Tokyo and Kyoto might get all the buzz, but Osaka’s food scene is top notch.
Andrea Fazzari
Through an unblinking black eyeball, a 20-foot-high scarlet octopus ogles my lunch.
Between us is a checkerboard lane and a monsoon.
From left: The Dotonbori district of Osaka; preparing nigiri at Yamatoya.Credit:Andrea Fazzari
You cant just call Japans third-largest city a food town.
Add too muchokonomiyakito the list.
Its not very pretty.
From left: Fruit-filled sandwiches at Yotsubashi Pain, a bakery in Osaka, Japan; Tsutenkaku Tower presides over the city’s Shinsekai neighborhood.Andrea Fazzari
None of that is untrue, particularly in and around Shinsekai.
Ikegami orders the mackerel, and within minutes, chef Doi-san passes the sushi across the counter.
Once the new tower was complete and employment in Shinsekai evaporated, many of the construction workers became homeless.
From left: Bottles from Shimanouchi Fujimaru, a winery and restaurant; a three-dimensional octopus sign overlooks a street in Shinsekai.Andrea Fazzari
I find that book in the library of the Flag, a boutique hotel in Shinsaibashi.
When Im not hungry, I walk.
And walk and walk and walk, until Im hungry again.
From left: The famous “dipping ramen” at Noodle Fishtons; ramen for two at Noodle Fishtons.Andrea Fazzari
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Thats my post-Shinsekai dinner plan.
Sightseeing riverboats glide beneath the bridge, their passengers gawking at the neon canyon above.
The feeling encapsulates the Osakan expressionkuidaore,which means to eat oneself to ruin.
From left: Yamatoya, a classic sushi bar in Shinsekai; banana cake at the bakery-restaurant Yohaku.Andrea Fazzari
Tomofumi Fujimaru waits at the Ando train station.
It takes 30 minutes to get from Osaka to the wellspring of its new-wave wine scene.
I wanted to make wine for a meal, dry and fully matured.
From left: Masuhiro “Julian” Yokota at his bakery, Yotsubashi Pain; cycling in Minamisenba, a popular shopping neighborhood.Andrea Fazzari
A short walk brings us to a clearing, where a fairy-tale tunnel disappears into a jumble of bamboo.
On the other side, we emerge onto a path that long ago crumbled into a ravine.
A narrow metal plank forms a makeshift bridge across the 10-foot gap.
From left: Tea master Takehito Kobayashi prepares matcha at the stylishly minimalist Wad café; matcha-flavored shaved ice at Wad.Andrea Fazzari
Fujimaru touches the trellised vines.
But this place is good for Merlot.
We follow the fruits reverse commute to Shimanouchi Fujimaru, the first urban winery in Japan.
From left: White asparagus, strawberries, and sea Bream at Yohaku, a stalwart of Osaka’s indie restaurant scene; counter seating at Yohaku.Andrea Fazzari
Then we head upstairs to the cozy restaurant for house-made fettuccine with sweet potatoes and allspice-laced braised beef.
A strange and pleasant grittiness runs through the pasta.
This vineyard spice brings nuttiness and tannins and connects the life cycle of the wine in a closed loop.
Tanaka pours a cascade of Cuvee Papilles Osaka Red.
Composed primarily of Fujimarus Merlot gamble, the blend is a vivacious geyser of blackberry and plum.
Some wine pairings lean in to their food.
Just inside the shoji doors, bronzedcaneles,boxy banana gateaux, and white-chocolate-and-yuzusablesshine under glass.
On the floor, three empty wine bottles communicate Yohakus liquid affinities.
Yohaku, however, inhabits another plane.
He cooks every single dish himself, in a workspace smaller than a New York studio kitchenette.
Until now I have worked in large restaurants with more than 15 chefs.
I want to make a simpler store, he says.
Man, those ideas.
The simultaneously fatty and luminous result presents an alternate history in which Japanese chefs invented beurre blanc.
Simple pleasures (house-baked rye, a Hokkaido cheese plate with fermented pineapple) complement the big swings.
Thecanelesfollow me back to the hotel.
Nothing will top this,I think.
Of course, Im wrong.
Im sorry, he sighs.
Im going to do it over.
Ueda is theochaban,head of tea service.
Tea became his medium.
Good choice, Ueda says, then gets to work preparing my matcha, twice.
Wad makes its ownujisyrup (ujiis a key in of matcha) for a cant-miss dessert.
The fine fluffy crystals drenched in sweet (but not too sweet) syrup are incredible.
Could it be the best thing Ive eaten in Osaka?
Shinmachi has always been a place to buy and sell.
Late afternoon, I snag the last sandwich, Earl Grey cream inlaid with half-moons of glistening tangerine.
The house-baked white bread is so soft I leave fingerprints in it, then devour the evidence.
I think this could be the best thing Ive eaten in Osaka.
In the end, its Yokota who sabotages his own victory.
He is the one who recommends Noodle Fishtons, less a hole than a crack in the wall.
Requests another, hey refrain from eating while looking at your mobile phone.
It comes on a tray in a constellation of bowls.
You mix and match to create different sensations and flavors.
Have you ever eaten something that wholly possesses you?
I mean muscles-spasming, speaking-in-tongues, call-the-exorcist possession.
My ecstatic babble draws an interruption from a cook, who seems both irritated and alarmed.
Excuse me, he hiss-whispers.
Can you c’mon be quiet?
About the food in Osaka?
Where to Stay
Hotel The Flag
Stylish minimalism in the shopping haven of Shinsaibashi.
W Osaka
The slick brands first hotel in Japan.
Generously sized suites have incredible views and Nintendo-wallpapered closets.
Mel Coffee Roasters:Perfect coffee drinks on a busy Shinmachi corner.
Mochisho Shizuku: Like a modern art gallery for traditional Japanese sweets.
81-6-7506-8218
Noodle Fishtons: Grab a seat at the counter for transcendent tsukemen (dipping ramen).
Yamatoya:Colorful Shinsekai characters show up for box sushi and other Osakan favorites.
Yohaku:Baking by day and cooking by night in a tiny kitchen that radiates creativity and ingenuity.
Yotsubashi Pain: The signature item at this offshoot of famed Osaka patisserie Le Sucre-Coeur is the fruit-and-cream sandwich.
I took a walking tour with Arigato; the company can also plan multiday itineraries.
