Crystal Lily Restaurant 晶百合餐廳 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

We are finally back to our usual routine after spending a week in Osaka. Yesterday, I returned to my office for the first time in a long while and then today, I had an AI training to attend on New Year's Eve. Not exactly how I planned to wrap the year. Afterwards, I quickly ventured over to Kowloon City for a highly anticipated hotpot gathering with a few families. Of course, we will be doing our countdown there as well. 

It's been a while since I last visited Kowloon City so I arrived early to stroll around the old streets hoping to find a place for afternoon tea. While Luet Fat Restaurant (聯發茶餐廳) While Luet Fat Restaurant (聯發茶餐廳) remains at the top of my list for afternoon tea in Kowloon City, I found myself bumping into this recently opened cha chaan teng called Crystal Lily Restaurant (晶百合餐廳) coming out of the MTR. Worth a punt?

My adventurous side got the best of me this afternoon so I decided to come in for my snack. Starting things off was a glass of pantyhose milk tea. This was more on the milky side. The tea wasn't particularly strong but I like its creamy and silky texture. Not a bad start.

Less successful was the toast with scrambled eggs and luncheon meat. This actually tasted alright but its presentation had some room for improvement.

Just happy to be back in Hong Kong and having non-Japanese food for a while. 😆😆😆 It's going to be 2025 in a few hours and I have a lot written down for my New Year's resolution.

Food Rating: 4.7/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop A-B, G/F, 5-9 Fuk Lo Tsun Road, Kowloon City, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Sung Wong Toi

Tel: +852 2129-2999

Opening Hours: 6:00am - 12:00am daily

Café DIOR by Anne-Sophie Pic Kansai International Airport (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

It took us a while to get through customs but we finally made it to the gate. Just as we were heading to grab a sandwich or two for the plane, we stumbled upon the newly opened Café DIOR by Anne-Sophie Pic, right before boarding.

We are no strangers to the renowned three-Michelin-starred chef Anne-Sophie Pic, so there was no way we could pass up this sweet experience even if it meant risking our flight!

Café DIOR by Anne-Sophie Pic is a luxurious dessert bar located in the departure hall of Kansai International Airport. It is a great reflection on the elegance of the Dior brand, combining fine-dining with a chic atmosphere.

Some of Chef Anne-Sophie Pic's imaginative (mostly sweet) creations were on display in front of the entrance area.

Since we only had less than 20 minutes to spare, we quickly grabbed ourselves a seat at a quiet corner of the café.

Le Granville (4,000 yen) – A creation showcasing the flavors of Normandy, France. The tube filled with apple and yuzu coulis was elegantly topped with Calvados caramel and cinnamon vanilla chantilly.

This was an incredibly refreshing dessert highlighted by the fruity flavors of apple and yuzu, which were beautifully complemented by the subtle notes of caramel and cinnamon. I love the crunch from the sobacha Breton sablé too, adding some punch to the lightness of the dessert.

La Rose (4,500 yen) – The most beautifully presented of the four.

There were a lot of complex flavors packed inside this small package. A flavorful "Flower" mousse, strawberry and geranium rosat confit, paired with rose almond ice-cream all resting on a base of rose financier. And there was the subtle notes of genmaicha (玄米茶) infused into the dessert as well. Very interesting.

La Rose da Vents (3,500 yen) – Your typical dessert with a mix of exotic flavors. We've got

Mikan and saffron confit, Amaretto mousse with vanilla, atop of an orange biscuit with almond. Not bad.

Le Lady (3,500 yen) – For me, the least successful dessert, as it attempted to harmonize savory and sweet flavors through a combination of hazelnut praline, Earl Grey creme anglaise, and Madagascar chocolate mousse infused with Earl Grey.

This trip has provided us with a number of highlights of Osaka's hugely underrated dining scene including memorable visits to YUNiCO, Tempura Shinsaibashi Ittetsu, and SINAE. Each restaurant provided a unique culinary experience that showcased some of the best in Japanese cuisine. But what we didn't anticipate was the unexpected visit to Café DIOR by Anne-Sophie Pic at Kansai International Airport (with less than half an hour for departure). The elegant atmosphere and exquisite pastries, which came as a delightful surprise for us, provided the perfect finishing touch to our journey, wrapping it up on a sweet note.

Food Rating: 7.3/10

Price: ￥￥￥￥￥

Address: Kansai Interational Airport Terminal 1 Building 2/F 1 Senshukukonaka, Tajiri-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka, 549-0011 Japan

Tel: +81 (0)72 479-3821

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 8:00pm daily

Menya Saru no suke 麺屋 猿のすけ (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

Finally, we are down to our last few hours in Osaka. While some of us decided to go for a bit of last-minute shopping, mom and I decided to just walk around Shinsaibashi to kill the remaining hours.

