Nowadays, whenever I plan our travel itineraries, I make sure to include rest days. This gives old folks like us an opportunity to take it easy and hang out at our hotel, or wander around the immediate vicinity.
We had just spent several tiring days in Osaka and were ready to decamp to Kyoto for the second leg of our Kansai vacation. A significant number of steps had been clocked, and some downtime was sorely needed.
So, after checking out from our Namba hotel and arranging for our large suitcase to be sent to our accommodations in Gion, we slowly made our way to the Ritz Carlton Osaka in Umeda.
I had booked one night at a 43sqm Club Level King Room using 64,000 Marriott points and ¥39,100. The rate wasn’t cheap, but it did include access to the legendary Ritz Carlton Club Lounge, something that I had wanted to experience at least once.
Food Presentations
There was no doubt that the room would be comfortable and spacious, but the main draw was the meals that we would get to enjoy throughout our stay.
During check in, five separate food presentations were listed on an information sheet. They were all complimentary and a perk that came with our Club Level room.
Starting from 7:00am in the morning and ending at 10:00pm at night, we would have unlimited access to all the food and beverages available in the Club Lounge.
This would essentially allow us to camp out at the hotel for the next 24 hours, and not have to step out of the compound for any of our meals. Of all the rest days that I’ve planned so far, this was by far the laziest most relaxing.
| No. | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breakfast | 7:00am – 10:00am |
| 2 | Light Snacks | 11:00am – 1:30pm |
| 3 | Afternoon Tea | 2:30pm – 4:30pm |
| 4 | Hors d’Oeuvres, incl. | 5:30pm – 7:30pm |
| Restaurant Daily Cuisine Experience | 5:30pm – 6:30pm | |
| 5 | Sweets and Cordial | 8:00pm – 10:00pm |
Afternoon Tea (2:30pm – 4:30pm)
The indulgence started even before we had a chance to step into our room.
Check in was done at the lounge on the 34th floor, and included a fancy champagne high tea featuring desserts from the world-renowned Pierre Hermé Paris.
Our three tier tower started with the best macaron I’ve ever had, followed by a delightful mini passionfruit, chocolate and pineapple parfait and other usual suspects like scones and madeleines.
A local touch was provided by a pair of Japanese-influenced savoury bites. In the form of roast beef sandwiches with sakura leaves, and potato salad blinis topped with sakura ebi.
Champagne was unlimited, as were various other alcoholic beverages and, of course, tea. The staff in the lounge was attentive but politely unobtrusive, and knew when we needed assistance.
Dinner (5:30pm – 7:30pm)
Technically, the evening food presentation was labelled as “hors d’oeuvres”, which, if you’re not familiar, is a French term meaning “snacks for squirrels”. It’s not meant to be a full meal, but dainty little dishes meant to whet your appetite.
The chefs at the Ritz Carlton Osaka Club Lounge clearly didn’t get the memo, because they churned out enough food for a three course dinner.
Different stations were set up, including a section for salads, various cold cuts and canapés, another for warm appetisers like takoyaki and shumai and also one with cheeses and accompaniments.
Surprisingly, the takoyaki wasn’t the creamy Osaka version but was instead firmer to the bite. The tako embedded in each piece though, was tiny, and met with The Wife’s disapproval.
Drinks were free flow, including coffee, tea and a small but decent selection of beer and wines that guests could pour themselves.
What was missing, I felt, was one of those beer dispensing machines that automatically tilt when pouring, to produce the ideal head of foam. I’ve seen them at airport lounges in Tokyo, and they looked really cool.
In one corner of the hot food station, sweet and velvety corn soup was kept hot in a large and heavy pot. Whenever the lid was lifted, it released a satisfying puff of steam.
Nearby were food warmers that contained sauteed beef, butter rice pilaf, fried potato wedges and steamed seasonal vegetables like broccoli, baby corn and sweet potatoes.
During the first hour of the dinner service, there was also a “Restaurant Daily Cuisine Experience”. It was an opportunity for the many in-house restaurants to take turns in showcasing their offerings.
That night, the chef on duty was from Hanagatami (花筐), the resident Japanese restaurant serving sushi, sumibiyaki, kaiseki, teppanyaki and tempura.
