Street eats in Osaka

C says:

Osaka is the land of kuidaore, and what better place to do so than on the Dotonburi, where you can gorge on all manner of street eats.

Takoyaki, incendiary balls of grilled batter filled with diced octopus, are everywhere. We sampled from 2 different stalls, and those from the unassuming, non-touristy one were far superior.

Probably the best deal ever were the 6 gyozas for 100 yen - approximately S$1.20. Insanely good value and really tasty too.

The kushikatsu at Daruma was a bit of a letdown. I didn't expect that much batter, so despite ordering different meat and vegetable skewers, everything tasted quite similar.

Last must-have on our Osaka street food list was okonomiyaki, and all research pointed to Mizuno as serving the best in town. Far from being a generic tourist trap, Mizuno is apparently still a family-run restaurant, where focus on quality is more important to them than churning out multiple orders.

We ordered 2 types of okonomiyaki - a standard one, and one with a thinner pancake. The thin one was crispier but it also lacked the sinful oomph of the regular one. Both were cooked perfectly, with crisp outsides and steaming hot, gooey centres.

Not quite a street eat but just as satisfying was the kare raisu at Jiyuken. Here, the curry rice is almost risotto-like, and it's served with a raw egg on top. You're supposed to stir it in and add Worcestershire sauce to taste. Bizarrely, it actually all works and is the ultimate comfort food.

A says:

Dotonburi. Never has cheap and good been truer. Although my favourite thing on the street was still the Lord Stow's portuguese egg tarts from Macau. Possibly even better than the original.