If you are contemplating traveling the Silk Road with kids, Uzbekistan should be the first destination on your list.
21.07.2023 - 08:41 / roughguides.com
Osaka sits by the Pacific Ocean on a large, fertile plain. Its strong fishing and farming heritage, and a cuisine supported by its many wealthy merchants, has seen it named the “Kitchen of Japan”– just one of the reasons we've named it as one of our destinations to visit in 2019. When sniffing out the best of Osaka food, these are ten local dishes you must try.
These dough balls with steamed octopus (tako), ginger and onion – crispy outside, soft inside – are a popular street food. You’ll find them in multiple takoyaki stands around the city – the most famous is probably Kukuru, which is easy to spot thanks to the enormous 3D octopus attached to the wall. Wherever you end up, takoyaki are served piping hot with a traditional sauce of Japanese mayonnaise and sprinkled with dried bonito (tuna flakes) and seaweed (aonori). Get used to this delicious sauce – you’ll see a lot of it.
Try it here:Wanaka is a small chain (currently with nine outlets) that specialises in the fried dish.
These savoury pancakes, made with batter, cabbage and a bewildering array of other fillings (okonomi means 'whatever you like') are served ready made for you to prepare yourself on a hotplate. They're a great choice if you're looking for vegetarian options (although the batter sometimes contains fish stock, so do check if you're unsure).
The batter is poured out, then flipped like a pancake before being dressed with okonomiyaki sauce (a mix of ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, honey and soy sauce), mayonnaise, and, you guessed it, bonito and seaweed flakes. These fluffy pancakes are so popular locally that they are often called “Osaka soul food”. A delicious fast food variety made with pressed grilled squid worth trying is known as ika-yaki.
Try it here: Fukutaro at the heart of the Namba shopping district is famous for its okonomiyaki sauce.
Deliciously fluffy okonomiyaki © Nishihama
Kushiyaki (meaning 'grilled skewers') is a bamboo skewer of pork, vegetables, seafood or other ingredients (even ice cream) cooked over charcoal. Kushi-katsu is the breaded version. This cheap snack is popular with post-work commuters and so you'll commonly found a kushiyaki stall near mainline rail stations. Don’t double dip the sauce if you're eating on the spot – the bowls are communal!
Try it here: The old Shinsekai area is full of kushiyaki restaurants, including some that are open 24 hours.
If you haven’t realised by now, Osaka locals love flour-based dishes – known as konamono (kona means 'flour'). So it’s no surprise to find many pancake shops in the city, with imaginative toppings to suit even the most demanding Instagrammer. The soufflé-style stacks that melt in your mouth taste as good as they look.
Try it here:Hoshino Coffee makes its soufflé
If you are contemplating traveling the Silk Road with kids, Uzbekistan should be the first destination on your list.
Some of the best chefs in the world believe that some of the most creative work they do in the kitchen is with vegetables. Plant-based dining has been growing exponentially, with restaurants now taking into consideration this dietary preference when crafting their menus. It has become a lifestyle for many, for reasons ranging from ethical to health to environmental to religious. But one thing is for sure, the momentum is only growing stronger, and for many kitchens, plant-based offerings are no longer just an afterthought or a pity party (i.e., lettuce leaves and a dressing) but high level courses that still celebrate their restaurants’ ethos.
OAG, which dubs itself an “air travel intelligence company,” has released its top-10 rankings of the most and least punctual airlines in 2016. The group analyzed 54 million flight records using full-year data from 2016 to compile the list, and for the purposes of the study defined “on-time” as “a flight that arrives or departs within 14 minutes and 59 seconds (under 15 minutes) of its scheduled arrival/departure time.”
When Kevin Maloney started to plan his trip to Iceland, a friend mentioned a new service called ViaHero. “I knew there was a lot to see in Iceland and I had a short period of time. I didn’t want to spend a lot of personal time doing the research,” Maloney says. “My goal was to have an expert map it out for me.”
AirHelp, the online service that files complaints against airlines on behalf of passengers entitled to compensation for air delays or cancellations, knows a thing or two about air travel. Because it’s hard for the average person to understand air passenger rights and pursue a legal claim when they’ve been wronged, AirHelp is always going toe-to-toe with airlines and airports—and reveals once a year which ones that treat their passengers for the better (or worse).
With rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft taking over, you might be wondering where in the world it’s still possible to take a cheap taxi. Cabs aren’t dead, yet: These countries still heavily rely on them.
Kalmoesfontein Farm
Osaka is affectionately known as "Japan's kitchen". It's the birthplace of ramen noodles (which celebrate their 60th birthday in 2018) and is home to some of the country's quirkiest restaurants.
No matter where in the world you're headed, we bet you're looking forward to a delicious meal or two. And many of the dishes easiest on the pocket are the tastiest on the tastebuds too.
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