3 Must-Eat Food At Dotonbori

3 Must-Eat food at Dotonbori-Osaka.

GYOZA.TAKOYAKI.OKONOMIYAKI

GYOZA

Fun fact, gyoza originated in China (where they are called jiaozi), but have become a popular dish in Japan. This Dotonbori outlet is the main Osakaosho and it has 4 floors.Its landmark is the big gyoza sign.It is open everyday and you can buy their gyoza as takeaway for around 200 yen.Apart from gyoza,there's set meals available on the second floor.

Address:1-6-13 Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka

TAKOYAKI

Takoyaki is another well-known Osaka street food.Best enjoyed hot,takoyaki is soft on the inside and topped with dried bonito flakes (which 'dances' around due to the heat of the takoyaki).Savoury,fluffy and crispy,takoyaki is a must-try.This store is the Dotonbori Konamon Museum,which can be easily spotted which its giant octopus signboard.

Address:G/F Chuwa Daiichi Building, 1-6-12, Dotombori, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Shinsaibashi / Namba

CREO-RU's OKONOMIYAKI

Another favourite,is Creo-Ru.

Bottom left: Okonomiyaki,a  popular pan fried food that consists of batter and cabbage.It is usually filled with shrimp,octopus,kimchi,yam or pork.It is served and cooked on a griddle.Creo-ru's okonomiyaki is already cooked,so don't worry about cooking it yourself as it might be daunting for some.

Bottom right: Shrimp Kushiage and Takoyaki.Fried shrimp can never go wrong when paired with a tangy sauce.Their takoyaki is different from the Dotonbori Konamon Mueseum-darker in colour and the filling isn't the same.In my opinion,the Konamon Muesuem's takoyaki has a more gooey filling.

Personally,whenever I went to the streets of Dotonbori (daytime),it always rained and had a dreary sky.It gave me this 'Spirited Away' vibe -all the food,lights and a mixed smell of seafood and rain.The crowd gets heavier as the day comes to an end.At night,Dotonbori comes to life with bright lights and the famous Glico running man.A trip to Osaka is not complete without a visit to Dotonbori.

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Kelly

The Holqa Cafe-Katong

 

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A week ago,I paid a visit to The Holqa cafe with my friends,Jermaine and Cassandra.

Walking along the narrow,tiled streets,we found this little cafe.

Bored and hungry,we went in and gave their food a try.

That Monday,Holqa had a promotion--$7.50 for one of their best-selling pastas!

The three of us shared one pasta (Almost Carbonara) and Monkey Funkey Toast.For drinks,I chose an Iced Mocha and Cassandra got herself a hot chocolate.As usual,we filled our iPhone photo albums with countless of pictures.We moved wallets,water glasses and bags in order to get perfect shots for Instagram.We may or may not have looked like weirdos there...

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Anyways,time for the review!

FOOD

Almost Carbonara (8.5/10)

Almost Carbonara has a cream base,with sliced shiitake

 mushrooms,bacon and topped with a cherry tomato.The angel-hair pasta was chewy and soft.

Pros:You won't get tired of the carbonara taste and would want to keep the whole plate to yourself

Cons: The soupy cream makes things a little messy so don't be afraid to leave a trail of pasta sauce on your table.If you want to share this dish with your friends/family,I suggest taking turns to eat.Transferring the pasta to a separate plate is kind of difficult,unless you have really good skills.

Monkey Funkey Toast (8/10)

This dessert came with chunky peanut butter,thick buttered brioche toast and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.The vanilla ice cream took its time to melt but could have tasted better.The toast was fluffy,soft inside and crisp outside.My favorite part was the peanut butter and toast.

DRINKS

Iced Mocha (7/10)

The mocha came unsweetened so I did ask for some sugar syrup.I loved how the coffee wasn't served super sweet (like Starbucks frappes).The iced  mocha had a layer of foam on the top too.The bottom of the coffee tasted the best in my opinion.It isn't the best in my books but definitely good if you want something light in the afternoon.

Hot Chocolate (-)

(I didn't drink the hot chocolate but I asked Cassandra's opinion of it)The milk foam looked impressive and the hot coco had a sweet smell. Cassandra even had a foam 'mustache' after having the first sip.She enjoyed the hot chocolate a lot so you might  want to give Holqa's hot chocolate a try.

Final Remarks

There's good food,friendly service and a cozy vibe.Moreover,there's books and magazines for your reading pleasure.I found an old copy of Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire and other novels.The place is good for a hangout with friends and reading/laptop use.It's easy to get there,but seats are limited because of the small space.I would go back to the Holqa Cafe again when I'm near Katong.

FOOD: 4/5

COST:3/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Overall Experience: 4/5

INFORMATION

The Holqa Cafe

37 East Coast Road

Singapore 428755

Tel: +65 6635 7010

Opening Hours

Monday – Tuesday: 12pm to 9pm

Thursday – Friday: 12pm to 9pm

Saturday – Sunday: 9am to 9pm

(Closed on Wednesdays)

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Kelly

Joe & Dough

Not long ago,I went to Joe & Dough [@ Kallang Leisure Park] for a lil' coffee break before my Mid-year Examinations (MYE) started.Back then,I didn't have the time to blog.I had spent a peaceful afternoon,sipping on coffee and thinking about my study schedule at Joe's.Of course,there was 'that' Instagram moment (if you know what I mean).I had an Iced Vanilla latte and a scone,while my mother tried their hot latte and lemon tart.

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Food Rating:

The lattes: The iced one was refreshing for a hot day.It wasn't overly-sweet and the vanilla-coffee blend was nice.The hot latte had quite a lot of foam and came with a simple,well-made foam design.

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The lemon tart: It's tangy,sweet and had a flavorful,lemony taste.

The tart crust was crisp and worked well with the lemon curd. (Must Try)

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The scone:Not your average scone-where you'll get bored of the plain,sticky-chewy feel.The top was glazed and golden brown.When you cut it,it's not dry or crumbly.I loved the warm,soft and light taste.You can seriously eat it on its own without any jam,butter or heavy cream.

The scone had cranberries inside and I tasted traces of orange(?).

[If I remember correctly-but it could just be me.Should any of you 

try it and taste a bit of orange,let me know in the comments.]

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The service was excellent.The cashier wasn't a pushover and polite.The atmosphere was cozy and warm.The wooden elements in the room suits the ambiance too.I loved the decorations too.

The shelf behind the barista area was so pretty.The shelf had a big chalkboard with drawings and descriptions of the whole coffee bean process.Pillows,books and small plants were also on the shelf.

The pricing might come across as pricey to some but I think it's usual for a cafe.It's around the same price as Starbucks.However,some of their coffees come in a small glass (kind of like a shot-glass) and paying $5-7 for it doesn't seem satisfying.All in all,I would definitely go back to Joe and Dough for reading,coffee breaks and chats.

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I hope you enjoyed reading this post.Bye for now!

MORE INFO

Check out Joe and Dough:

http://www.joeanddough.com/

*they have a Delivery service,but only available at certain branches.*