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Travel: Cup Noodle Museum – Osaka Ikeda

April 1, 2020

While doing my part in social distancing and staying home, I thought it would be a great time to continue my travel posts from our recent trip to the Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Himeji, Kurashiki)! We went back in late January/early February, but honestly that felt like a year ago because things were so different then compared to now!

The Cup Noodle Museum is not actually located in Osaka. From Osaka’s city center, it is about a 40 minute train ride to the city of Ikeda. Ikeda is a small, residential city so we thought it was quite odd to plop a museum here. Turns out, the city of Ikeda is where cup noodles were actually invented!

We actually weren’t planning to come here, but prior to our flight, we had nothing to do and saw that the Cup Noodles Museum was only 15 minutes away from Itami Airport. So, we checked our luggage in early and killed a couple of hours here. It was actually one of the highlights of the trip and I ended up really enjoying our visit here!

Since the Cup Noodle Museum is the only attraction around here, there are signs everywhere when you get off the train station so it would be hard to get lost. There is no entrance fee here unlike the Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama.

First, you sanitize your hands and pay for your cup. As of Feb 2020, it was 300 yen and I believe they only accepted coins.

Secondly, this is where the fun begins! You are led into the decorating area! The decorating area is efficiently divided up by parties of 2 or 4. Each table has its own pens so you don’t need to worry about sharing with other visitors.

We spent about 30 minutes decorating our cups. We could have been faster but we had a few hours to kill before our flight, so why not?

Thirdly, you hand over your newly decorated cup to the staff, where it goes into this machine to put the noodles in.

Fourthly, your cup noodles are handed to another staff. You can select one broth flavour, and some toppings!

Finally, your cup noodles go through a machine where it is sealed and packaged! It was very fun to watch and see your creation look like a real, packaged food item that you’d buy at a grocery store!

In addition to making your own cup noodles, there are also exhibition rooms talking about the history of cup noodles, and interesting facts. There is also a huge wall of cup noodles over the years that make for great photos!

There is also a gift shop where you can buy souvenirs.

For only 300 yen (or about $4 CAD), it was a great way to spend a couple of hours and now we have personalized souvenirs in our home.

If you have some time to kill in Osaka, or departing/arriving from Itami Airport, I would recommend a stop here!

Travel – Hotel WBF Namba Nipponbashi, Osaka

February 29, 2020

Happy Leap Year! Last leap year in 2016, I wrote that I was wondering where CuriouslyCarmen would be next leap year… happy to see that I’m still kickin’ it on the blog and posting regularly! 🙂 Will CuriouslyCarmen be around for next leap year?!

Last month, the fiance and I went back to Japan for vacation! This time, we went to the Kansai region, which includes Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, and Himeji. During the trip, we stayed in three different hotels – two in Osaka and 1 in Kyoto, which I reviewed here!

For the first two nights in Osaka, we stayed at another hotel, Sarasa Hotel, due to its close proximity to Shin-Osaka station so we could get to Kyoto quicker. Sadly, I forgot to take photos because it was 4am Vancouver time, slept only 25 minutes on the flight, and was in zombie mode. =(

But, I will say that Sarasa Hotel was great and we would have actually preferred to stay at this hotel instead because WBF Namba Nipponbashi was disappointing. Seeing that we did so many day trips, it would have also been more convenient to stay around Shin-Osaka station.

When/if we come back to Osaka, we would definitely stay at Sarasa Hotel instead of the one I am reviewing today, Hotel WBF Nipponbashi.

Unfortunately we stayed here 9 nights, for most of our trip, so we just had to suck it up. No one wants to read fake, positive reviews, so I hope you can see this as an honest review instead of being “picky”.

Location: Since it was our first time in Osaka, we weren’t sure of where to stay so we picked the Namba area. The hotel was a block away from Kuromon Market and about a 15 minute walk to Dontonbori where the signature Glico man statue is.

I will say that if you’re planning on just staying in Osaka, the location would be excellent. Close to local train stations, and so many delicious food options within 5 minutes.

However, if you’re planning on doing a lot of day trips like us, I would actually recommend staying around Shin-Osaka.

Amenities: There was a lounge in the lobby which offered some free juice and pastries if you signed up for a free WBF membership. However, we came during the middle of coronavirus, and did not feel comfortable eating uncovered food that had been lying out for many hours with lots of tourists passing in and out in the dirty lobby (see below).

Very misleading photo from Booking.com, lobby area was not this clean or spacious in real life (angles!) I wish I took a photo of the reality!

The main reason we did not like this hotel was because it felt very dirty, messy and cluttered. The lobby was stuffy and narrow to begin with. They didn’t have a proper area to store guest luggage, so it was all piled on top of each other and quite the eyesore every time we walked in.

I was also worried about the possibility of theft when they are out in the open like that – how would hotel staff know whose luggage whose? The lobby just felt like a stuffy dumping ground for all sorts of things (there were also rental costumes on a rack??) so it ruined the atmosphere when you first walk in.

Room: The room size was pretty standard, although there some complaints. The toilet seat was not cleaned properly when we first arrived The heating system was also very finicky and didn’t work properly.

