual at Japanese tonkatsu ramen shops quite tasty.
In addition to the tonkatsu ramen, I also got a ground pork bowl as a side. I wasn’t entirely sure what the the pork was mixed in with. It looked like it was some chili oil sauce but there was no spice at all. This was also pretty salty. It was decent, but nothing to write home about.
Final Thoughts
If I doled out ratings for food on a 1-10 scale, I’d give Ikkakuya a solid 6. It’s not a place that really stood out for the better or worse. The bowl of tonkatsu ramen was huge, so you definitely get your money worth for the price (1310 yen, $8.30 USD). The noodles were really good but the chashu was a little thin and overly salty for my taste as well as the broth. The pork bowl was, again, solid but didn’t really stand out in any way either. It was a nice complement with the ramen but it was also a little salty. I’d probably just get a regular side of rice to eat with the ramen if I were to swing by Ikkakuya again.
If you’re looking for some fast and efficient tonkatsu ramen, Ikkakuya is a good choice. It’s pretty good but not a place you should go out of your way to try and get!
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Popular Comfort Food Hamburg Steak Is A Mainstay At This Osaka Resturant
Hamburg steak is a very popular food in Japan. Enjoyed by all generations and especially popular amongst children, hamburg steak is very much a comfort food throughout Japan.
It’s basically a meat pattie consisting of a combination of both ground pork and ground beef, sauteed onions, egg to bind everything together, and bread crumbs. This combination creates the juicy and tender Japanese hamburg steak.
The sauce generally consists of a blend of Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and Japanese sake creating a flavorful sauce to coat the hamburg steak.
Sides generally include potato salad and /or rice.
Table of Contents
Grill Ron
Hamburg steak was not something that I had eaten in many years. With it being so popular in Japan it was available at many different locations and one night it just sounded really good and I was able to find Grill Ron’s in Osaka.
Located in the basement level of the Osaka Hankyu Sanban-gai, a large mall near Osaka Station, Grill Ron has been in business for nearly half a century. It’s a small restaurant and there was about a 20-minute queue when I went around 6pm. It’s quite convenient that they have stools lining the front of the restuarant so you can sit while you wait, which after a long day of touring is quite nice and very welcome!
I came here for the hamburg steak and it’s certainly a prominent item on their menu. They have a few different options to choose from three different sets with different sides to choose from. Having an English menu was also a huge plus!
I went with the A Set which included a hamburg steak, fried shrimp, and croquette (1,250 yen, $7.77 USD). This also included a side of rice and miso soup. Quite a deal for $7.77!
The Food
The presentation on the plate is quite nice with the hamburg steak, croquette, and fried shrimp all lined up nicely. By American terms, the hamburg steak is a little small, BUT I mean, we tend to over do things food related, so this hamburg steak is probably sized correctly lol. It did however stand out to me initially.
The hamburg steak was really lean and extremely juicy. It paired well with that brown Worcestershire, ketchup, and Japanese sake sauce which was a little a sweet, a little savory. It was quite tasty.
The croquette ended up being potato, with a perfectly crispy exterior and mushy inside. The contrast between both the exterior and interior was fantastic. It was really like a deep fried mashed potato pancake. Dipped in some of that sauce really made it quite tasty as well!
Finally, the shrimp. First off, the shrimp was quite large. Fried to perfection, it was nice and crispy and the shrimp was very swee. Definitely a nice addition to this set. It comes with what is basically tarter sauce for dipping sauce.
Is It Worth A Visit?
Overall, this was a good meal, especially for the price. I liked the different combination of flavors and textures with the fried shrimp, hamburg steak, and potato croquette. Throw in some potato salad, some cabbage, rice, and miso soup, and this was quite a lot of food (yes, even with the “smaller” hamburg steak!)
Grill Ron has been around for a very long time and they know what they’re doing. If you’re in the area and craving a hamburg steak it’s certainly worth stopping by and grabbing a delicious, budget conscious meal.
Grill Ron
Address: 1 Chome-1-3 Shibata, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0012, Japan
Hours
Monday 11 AM–10 PM Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM Wednesday 11 AM–10 PM Thursday 11 AM–10 PM Friday 11 AM–10 PM Saturday 11 AM–10 PM Sunday 11 AM–10 PM