The first two were featured, specifically salmon maki and charcoal-grilled chicken chunks, served with garlic sauce. Honestly, I was disappointed that they had chosen to put out such simple fare.
Salmon maki is a common dish that’s available almost everywhere, and while decent, didn’t taste particularly special. Even more surprising was the fact that some of the sushi rolls weren’t wrapped tightly enough.
The sumibiyaki chicken, on the other hand, was significantly better. It was flavourful and pleasantly chewy, with an enticing smokiness that paired well with the mild garlic sauce. Though overall, I felt that Hanagatami missed its opportunity to shine.
We started our dinner with a comforting bowl of corn soup, and took our time to sample just about everything on offer. Making repeated trips and picking up small amounts each time.
The food wasn’t fantastic, but it was generally tasty and well cooked. It was almost like having a meal at a small but decent hotel buffet.
Nightcap (8:00pm – 10:00pm)
After dinner, we spent some time wandering around the expansive hotel compound. Ritz Carlton Osaka started operations in 1997 and was the very first Ritz Carlton in Japan.
The decor was designed to resemble an 18th century Georgian manor. The hotel definitely gave off a regal and traditional vibe, and it felt that we had travelled back in time.
By 9pm, we had walked off most of our dinner and were ready to wind down the night with some cocktails. The lighting in the lounge had been dimmed, and the food stations restocked with sweets.
The Wife was in the mood for a warm cocktail, and requested Ueda-san, the bartender and lounge concierge, to surprise her.
He came back with a cup of Bailey’s with hot milk, which wasn’t terribly exciting, but still made for a comforting and soothing nightcap.
I opted for a flute of champagne, and we silently admired the night time view from the 34th floor lounge. Slowly sipping our drinks and nibbling on financiers, caramel macarons, chocolate cookies and a surprisingly good strawberry pudding.
Seeing how The Wife was enjoying her warm cocktail, I decided to follow suit. However, instead of leaving my fate in the hands of Ueda-san, I chose to craft my own drink.
I walked up to the bar and enquired, “Sumimasen. Ueda-san, do you have any hot chocolate?” He replied in the affirmative. “Do you also have some Cointreau?” I followed up. Again, he said yes.
Then, I summoned my inner Pikotaro and shameless sang, “You have hot chocolate. You have Cointreau. Uhh! Pen pineapple apple pen.” Making sure to include the corresponding hand movements.
Ueda-san was initially taken aback by the strange gaijin in front of him, doing strange gaijin things.
But once he heard “pen pineapple apple pen”, he immediately understood and couldn’t contain his laughter, exclaiming, “Oh! You know Pikotaro!” I could also hear a nearby female lounge staff trying unsuccessfully not to giggle.
And for the rest of the night, they were particularly attentive and took good care of us. I guess it pays to be familiar with local Japanese culture.
Don’t know what I’m talking about? Well, here you go. But fair warning — watch at your own risk.
Breakfast (7:00am – 10:00am)
Breakfast service the next morning spanned over three hours, and we made it back to the Club Lounge just after 8:00am. Of all the food presentations so far, it was the busiest.
Even so, the dining hall didn’t feel crowded and the ambience was peaceful and quiet. Unlike your typical hotel restaurant breakfast buffet, where it feels like a free-for-all food grab.
For those with Western palates, the spread covered all the essentials. Bread, pastries, cereal, cold cuts, cheeses, bacon, sausages, salad, hash browns and even a smoked salmon station.
Eggs were cooked to order and you could choose to have them scrambled, fried or made into an omelette (with truffles!). Also available were half-boiled eggs with yuzu zest and specialty dashi from Hanagatami.
Croissant waffles were similarly made on demand, though I had the sneaky suspicion that leftover croissants from the previous day were utilised. We didn’t get to find out as we didn’t order any.
On the Japanese front, there was steamed rice and choose-your-own-topping miso soup, together with an entire selection of hot and cold dishes.
These included tamagoyaki, daikon, kabocha, natto, umeboshi, tofu salad, nama tofu, salt grilled salmon and steamed vegetables.
As usual, we started with a cup of black coffee, followed by a steaming bowl of miso soup. It’s always nice to kick off the day with a shot of caffeine and hot umami-laden broth.
