Bistro:D Taoyuan International Airport 畢卓樂地餐廳桃園國際機場店 (Taipei, TAIWAN) ★★★☆☆

For our flight back home from Osaka, I didn’t go with a direct route. Instead, I decided to go for a transit flight through Taipei — a decision that wasn’t exactly met with unanimous excitement (but it was a redemption ticket, what can you do?). But me? I was secretly excited to squeeze in a little Taipei time, even if it was just within the confines of Taoyuan International Airport (桃園國際機場).

After grabbing some obligatory pineapple cakes to bring home (because you can’t really leave Taiwan without them), we found ourselves seated at Bistro:D (畢卓樂地餐廳) — a casual sit-down spot with an international menu that spans everything from pasta to local Taiwanese fare.

It's been over a week since my last iced milk tea, and I was more than ready to get my fix. Sadly, this one didn’t quite hit the spot. The tea lacked depth, the milk lacked richness, and the whole thing was just too watery. A missed opportunity, especially in a place where milk tea should be second nature.

The main event was of course Taiwanese beef noodle soup. To be fair, it was better than expected. The broth had a decent body and the noodles had a nice bite. The only letdown was the slices of beef that was a little rubbery for my teeth to handle.

There’s no denying that Taipei has come a long way as a food destination with new fine dining gems popping up across the city. But inside the airport, the dining scene remains stuck in the past. Options are limited and largely underwhelming, especially if you’re hoping for one last bite of something memorable before takeoff.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: B4 Depature Hall, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, No. 9, Hangzhan South Road, Dayuan District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan

Opening Hours: 6:00am - 11:00pm daily

Menya Doton Dotonbori Honten 麵屋道頓 道頓堀本店 (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

It was our last night in Osaka, and naturally, no one wanted it to end too early. So after dinner at the fishing restaurant, we decided to walk all the way back to our hotel just to stretch the evening out a little longer.

As we were passing through the ever-lively Dōtonbori (道頓堀), someone from our group casually mumbled about having ramen. I heard that one!

One thing led to another, and before we knew it, we were seated at Menya Doton Dotonbori Honten (麵屋道頓 道頓堀本店), a tsukemen ramen specialist brought to us by the folks behind the well-known Dotonbori Kamukura (神座拉麵) chain.

Little nugget was so happy to be having a "siu yeh" (late-night snack) with his little cousin from Australia.



They should’ve been in bed by now but hey, don’t tell that to these two little gentlemen.

Specially-made dipping ramen (1,110 yen) – This was the same signature vegetable broth that made Kamukura famous.

The thick noodles were topped by two slices of pork char siu, some bamboo shoots, a soft-boiled egg and vegetables.

I’ve always liked the clean, light flavors of their broth, but when it comes to dipping noodles, I prefer something thicker and more intense to really cling to the noodles. This version, while refreshing, didn’t quite deliver that punch.

The char siu, stewed in their house soy sauce, was more toward the lean side. Not quite the melt-in-your-mouth variety. 

The egg though was nicely executed.

As expected, the light vegetable broth didn’t work well as a dipping 'sauce' for the dense noodles. But honestly? That didn’t matter.

We weren’t here for perfection. We were here to savor our last night together (Team Aussie goes to Tokyo tomorrow morning), to laugh a little longer, and to make the most of our time together in Osaka.

And that, it did perfectly.

Food Rating: 5.1/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1-7-2 Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 542-0071 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Namba

Tel: +81 (0)6 6926-8808

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

TRUFFLE mini Namba (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

I thought I would never get the chance to see another TRUFFLE mini Bakery on this trip again but hey, never say never.

While wandering around Namba Station, waiting for my team to arrive, I suddenly stumbled upon another branch of the famed truffle-themed bakery. What a pleasant surprise!

This location offers a slightly different lineupof bakery goods including a brioche donut that wasn't available in Umeda.

They do have my favorite donut here, hidden in the refrigerator which I almost overlooked.

With my treasures in hand, I decided to find a cozy outdoor spot just outside Takashimaya and 0101 Namba to enjoy my donuts. That’s when little nugget and the rest of the crew finally showed up.

Truffle salt donut (398 yen) – Little one looked a little puzzled as he held the truffle salt donut firmly in his hand. "A savory-sweet donut?", he asked, eyebrows raised.

He decided to sink his teeth into it and guess what, he instantly fell in love with it. The soft, airy donut was infused with just the right amount of truffle aroma, and inside was a rich, decadent white truffle cream. Savory and sweet, perfectly balanced.

Brioche donut (380 yen) – With my truffle salt donut gone, I could only watch while I turned my attention to my backup.

It was my first time having this brioche donut and other than its donut shape, it really didn't feel like I was having a donut. It tasted more like a brioche to me.

That was all the time we had for our donuts. We have an interesting dining experience ahead of us, at one of Osaka's most touristy fishing restaurants. It's going to be fun.

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1/F Namba City, 5-1-60 Namba, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0076, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Namba 

Tel: +81 (0)6 6556-6808

Website: https://truffle-bakery.com/

Opening Hours: 8:00am - 9:00pm daily

La Patisserie KATSURA (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

La Patisserie KATSURA is a modern French patisserie tucked away in the residential Tenma (天滿) district.

The charming dessert spot offers a nice mix of classic French pastries such as mille-feuilles, Paris-Brest, and Mont Blanc, alongside seasonal delights (like white peach tarts) and contemporary creations.

In addition to their French pastries, there are also an array of smaller baked treats, including canelés, financiers and cookies. 

Deeper into the shop was a small cozy dining counter providing a perfect setting for a quick indulgence. I was feeling a little adventurous this afternoon, so I decided to try one of their newer creations. 

