It’s like a pay as you go wine bar – buy a card and put some cash on it, then when you fancy a snifter pop the card in the vending machine and choose from a range of excellent fine wines from around the world in several different sizes from 30ml (a mouthful) up.

What’s best is that it’s right next door to the Blarney Stone in Shinsaibashi so when you’ve had enough of fancy wines, pop next door and get some proper beers on.

Mista is open from 2pm – 11pm daily.

 

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We went for lunch and, although the menu was quite small, it was perfectly formed and at a great lunch rate.

The owner is from Naopli and a very jovial chap. The food was a taste explosion and every mouthful was savored.

A lunch for five including a bottle of wine and three courses came to Y1200 each.

Unfortunately the owner hasn’t got round to getting a website yet but here is the tabelog review of the place (Japanese), and the contact details are here.

La Lanterna,
Hanshin sankei sakurabashi bldg, 1f. 2-4-13 umeda, kita ku, osaka, 530-0001.

opening: 11:30～15:30、17:00～22:30

Phone: 06 6344 1313

It’s quite small so I’d recommend reservations for an evening.

A charming cafe, replete with candle gifts, hemp tshirts and peace and love music offers coffees and vegetarian food all powered by the rays of the sun.

The solar cafe is filled with mementos of world peace and offers a serene atmosphere to kick back and relax.

However there is also a small gallery for artists in the area to showcase their works and you can see an ever changing selection of pictures and installations.

Some English is spoken, and there are also a few English books in the cafe library for you to read while you enjoy your organic soy cafe latte.

An English map is here

tel：06-6131-1553
open daily 12-1900 except Monday and Tuesday.

So, Bistro Mishole (home page here)offers a good range of French / Italian menus at reasonable prices. A meal for two which couldn’t be finished cost Y5,000 and included drinks, three mains and two sides!

It’s a little out of the way – from Umeda you’ll need to take the 34 or 57 bus from the JR station and get off at the big Life supermarket stop (Daitocho 2 chome – be carefull there are 2 Lifes, you want the second). You’ll practically walk into the door once you step off the bus. Journey is about 20 minutes.

Map and contact details

“Simple question: what’s the most greatest, most exciting, most dynamic food city in the world today, the culinary It City of our age?…” read more

Reasonably priced, the owner is charming and witty and offers an intimate dining experience – maximum occupancy is 40 people. There’s a wide screen TV and you can hire for private functions and parties.

Check out the website for more info.

Address Kodama Leisure Bldg. 2F,
1-14 Doyama-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 530-0027

Nearest Station Hankyu Umeda Station 10 min. walk

JR Osaka Station 10 min. walk

Telephone Number 06-6365-5190

Fax Number 06-6365-5190

Opening Hours Sundays to Thursdays 17:00 – 24:00 (Last Order)

Fridays & Saturdays 17:00 – 2:00 (Last Order)

Regular Holidays None

Don’cha just love kaiten sushi? I mean, where else could you get every permeatation of wackiness on rice? In a country where California rolls are frowned upon and advacado isn’t advocated, the likes of Wieners and hamburger strips can only be condoned. Nothing like a contradiction in terms. Just like this hard-boiled shebang. Is eggy breath better than fish breath, though?

Mushi mushi! Are you with me?

No, nothing to do with answering the dog ‘n’ bone, but everything to do with all things steamy! And everyone appreciates a nice bitof steaminess on the side once in a while.

Yes, all steamed yumminess served up in a bamboo basket. How about that for a gimmick to end all gimmicks? But it’s a gimmick that works wonders, though, one has to confess.

This is the most yummy luncheon I’ve luncheoned in quite a while. See, I’ve always been partial to a nice bit of organic impartialness, me. Make mine a nice steamed basket.

A trip down to Mus, opposite Hotel Sunroute in Umeda, might be in order, then.

If we were to translate a ridiculous phrase such as ‘Big circle’ into Japanese we would get something like ‘Daimaru‘. Which is exactly the name of my favourite departo in Kyoto.

As the name ‘department store’ suggests, indeed the store boasts many departments, hence the name’department store’. What that has to do with big circles is beyond my scope of understanding, but thought I was doing well so far.

One of these departments is a department selling food, hence the food department.

Within this heavenly labyrinth of gastronomic delights (not quite gastric, though, thank heavens)  you can find the best array of J-confectionary ever confectioned with affection. I like to go there just to stand next to the manju section and gaze at it hypnotically. Yes, it can often be hypnotic. At first it looks a bit weird to outsiders, but once they join in they soon get what I’m on about.

Why don’t you try it?

You’re probably thinking I’m going to start banging on about El Pancho in Shinsaibashi, but how wrong can you be. El Pancho is all very nice, but it’s completely upstaged by the simply heaven-sent Chico’s and Charlies. Found in the unlikely location of Acty on the 16th floor of Daimaru departo in Umeda, it offers something called the ‘combination plate’ for luncheon (￥1,280), which is so out of this world, you’ll almost believe you’ve been transported to another world, or at least Mehico itself. Except you look out of the windows and notice the skyscrapers and all the staff are not actually Mexican, but (of all things) Japanese.

Shake yer toosch down (or up?) there pronto. Yarrribaaa!!