A TASTE OF OSAKA

✤ kushikatsu

This Japanese dish which is popular in Osaka is bite-sized meat and vegetables skewered, coated in a light batter and fried until golden. Common items on the menu include pork, lotus root and even seasonal fish. Kushikatsu can be easily mistaken for being a type of tempura; however, the two are very different. A staple condiment that goes with the deep-fried skewers is a dipping sauce that dish is incomplete without.

✤

OkOnOmiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients cooked on a teppan. Selected toppings and ingredients are added which can vary greatly (anything from meat, seafood and cheese). This variability is reflected in the dish's name; "okonomi" literally means "to one's liking". The dish is available all over Japan, but is particularly popular in the cities of Hiroshima and Osaka.

✤ takOyaki

The savoury dish of grilled balls of batter made with flour and eggs filled with octopus chunks and other ingredients like pickled ginger (beni shoga) and leftover fried tempura batter (tenkasu) are hugely popular in Osaka. Typically made fresh in-store, the exterior of a takoyaki ball is a nice golden brown while the interior can be a bit molten.

✤ kitsune udOn

A Japanese comfort dish, Kitsune Udon is a simple dish of udon (thick wheat noodles) served in a hot soup with a piece of deep fried tofu (aburaage). Kitsune means "fox" in Japanese, and the dish is thus named that because fried tofu is believed to be a fox's favourite.

✤ abeno Harukas

Standing 300 metres tall, Abeno Harukas is the tallest skyscraper in Japan. The building stands on top of the Kintetsu Osaka Abenobashi Station and is conveniently located across from JR Tennoji Station. It houses a department store, an art museum, a hotel and an observation deck. The observation deck is called "Harukas 300" and occupies the building's top three floors (floors 58 to 60). It is accessed by an elevator from the 16th floor. With large floor-to-ceiling glass panels all around, the 60th floor provides 360-degree views of Osaka, while the 58th floor features an attractively designed inner court with a wooden deck and cafe.