Charonne (580 yen) – Feather-light vanilla mousse with an intensely rich caramel cream, all sitting on a caramel almond cookie base.

While the combination of textures was pretty delectable, I found the caramel flavors a bit too rich for the delicate vanilla to handle. A touch more complexity, perhaps a hint of smoked vanilla or a sprinkle of sea salt, could elevate the dessert further and help the flavors shine.

Despite my extensive travels in Osaka, this was one of my few times exploring outside the bustling Shinsaibashi and Umeda areas. Perhaps, I should do this more often!

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 2-1-8 Tenma, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0043, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Temmabashi 

Tel: +81 (0)6 6484-9934

Website: https://lapatisseriekatsura.jp/

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 7:00pm (Tue - Sun)

Cuisine Française Liaison リエゾン (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

For the second straight day, I'm taking mom to somewhere special for lunch. Situated in the Fukushima (福島) district, Cuisine Française Liaison (リエゾン) is a hidden gem offering innovative French cuisine that elegantly incorporates seasonal Japanese ingredients. With branches in Tokyo and Umeda (a casual bistro), Liaison Osaka has proudly held a Michelin star since 2024.

The cozy and intimate restaurant features 22 seats, all with a lovely view of the open kitchen.

As usual, I have requested a quiet corner seat to fully soak in the ambiance.

Prawn, stock jelly, lemongrass – Our meal began with a nice amuse-bouche of poached prawns served with prawn stock jelly, steamed egg, and edamame, all drizzled in a light lemongrass foam. 

I liked the fact that they were serving it chilled which had made it even more refreshing.

Octopus, celery, Delaware grape – Next up was beautifully cooked octopus paired with grapes, celery, caviar and crunchy diced daikon. 

The octopus were matched brilliantly with the sweetness of the grapes but as the dish was all about fresh, clean and sweet flavors, I thought the caviar looked a little out of place.

The second serving of the octopus came in a nice octopus spring roll. Mom and I were debating whether the wrap was edible. 

Chicken, girolle mushroom, Gold Rush corn – They called it a chicken roll but it's more like a disk made with chicken, which was topped nicely by girolle mushrooms, Japanese Gold Rush corn and crispy corn leaves, finished off admirably by a creamy mushroom sauce. This was a pretty enjoyable dish although I would have preferred the sauce to be a little sweeter rather than salty for an even better experience.

Mom has been looking forward to this for a while, some nice butter with sea salt.

The bread was simple but pretty satisfying.

Red sea bream Beignet, fish soup sauce – Our server described the next dish as red sea bream cooked tempura-style.

The fillet was wrapped in a thin, crispy batter, accompanied by zucchini, tomato, and raspberry. An intense sauce made from fish stock and vegetables elevated the mildly flavored red sea bream but I found the texture of the flesh and scales to be just OK.

Kagoshima Pork, pumpkin, onion, mustard – More successful was the roasted black pork from Kagoshima served Butcher's style, and finished off with a robust onion and mustard sauce.

The pork loin was incredibly succulent but the mustard and caramelized onion sauce was a touch overpowering. Still, a very solid dish.

Shine muscat grape, basil – Right before our dessert, we were offered a small pre-dessert. A refreshing basil sorbet with muscat grapes hidden underneath did exactly what it was supposed to – to get our palates ready for our dessert. 

Peach, lemon verbena, almond flan – Dessert was almond flan, topped with in-season

peach compote, lemon verbena ice-cream and freeze-dried raspberry. It struck a lovely balance of sweetness and acidity, with fruity, lemony, nutty and even some herby notes,

I haven't had the chance to sit down for a cup of milk tea after our first day in Osaka. This was a decent cup of Earl Grey and Ceylon tea with milk. 

Some sweet treats including a mango macaron, a mini pineapple pound cake and passionfruit marshmallow wrapped things up.

This proved to be a very nice combination of modern French cooking and seasonal Japanese ingredients. It might not be as innovative as yesterday's meal at agnel d'or but their service certainly made up for it in Michelin starred fashion. All in all, it was a very enjoyable meal that represented good value-for-money. 

P.S. As I was writing this up after our visit, I discovered that Cuisine Française Liaison (リエゾン) Osaka announced its abrupt closure on September 5th, just a week after our meal. It’s truly a pity, as I believed they had something special there. Fortunately, their Tokyo branch remains open if we wish to pay them a visit.

Food Rating: 7.2/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 3-12-20 Fukushima, Fukushima-ku, Osaka 553-0003, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Shin-Fukushima

Tel: +81 (0)6 7508-8585

Website: http://liaison-osaka.com/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 10:30pm daily

TRUFFLE mini LUCUA 1100 (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

Just a few steps from P.G. Donut at LUCUA 1100, I happened to stumble upon another recent favorite of mine, TRUFFLE Mini Bakery.

Founded in 2017, TRUFFLE Mini is a Tokyo-based bakery chain celebrated for its truffle-infused treats. Their signature white truffle salt bread took the market by storm, elevating this beloved classic to new heights just a few years ago.

Fast forward to 2025, and they’ve expanded their menu to include truffled donuts!

Truffle salt donut (398 yen) – A soft, airy dough infused with truffle and filled with creamy white truffle goodness.

Although the shell crumbled a bit when I brought it back to the hotel, it didn't put a dent in my indulgence.

It almost felt like having an ice cream sandwich, with the frosty truffle cream adding a nice velvety texture. I also loved the crispy, paper-thin crust and the mix of savory-sweet flavors.

I can’t wait to have this again before we leave Osaka in a couple of days. It’s that good!

Food Rating: 7.3/10  (Based on the truffle salt donut only)

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 2/F LUCUA 1100, 3-1-3 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0001, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Umeda 

Tel: +81 (0)6 6151-1519

Website: https://truffle-bakery.com/

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