It was a bright sunny day, and we admired the beautiful view of downtown Umeda from our lovely window seats as we slowly sipped our beverages.
Next up was eggs, done two ways. First was the signature truffle omelette, soft and pillowy with just the right level of runniness inside.
Given the high quality control of raw eggs in Japan, omelettes are generally undercooked to achieve a wonderfully creamy texture. It was exactly how I like them, and of course, the inclusion of truffle didn’t hurt.
The Wife picked up the “Ondo Tamago”, and tucked into the soft-boiled egg floating in dashi and garnished with yuzu peel. It was served cold and each spoonful was refreshing and light. Clearly, one wasn’t enough and she went back for seconds.
After that, we focused mainly on the Japanese options. Particularly oishii was the braised daikon with aburaage and yuzu peel. It was sweet and juicy, with a playful touch of citrus.
I spotted some plates clearly meant for kids, but couldn’t resist. They were so cute and colourful that I simply had to use it.
If the staff were amused by a fifty year old man happily eating off a plate featuring a lion with a rainbow mane, they clearly didn’t show it. But I’m sure they must have been tickled as they walked past.
Service was impeccable, with one interaction that was especially memorable.
I had scooped up a piece of nama tofu and wanted to top it off with some wasabi. I didn’t spot any and asked one of the staff where I could get some.
She had a pained look on her face as she told me that it wasn’t available, and offered an anguished apology. It wasn’t a big deal, and I thought that that was that.
Ten minutes later, Chef Ono, in his crisp kitchen whites with a tall chef’s hat, came over and presented my with a dish of freshly-grated wasabi. He must have hustled down to the Hanagatami kitchen downstairs to grate up a fresh batch.
That simple gesture elevated my plain piece of tofu into a delicacy, and was the very epitome of Japanese omotenashi.
Lunch (11:00am – 1:30pm)
The end of our stay at the Ritz Carlton Osaka was fast approaching, and soon it was time to pack up and hop on a train to Kyoto.
Checking out, like checking in, was done at the Club Lounge reception. But there was still one last hurrah, as guests could hang out at the lounge for 30 minutes after check out.
In our case, it meant that we could have “Light Snacks”, as they called it, before we headed out into the wild. By now, we knew enough to know that it was an understatement.
That is, unless you consider prawn cocktails, roasted chicken, breads, cold cuts, braised chicken, onion soup, rice and steamed vegetables a light snack.
The prawn cocktails, served in martini glasses, were particularly kawaii. They came with a colourful brunoise of onion and bell peppers, and were garnished with edible flower petals.
There was no chance that we were stopping at just one. And judging from how fast they were disappearing, the other lounge guests clearly had the same idea.
The onion soup looked unassuming, but after adding grated cheese and mini croutons, it acquired the taste and texture of “proper” French onion soup.
We opted not to have rice, and choose to have bread instead. The Wife used the available ingredients to Frankenstein up a pair of mini sliders.
One was improvised with ham, cheese, arugula and tomato, and the other used braised chicken and green vegetables. Despite their haphazard construction, they were surprisingly quite tasty.
We ended the meal with a cute little ice cream cornetto, with the cute little ritz kids lion making an encore appearance. Together with a few token slices of fresh fruit, specifically pineapple and green kiwi, to aid with digestion.
And that, my friends, was how we spent 24 hours camping out at the Ritz Carlton Osaka, and having all our meals at the wonderful Club Lounge.
I had heard about how amazing it was, and wanted to try it out myself for the longest time. I was hesitating initially, when I found out the high cost of a Club Level room there, but I’m glad I decided to take the plunge.
There was only one problem with our stay.
Now that we’ve experienced it once, we can’t help but want to experience it again. I guess Ritz Carltons with Club Lounges are going on our list of preferred hotels now.
Kansai Winter 2024
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The complete Club Level experience at Ritz Carlton Osaka
When travelling to a foreign land, hotels are usually just places to spend the night. But sometimes, they can be destinations in their own right.
Fancy champagne high tea at Ritz Carlton Osaka
Checking into a hotel is typically a mundane affair, except when you book a room with Club Lounge access at the Ritz Carlton in Osaka.
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Second time lucky scoring the popular Kani Doraku kaniman
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