In addition, the pajamas were hard and scratchy. Most Japanese hotels provide pajamas and the previous hotels, Sarasa Hotel and Grand Bach Hotel had really comfortable pajamas.

Housecleaning also didn’t do a thorough job as they forgot to refill our shampoo and other toiletries… but not very surprising considering how there were stains on the toilet seat when we first checked in!

View from hotel room, you can see Namba Station in the back

With so many hotels to pick from in this area, I would not recommend WBF Hotel Namba Nipponbashi. Again, not trying to sound picky, just trying to give a honest review.

The WBF chain has quite a few hotels in Osaka. I can not comment on their sister hotels (random thought, does anyone say brother hotels? LOL) but we weren’t impressed with this hotel. It felt dirty and stuffy.

Osaka Eats: Top Five

February 23, 2020

Last month, the fiance and I went back to Japan for vacation! This time, we went to the Kansai region, which includes Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Himeji. With the exception of Kyoto for 3 days, we stayed in Osaka for the two weeks of the trip. This post will contain the top five places we ate at in Osaka! I also did a similar post for Tokyo eats, if you’re interested in reading that as well.

The area we stayed in was Namba so most of the restaurants will be around here. Namba is one of the central hubs in Osaka known for their food and shopping.

Osaka is nicknamed ‘Japan’s kitchen’ because they have the most amazing food. Takoyaki, okinomoyaki, and kushikatsu were all invented in Osaka!

1) Kushikatsu Hyotan: Our absolutely favourite restaurant of the trip. We went here three times because we couldn’t get enough! They serve kushikatsu, which is deep fried meat or veggies served on a skewer.

The kushikatsu breading is not like tempura breading. Tempura breading is flakier and has a softer crunch, whereas kushikatsu batter contains breadcrumbs and has a harder crunch. Kushikatsu batter is also thinner. I’m not sure if that makes sense because I’m no food expert, but that’s how I’d describe it.

I like both tempura and kushikatsu, but there is currently only one restaurant in Vancouver that serves kushikatsu so we had to eat more of this while in Osaka!

This is random, but they also had an amazing seafood yakisoba that we ordered each time to go with the kushikatsu! Equally as good as the kushikatsu!

The only bad thing here was service wasn’t that friendly, but clearly we didn’t mind because the food was so good.

2) Takoyaki doraku wanaka: There were a lot of takoyaki places in Osaka, especially in Dontonbori. Every few steps, you would come across a takoyaki stand. Rather than going to the first place we saw, we walked around Dotonbori to compare prices and see what caught our eye.

This was one of the cheaper places for takoyaki we found! A lot of places charged 500 yen for 6 pieces, but they charged the same amount for 8 pieces!

The takoyaki was big and so delicious! The batter was so flavourful. A bonus about this place was that they have a two floor seating area inside, so you could enjoy it in peace!

In Japan, it is considered rude to eat and walk at the same time and there are many signs telling you not to, so people usually stand and eat before carrying on.

3) Naruto Taiyaki Hompo: The fiance discovered this place during the second half of our trip. We wish we discovered this sooner! A bonus was that this was only a block from our hotel, on the way back to the train station!

The taiyaki here was AMAZING. They make it fresh in front of you, so it is served piping hot. The outside was crispy, while the inside was filled very generously with your choice of filling – I usually went with the custard, the fiance went with red bean. The best dessert to end our night.

We also found out that this was a chain, so you can find stands throughout Osaka!

4) Torikizoku: We also love yakitori, aka grilled meat skewers! Our favourite in Osaka was Torikizoku. Torikuzoku is a chain based in Osaka that is known for their chicken skewers and cheap prices.

We did not know that an order includes 2 skewers! All the skewers are 300 yen (about $3.50 CAD) and it comes with 2 skewers! Such a good deal and the quality of the food was not sacrificed either.

If you’re not a fan of chicken, they also have other meat and veggies available. The chicken was full of umami flavour. Mouthwatering and delicious!

5) Mister Donut: Mister Donut is a popular fast food chain in Japan for donuts. I remember seeing Mister Donut in my textbook when I was learning Japanese in university, haha! So yes, I’ve heard of Mister Donut but we didn’t try it until now, and OMG have we been missing out!

Mister Donut is famous for their pon-de-ring donut (top right), which was soooo good. They were delightfully chewy yet airy. Think of a light, airy donut mixed with mochi.

My favourite was the strawberry pon de ring, pictured on the top right! It was like their original glaze pon de ring, but with a strawberry topping that tasted like Pocky strawberry. Their other donuts were amazing too! You can find Mister Donut everywhere. We mostly ate it at the food court in local shopping malls.

We found that Osaka didn’t have much to see in terms of sightseeing but made it up in terms of food. If you are a food lover, you have to go to Osaka!

De Dutch Pannekoek House

January 27, 2020

Konnichiwa from Kyoto, Japan! The fiance and I are back in Japan! I have a backlog of food posts though in my absence. Stay tuned for Japan posts next month!

