Osaka Makan Post

Well, Hubby and I actually visited Osaka in September last year for our wedding anniversary and birthdays celebration but I really haven't got around posting anything much about it (or the trip in 2016 to Chiba too, for that matter). Hahaha

Anyways, I just thought I'd start the ball rolling with food photos!

What is a trip to Osaka without some makan!

But then, our choice to makan there are quite limited and with a modest budget too. 

So here they are:

BREAKFAST

We arrived KIX at around 7am and we had our breakfast at one of the airport's restaurants.

 I had the salmon set with porridge.

Hubby had the salmon set with rice.

Both sets cost 900 yen each. A bit steep from our usual breakfast budget but this is the airport la kan...

Of course water  and tea are free of charge.

This was our breakfast when we stayed at Daiwa Roynett Hotel Osaka Uehonmachi. It was at a restaurant attached to the hotel and apart from the main set (of our choosing and we chose grilled saba), we could choose 2 extra side dishes.

 I chose natto of course and salad. Hubby chose fruits salad and bread.

This would be our breakfast if our hotel didn't provide any and we had to buy it elsewhere, just like during our stay at Hotel SunPlaza. But the room cost only 2,500 yen and this breakfast cost us 530 yen so we're not complaining.

And this happen to be my favourite kind of breakfast anyway.

LUNCH & DINNER

We usually had light / cheaper lunch then a nicer dinner afterwards. But sometimes, it was the other way around, when we got too lazy to walk around and just dashed off to a nearby konbini (convenience store) or supa (supermarket).

We visited a nice restaurant located at Namba Station after our trip to Koyasan. It was a treat after the long travel to get to Koyasan from Osaka. Hehe

A bit of splurge for a late lunch but worth it.

This original set (consisted of sushi, tempura and soba) is worth the 1,680 yen we paid for it.

Hubby's lunch was this zeitaku deluxe set (got anago wei) was 1,480 yen.

A much more reasonable (but totally nice too) lunch & dinner option would be this.

This grilled saba set (comes with free rice refill) cost us only 630 yen. 

And also this saba misoni set. 

For less than 1,000 yen per set, we got a really filling meal.

It's interesting to note that certain shops that offer free rice refills had resorted to putting up notices (in English so you know it's for us tourist), reminding us that refills are only for those who actually ordered food. Unfortunately, we did witnessed such diners and more unfortunate to note that they seem to come from our region (from the way they talk). Adui.

And if one observed enough, Japanese diners would refill only once. 

Our last meal was back at the airport and we went to this one shop that served katsuo no tataki.

My katsuo no tataki donburi came with soba too, and cost 980 yen.

Hubby had this tempura and udon set for 880 yen.

BENTO 

There's always a konbini nearby anywhere unless we stay in some remote area so it's always convenient to dash to the shop to buy a bento or snacks.

A bento usually cost below 500 yen so it is a cheap option for a full meal. Onigiri cost around 100 yen and above but tak kenyang la. Hahaha

This particular bento was bought at 7-11 nearby Wakayama station and cost only 460 yen. Cannot even see the rice because the topping is a lot!

Ekiben is nice too, those specialty bento that one can find at train stations - but they can cost a bomb! Well, for us anyway.

SNACKS

Bananas for me! Only 98 yen for this pack. Bananas here also expensive. This is quite cheap lah.

OK, this was a splurge for me. 

I went for a solo hike to a national park and bought this 500 yen matcha soft serve ice cream.

And this red bean manju was bought at Koyasan for less than 300 yen. So kenyang after eating one, I skipped lunch that day.

Cafe au lait is always a favourite when we're in Japan. One: because it so sedap. 2: because it's cheap.

We got this for 98 yen only.

Hubby loves his vege/fruit drinks. They are not too sweet like the ones we have here.It cost around 150 yen to 200 yen for a pack of 1 ltr.

So, is Japan really expensive? It feels expensive because of our exchange rate only. Otherwise, for what we pay here at a food court, we could get a nice meal in a restaurant or cafe setting. With full service.

Of course, it is easier to find Halal or Muslim friendly shops to eat, compare to say... 5 years ago. This is indeed Japanese omotenashi in preparation for Tokyo Olympics and the influx of Muslims travellers.

Years ago, I used to resort by asking the staff (okey, do note that we usually would do this during off-peak hour) the ingredients used in whatever we wanted to order. And more often than not, restaurant staff are willing to note about your dietary restriction. Just don't hassle them during a busy lunch or dinner time only lah.

A hotel stay that came with breakfast and dinner had changed our meals and served a different dinner set for us after knowing that we couldn't eat meat (more specifically pork) although we didn't request for such change. We only mentioned it in a passing to one of the staff and they took note!

Halal or Muslim friendly outlets may be more expensive than normal Japanese restaurants but of course, you get better peace of mind.

And to have more peace of mind, do some research yourself too. There are plenty of guides and apps available out there for Muslims travellers. Cari sendiri ye. ^^