We did forget to buy ourselves some bread for breakfast this morning so perhaps a breakfast ramen? 😜 If you're searching for a ramen shop open during breakfast hours, Shinsaibashi is the perfect destination. 

Menya Saru no suke (麺屋 猿のすけ) is one of those night owl ramen shops that opens from 10am till late, I mean really really late (3am the next morning). Their signature dish is a unique tori-paitan ramen infused with miso, offering a rich and flavorful experience. Let's see if it's as good as advertised.

Like in most ramen shops in Japan, we placed our order using a vending machine. However, we ran into a small hiccup – the machine didn’t accept the new 1,000 yen bills! In the end, we had to exchange them for the older bills with the chef.

Mom and I decided to set ourselves up at the counter table when the chef got things rolling in the open kitchen.

Tori paitan miso ramen (1,000 yen) – My nose was telling me that the miso flavors were pretty strong and as it turned out, it was. In fact, I thought it was overshadowing the creamy chicken broth a little too much.

Not surprisingly, the medium-thick noodles worked well with the flavorful broth that came with some extra smokiness.

The bamboo shoots were nice.

The charcoal grilled pork belly was a bit dry and rough. That was a real downer.

I can name at least half a dozen ramen shops open at 10am around Shinsaibashi. Here's another one.

By the name we finished up slurping our ramen, it was time to get back to our hotel and wait for our ride. Honestly, I am starting to fall in love with Osaka. The city is the perfect size for tourists to explore comfortably within a week, offering a rich blend of vibrant streets, delicious food and cultural landmarks. What makes it even more special is its proximity to Kyoto and Nara—both just a little under an hour away—allowing for easy day trips to experience even more of Japan’s rich history and heritage.

I hate to admit it, but compared to Osaka, Tokyo feels overwhelming at times. While Tokyo's allure as a mega city is undeniable, its sheer size and fast-paced nature can make it daunting to explore in a short period of time.

Food Rating: 6.2/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 2-6-10 Higashishinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-0083 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Shinsaibashi 

Tel: +81 (0)6 6245-0883

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 3:00am (Sun - Fri), 10:00am - 5:00am (Sat)

Gokan Kitahama Honkan 五感咖啡北濱本館 (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

After spending the majority of our last day in Osaka at Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Kadoma, mom and I took off for our early dinner in Kitahama (北濱) leaving the rest of the crew behind. It was my first time setting foot in Kitahama, a district better known for its financial and business activities.

Right before dinner, we got the chance to visit Gokan Kitahama Honkan (五感咖啡北濱本館).

Patisserie Gokan is a French pastry shop with a Japanese twist, which I had previously visited before during my extensive travel in Japan. To be brutally honest, I have always had a mixed bag experience with them but since mom has never tried their cakes before, I told her to go and check it out personally.

This is their flagship store in Kitahama with a tea salon on the second floor.

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She got herself a chestnut cake for breakfast tomorrow. I was surprised she didn't go for a Mont Blanc. 

Reportedly, the chestnut cake was moist, subtly sweet, and had a nice nutty flavor. I didn't try it out myself so I would just take her word for it.

Food Rating: 5.3/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: Arai Building, 2-1-1 Imabashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-0085 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Kitahama

Tel: +81 (0)6 4706-5160

Website: https://www.patisserie-gokan.co.jp/

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 7:00pm daily

Ramen-ya Mitsuba Kadoma ラーメン家 みつ葉 かどま出張所 (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

We were a couple of hours late arriving at Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Kadoma with the kids wanting to sleep in a little bit. That's totally understandable considering it's already the last full day of our week-long stay in Osaka. In fact, I was telling Jelloman last night that I was all prepared to go back to Hong Kong for some much needed rest.

It's our second visit to this spacious outlet in Kadoma and not surprisingly, it wasn't crowded at all on a Friday.



Everybody wanted to do some shopping first so it wasn't until almost 2:30pm that we finally went looking for our lunch spot.

Hailed from Nara, Ramen-ya Mitsuba (ラーメン家 みつ葉 かどま出張所) is a popular ramen shop known for their classic foam ramen. The base of the foamy broth was made with a combination of pork and chicken, and finished with a touch of soy sauce or salt.

I have never a fan of shio ramen (salt based) so decided to go with their shoyu (soy sauce based) version.

Shoyu ramen with barbecued pork (1,100 yen) – I could smell the aroma from the super tangy broth from a distance away. 

This came with a soft-boiled egg, two thin slices of barbecued pork and some subpar bamboo shoots.

The soft-boiled egg was nice.

The thin slice of char siu was a little disappointing. Same for the bamboo shoot.

The medium-thick noodles were gently tangled in the creamy, foam-topped soup, soaking up its rich flavors. That was the bright spot.

