Doteyaki at old-timey Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho

After watching the entertaining penguin and dolphin feeding sessions at the Osaka Kaiyukan, it was our turn for some nourishment.

There are many eating places in the vicinity, but the most interesting one has to be the Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho food alley.

Located on the second floor of the Tempozan Marketplace, it’s a collection of numerous restaurants in a space designed to recreate the look of Osaka in the 1960s.

Just follow the directions in the mall, and when you’re nearby, look out for the kawaii なにわ 食いしんぼ 横丁signboard featuring a googly-eyed tako.

Unlike the restaurant floors in large department stores like Takashimaya, the layout is not regular. Instead, the paths are deliberately crooked, mimicking the winding streets in the olden times.

An information map is helpfully posted on the walls to guide your way, as well as a listing of the restaurants with a photo of their signature dishes.

Even though we were already quite hungry, we didn’t want to simply sit down at the first eatery that caught our attention.

Instead, we wandered around the alleys, identified potential candidates and put them on our shortlist.

Strategically located right at the entrance was Jinbei (炭焼 甚平), luring diners to their roast beef bowls with visible fire shows by their cooks.

Next to it was Abenoya (阿倍野屋), serving okonomiyaki and other Osaka street food, which seemed to attract many gaijin.

Further down was Ushinofuku (牛の福), with an enticing and amazingly realistic display of their selection of beef bentos and bowls.

As well as Konpei (昆北), an ochazuke specialty store with a signboard featuring a local version that we had never seen or heard of before.

The Osaka Chazuke came with two takoyakis, pickled ginger tempura, simmered beef, komatsuna and nori. It sounded very intriguing indeed.

There were many other options available, including the more classical madai, mentaiko and ume versions. In addition, cold soba was also available as a side dish.

We were sold. Konpei jumped right up to the top of our shortlist.

While considering whether to cut short our exploration and choose to have lunch at Konpei, the smell of something delicious wafted past. The scent was faint, but couldn’t be ignored.

It was clearly meaty, but didn’t have the smokey profile of yakiniku or yakitori. As we slowly traced it back to its source, the unmistakable aroma of miso asserted itself.

An elderly obaasan in a beige apron with a scarf covering her hair was shuffling inside her tiny little stall. She greeted us warmly as we approached, and responded with polite bows.

Even though she was masked, her warm smile was evident from the twinkle in her wrinkled eyes.

As she slowly stirred her two heated trays, she tried explaining to us (in Japanese) what was on offer. We, of course, didn’t understand a single word but felt obliged to nod in feigned comprehension.

The tray on the left looked like chunks of chicken and thick slices of daikon in curry sauce. And the other was filled with bite-sized pieces of offal, generous squares of tofu and meat of some sort.

It was this second tray of bubbling brown bits that had successfully lured us in. Any lingering thoughts about ochazuke evaporated, as the sight and smell of the mystery meat stew hypnotised us.

The number of hiragana and katakana characters, which we don’t recognise, far outweighed the number of kanji characters that we did.

What was obvious from the realistic-looking plastic food samples though, were the large portions served. Prices were also reasonable, especially considering that this was a major tourist attraction.

Time for technology.

I whipped out my mobile, opened the Google Translate app, pointed it at the price list, and voila!

Doteyaki was on our shortlist of local Osaka specialties to sample, and we had somehow serendipitously stumbled upon it.

Our ¥600 portion came with the miso-stewed mixture, two pieces each of tofu and daikon, with a garnish of thinly-sliced negi.

Chewy intestines made up the bulk of the stew, with konyaku and other offcuts rounding out the rest of the combination. There may even have been pieces of stomach mixed into the cow roulette.

If you’re not a fan of offal, you’d probably want to steer clear. But if you’re like us, and enjoy nose-to-tail cuisine, then you definitely must try this bold and flavourful concoction.

The Dote Curry Don (¥850) was equally satisfying. The flood of curry on top of a mound of white rice made for a filling lunch.

I suppose we could have gone with a Dote Don instead, but it was nice to experience it in a different way. Mixing doteyaki with tender chicken curry created a nice contrast in textures.

There were no other customers when we ordered. But after we sat down on a nearby bench and started eating, more and more people stopped by to patronise the stall.

I’d like to think that our obvious enjoyment with every mouthful inspired them to give it a try. That, and the enticing aroma emanating from the constantly bubbling trays.

It’s never too early for some kway chap

Lunch was done in 10 minutes. After packing up and disposing our trash, we continued on our stroll through the artificial indoor yokocho.

You have give the interior designers credit, because they did a good job in creating a warm old-timey ambience. From the numerous paper lanterns hung near the ceiling, to the replica storefronts of shops that would have been in operation in that bygone era.

We paused in front of a shop selling grilled sweetfish on a stick, and were sorely tempted to buy one to try. But it seemed a bit too messy to handle while standing, so we let it off the hook, so to speak.

Japan, being Japan, kawaii cartoon mascots are guaranteed. Like this cat-looking fisherman (fishercat?) holding his catch of fish and octopus, happily riding on the back of a dolphin-like creature.

To further amp up the cuteness, it even starts to sing if you touch the soles of its feet. We didn’t give it a try but on hindsight, we definitely should have.

For those wanting to experience old-school games, there was a section when you can play three different games for ¥1,400. Including a retro air rifle target range that attracted many players.

The Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho in itself is probably not worth the 30 minute train ride from downtown Osaka.

But if you’re already there to visit the excellent Kaiyukan aquarium, you should definitely grab lunch there and enjoy a spot of nostalgia.