Osaka (Dec 2024)

Clearly I fell in love with Japan that I had to return so soon after my first visit, but I didn’t realise how much I missed small things such as the aroma of Japanese cuisine and the sounds of the doors to Family Mart opening, until I was walking the streets of Osaka to get to my hostel.

Curry House CoCo Ichibanya (Vegetarian)

One place I could rely on for great Japanese curry is Coco Curry Ichibanya – a chain of casual restaurants serving Japanese curries including a dedicated vegetarian curry. At least in the 3 big cities, I’ve usually been able to find a branch no further than 20 mins away from me wherever I am, and many of these branches stay open till pretty late, making it a reliable spot for all times of the day, even after a night out.

The great thing about Coco Curry is how customisable it is. From the spice level to the sweetness to the toppings – you can choose your curry to be exactly how you like it. You can choose from level 1 to level 20 for the spice, and after my visit I realised that even as an Indian person who prides myself on being able to tolerate the spiciest of foods, a spice level of around 5 is probably the max I could go without shedding a tear or two. I usually go for spice level 3 because I like to get a portion of spicy garlic with my curry which provides its own garlicky kick. I’m a HUGE cheese lover, so I also love being able to add not just a single, but a DOUBLE portion of cheese to my curry! 

Vegan Ramen by Playpen Friends

I have to be honest and say that on my last trip to Japan, I didn’t exactly love the ramen I had. I thought this may be a combination of the fact that I prefer dishes that are more rich in flavour, and the bowls of ramen I’d had definitely lacked that, and also the fact that maybe ramen is a dish that is meant to be enjoyed by meat eaters. This was until I had a bowl of vegan ramen at Wagamama’s at Gatwick Airport before my departure to Vietnam in Nov ’24. And I know chain restaurants get a lot of flack for not being authentic, but it was a really tasty and hearty bowl of ramen, which I think made me more open to trying some more ramen on this second Japan trip.

I came across this restaurant on Happy Cow, which seemed highly popular for vegans. There were maybe 3 vegan ramen options on the menu and I chose Syoyu Tonkotsu Ramen. It was absolutely delicious – oishi katta des! It was creamy, rich in flavour and loaded with both tofu and minced soy meat. I really appreciate when there’s soy meat or something similar in a vegan/veg alternative of not just Japanese dishes, but any dish that is typically not vegetarian or vegan friendly, as it feels like effort has gone into actually creating a dish with a good level of protein and something a bit more filling. It also helps to make me feel like I’m eating something closer to the traditional cuisine. Like most places I’ve visited in Japan, customer service was also excellent here, and I’ll be sure to return on my next trip!

Yabar – Chiangmai Curry Ramen

One of my all time favourite dishes is Chiang Mai Khao Soi – I fell in love with the dish when I first had it in Chiang Mai, Thailand a couple of years ago, and since then, its a dish I actively seek out wherever I’m travelling. On this occasion, I did not seek it out and I stumbled across a sign for a Japanese take on Chiang Mai Khao Soi – it’s like the heavens were calling out to me!! Of course I had to go inside and check out this bar/cafe. I was greeted by the friendly chef/bartender who was happy to make me a bowl of vegetarian Chiangmai Curry Ramen – which just meant without chicken/meat. In a Thai restaurant that serves Khao Soi, occasionally you can have it with tofu, but even when you can’t, the dish is still delicious.

In this case, the difference between Chiangmai Curry Ramen and typical Khao Soi was that the egg noodles were replaced with ramen noodles. The broth was still very creamy and rich, which is what makes Khao Soi so yummy to me, and of course complemented by a garnish of crispy noodles. This was unexpected and a real treat – my favourite dish in my favourite city!

Khao Soi is typically vegan like many Thai dishes, but I’m not sure if at this specific place it was vegan or just vegetarian.

Osaka is famous for its street food, which you’ll find plenty of in Dotonbori. I didn’t get to try much street food on this trip, but I did on my last, as well as a few more vegan/vegetarian restaurants and cafes. I’ll try to write about that at some point too. Overall, Osaka is a vibrant and friendly city with a very edgy vibe and a fun shopping district. I had great culinary experiences on both of my trips to Osaka, and I can imagine it would only get better for vegans and vegetarians in the future!