Almost time to get back to my shopping soon. Still a lot of shops to cover before mom and I take off for our early dinner.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 3/F Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport,1-11 Matsuocho, Kadoma, Osaka, 571-8620 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Kadoma

Tel: +81 (0)6 6780-9230

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 8:30pm daily

#.icafe アメ村でアイス (Osaka, JAPAN) ★☆☆☆☆

I wasn't ready to call it the night so right after dinner at Daimaru, we walked around the covered shopping street of Shinsaibashi-suji (心齋橋筋) before slowly heading towards the direction of our hotel. At around 9pm-ish, the crowd has thinned out considerably as most shops were already closed for the day but I wasn't in the mood of going to sleep early. So, we decided to make one final stop at Amerikamura (アメリカ村).

One of the reasons we were here was a chance to get ourselves a frosty ice-cream after I accidentally came across #.icafe (アメ村でアイス) on Google Map.

It took us a while to find the entrance to the building but we finally made it there. As it turned out, our ice-cream parlour was sharing the same venue as Poker Live, a popular venue for poker enthusiasts in Osaka. Interestingly, they were also sharing the same staff. 

I thought the American Village is the place to be for night life in Osaka so an empty cafe caught me a little by surprise.

But I think I know exactly why, after getting a first lick of my milk soft serve. 

This was very hard and icy; most definitely lacking the creamy, velvety quality of a typical soft serve.

Now, I can finally call it the night. Tomorrow will be our last full day in Osaka and we are spending it at LaLaport / Mitsui Outlet Park in Kadoma. I am hopeful that I could do some serious damage to my wallet.

Food Rating: 2.9/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 2/F Tesla 158, 1-16-8 Nishishinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-0086 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Yotsubashi

Tel: +81 (0)6 6252-0003

Opening Hours: 6:00pm - 3:00am daily

Seasonal Luxury Sakai Ginshari Gekotei Daimaru Shinsaibashi 季節の贅沢 堺 銀シャリ げこ亭 大丸心齋橋店 (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★☆☆☆

We've initially made plans to dine at an upscale sushi restaurant in Shinsaibashi tonight but since we have decided to join force with another family at the last minute and the sushi place didn't have seats to accommodate us all. We will again improvise.

After striking out as walk-in customers at a number of places, Jelloman wanted us to try our luck in Daimaru Shinsaibashi (大丸心齋橋). I thought there was no way on earth that there would be availability at any of the restaurants there since it was boxing day but I was glad that she proved me wrong. In fact, there were a few places with open seats and we ended up picking Seasonal Luxury Sakai Ginshari Gekotei Daimaru Shinsaibashi (季節の贅沢 堺 銀シャリ げこ亭 大丸心齋橋店) since they had fish courses available.

This guy has been acting funny all day long. I wonder what he has under his sleeves.

Ginchari Gekotei is known for putting its emphasize on the use of seasonal and local ingredients, aiming to provide a dining experience that reflects the changing seasons. Tonight, they have all these small side dishes such as a porridge, pickled lotus roots etc. to go with a main dish of our own choice.

I had the grilled Coho salmon (銀鮭魚) myself and thought it was decent. 

Comparing to the last few days in Osaka, or Namba for all that matters, today has been very very different. There are crowds everywhere and I don't think I would enjoy walking around the city's touristy places tonight.

Food Rating: 4.3/10

Price: ￥￥

Address: 10/F Daimaru Shinsaibashi, 1-7-1 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-0085 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Shinsaibashi

Tel: +81 (0)6 6244-2266

Website: https://www.daimaru.co.jp/shinsaibashi/restaurant/gekotei.html

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 7:00pm daily

 

bo-no bakery (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

Six days into our trip, I finally got some Me Time to do a little bit of shopping on Boxing Day. So, without further ado, I ventured over to Orange Street, a vibrant and trendy area known for its unique blend of shopping, dining and entertainment.

It's been almost a decade since I last visited Orange Street but before starting on my shopping spree, I decided to go and check out bo-no bakery, a small bakery shop on the edge of the shopping street. 

This is a hearty bakery shop known for its freshly baked bagel donuts, a bagel-donut hybrid which has been gaining popularity in recent years.  

They have a version of the bagel donut with custard cream but it was all sold out for today! 😭😭



And there would be no more bakery goods coming out of the kitchen today! 😭😭😭

Bagel Donut (260 yen) – Well, beggars can't be choosers, right?

This bagel donut sprinkled with sugar (but no custard cream) was all that was left so I decided to take a flyer on it.

This came with a unique, slightly chewy texture that set it apart from traditional donuts. 



The delightful chewiness created a nice, satisfying mouthfeel. Not bad.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: ￥￥

Address: 2-9-16 Minamihorie, Nishi-ku, Osaka, 550-0015 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Nishi-Ohashi / Nishi-Nagahori

Tel: +81 (0)6 6684-8860

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm daily