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De Dutch has been around for quite awhile! I remember going to the De Dutch a few times in North Burnaby as a kid. They seem to fly under the radar because I don’t see or hear about it often. But it’s time I give them much deserved attention on the blog!

We came here because they had a birthday promotion. If you signed up for their emailing list, they give you a free pannekoek (Dutch pancake) up to a value of $14.50! Since we didn’t get a chance to go during the holidays, we came in the new year because the coupon is valid for approximately 3 months.

The fiance and I went to the De Dutch in Olympic Village, which we didn’t even know existed until looking on their website even though we are in this area a lot! They are located on West 2nd which is a busy street. This just shows how under the radar De Dutch is haha.

The last time we went to a De Dutch location was when we started dating many years ago, when I took him to the North Burnaby location.

The restaurant was about half full when we came on a Saturday morning around 10am. The atmosphere inside was calm and slow, which I appreciated. I’m not a fan of chaotic and noisy environments! The restaurant was clean, tidy, with comfortable seating.

Freshly squeezed orange juice: Marketing worked on me that morning when I saw the OJ being advertised. Their OJ is freshly squeezed and it sounded delicious, so I ordered a glass. And delicious, it was!

The orange juice was pulpy, very fresh tasting and definitely not Minute Maid (although I do love my Minute Maid so no shade being thrown here).

Debakon and eggs breakfast platter: The fiance went with their Dutchmen Platters, and chose the debakon and eggs one. This was a massive, hearty and filling platter!

Debakon is the Dutch twist on bacon. Rather than being in strips, they came in large slices. The slices reminded me of a ham and bacon mix. The potatoes were crispy and delicious. If you look carefully under the debakon, you can also see the two over-easy eggs which were nice and runny, perfect for dipping the potatoes into.

The only complaint on the platter were the fresh fruit. The canteloupe was very bland and flavourless. The apple skin had a strange bitter taste too.

Eggs Amsterdam: It’s unusual that I order the eggs benny, usually it is the fiance who does! After debating between the smoked salmon benny or this one, I decided to go with the Eggs Amsterdam which had ham and Dutch cheese.

The poached eggs were perfect, with a nice runny yolk! In addition, the Hollandaise sauce was deliciously rich and buttery. The fiance who is a huge Hollandaise sauce fan, gave it his seal of approval.

The difference with the eggs benny at De Dutch is that they come on a Dutch rusk, which is a twice baked biscuit. I didn’t like it at first because it was hard and crunchy, but after a few bites and with the delicious Hollandaise, I didn’t mind.

I also found that the fruit was not good. The cantaloupe was tasteless and the apple skin had a bitter taste to it.

Chocolate, strawberry and whip pannekoeken: The reason why we came here! The chocolate and strawberry was the perfect combination for us!

The pannekoeken is quite large. I remembered the pannekoeken being paper thin, almost crepe like, which is why we ordered two breakfist dishes. My memory from years ago proved to be wrong because it was actually thicker. I would say it was in between a crepe and pancake.

You could pick between Nutella, or chocolate sprinkles. We went with the Nutella and it was an excellent choice. They gave us a lot of Nutella, strawberry syrup, and whipped cream.

There isn’t much taste to the pannekoeken, so it relies on the toppings and the powdered sugar sprinkled on top. It also had a slightly chewy texture to it. The combination of Nutella and strawberry was delicious!

All in all, we enjoyed our breakfast and free birthday pannekoeken at De Dutch. It has been many years since we came, but we will be back again in a few months when it is the fiance’s birthday, for another free pannekoeken!

Brown Bites – Tsujiri

September 6, 2019

Brown Bites is a mini series on my blog featuring places the fiance has tried without me, so it wouldn’t be my own review. Why the name Brown, you ask? It is named after the Japanese LINE character, Brown. Brown is a cute, shy, emotionless cartoon bear but secretly full of love, and we adore him to pieces!

Tsujiri is a Japanese dessert cafe specializing in matcha desserts. Since they opened six months ago in February, there have been 1 hour+ waits to try their desserts. Reservations for their soba bar were also full weeks in advance.

The fiance and I aren’t the type of people to line up for food. In fact, we enjoy having dinner early to avoid rushes so we have yet to come here, until now!

After a mediocre dinner at Thai Son a couple of steps away, the fiance noticed that there wasn’t a long line at Tsujiri for once. So instead of Qoola, we came here!

Tsujiri is a matcha brand from Kyoto, Japan. All of the matcha here is high quality and sourced from Uji, which is a city near Kyoto. The interior of the cafe was warm and welcoming, with a traditional meets modern vibe.

The dessert shelf looked barren and a bit empty during our visit since we came in the evening.

Matcha houjicha swirl float: The fiance decided to try a mix of both tea flavours. The bottom was a matcha slush, then topped with a matcha/houjicha tea soft serve.

He really enjoyed the soft serve! The matcha had a really strong flavour and tasted authentic.

The slush was a bit disappointing and he wouldn’t get it again. The matcha flavour wasn’t as strong in the slush. The soft serve is definitely the way to go!

Yay!