Food

Plant-Based Ramen at Chabuton in Yodobashi-Umeda

Plant-Based Ramen at Chabuton in Yodobashi-Umeda
| Danielle Geva

One of the first restaurants on my list was Chabuton in Osaka. Mostly because both their website and reviews confirmed they had vegan options. Chabuton was also more likely to be open, as well as easily accessible, as it was located at Yodobashi-Umeda. The incredibly busy department store was on the subway line, making it the perfect lunch spot on the way to drinking tea in Kyoto.

Plant-Based Ramen at Chabuton in Yodobashi-Umeda

When the plant-based ramen arrived, it was reassuringly similar to all of the pictures I’ve seen online. Unfortunately, it turns out the reviews also accurately described its flavour. It was great as a vegetable soup, but far from a traditional tasting ramen. Now of course I’m no expert, especially since I’ve only ever had vegetarian ramen. However, ramen broth is usually much thicker and has a deep complex flavour. This dish tasted more like a light soup with fresh vegetables and noodles. While I’m grateful they had a vegan option at all, I’d love to taste V2.

Plant-Based Ramen at Chabuton in Yodobashi-Umeda

Since I was still hungry, I ordered the green veggie gyoza. I had to triple check the nutritional info, and rejoiced every time I saw the veggie gyoza were in fact vegan. The gyoza were pan fried and perfectly crisp. There was even a gyoza and rice set, which I planned on getting if I returned.

Two things to keep in mind when ordering a dish that comes with a dipping sauce in Japan. One, never assume the dipping sauce of any dish is free of fish-based dashi. Two, if all else fails there’s usually plain soy sauce nearby.

Hanami in Osaka

Hanami in Osaka Japan
| Danielle Geva

During the cherry blossom season in Japan, people flock to the parks to view the blooms and have picnics. The first park I visited was Kema Sakuranomiya Park by the O River in Osaka.

Groups gather on picnic blankets or giant blue tarps. They remove and neatly line them up before sitting in a circle. Employees on their lunch break typically eat store-bought bento boxes, while families enjoy homemade food. Some even prepare a fresh meal on a tiny grill.

I joined the few individuals sitting on benches. My lunch seemed fairly basic, but I noticed many others also picked up their lunch from a nearby FamilyMart, Lawson, or 7-Eleven. Despite my hesitation, I soon understood why convenience store food is so popular. Of course it wasn’t a gourmet meal, but it was better than the food served at some restaurants.

My cold lunch set consisted of soba noodles and Inari. The sushi was incredibly fresh and delicious. On the other hand, the soba noodles appeared to be a disaster. They were all stuck together, and impossible to eat. Then I discovered that they came with a clear packet that appeared to be water. Once I poured the water in and mixed the noodles, they separated like magic. The soba noodles tasted even better with the shredded seaweed and green onion toppings. Since the sauce provided appeared to have bonito in it, I made a note to grab plain soy sauce packets next time.

After I was done my lunch, it proved to be impossible to find a garbage bin. My usual hack for Japan is to check for one in public washrooms, but that only works when they have paper towels. While walking around, I heard a sound reminiscent of an ice cream truck. Weirdly enough, this turned out to be a coca cola sponsored garbage truck. It seems that people threw their garbage bags into a fence enclosed area, and so I did the same. Then I walked upwind.

Hanami in Osaka Japan

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Fuel Good

Fuel Good
| Danielle Geva

As I’ve alluded to last week, eating the baked goods made me sick. However, that didn’t stop me from trying a couple of other unhealthy snacks I didn’t want to miss out on. It was only later that it finally clicked. I had to stop sacrificing my health for the momentary joy of eating toxic foods.

I never tried a strict vegan diet before because I didn’t want to limit myself to discovering new foods I might like. Though over the past several years, this has excluded meat, fish, and chicken. Some stop eating animals because of their health, others because of compassion and karma. While those reasons kept me vegetarian, I initially made the switch after being served an undercooked steak. I felt pure disgust, and stopped thinking of animals as food.

Now that I see how negatively dairy and refined sugar affect my health, it’s time for another change. As much as I love cheese, cutting dairy won’t be as hard as cutting refined sugar. I usually opt for the vegan option anyway, but many restaurants use refined sugar in their foods and drinks. At home though, I already use maple syrup or dates as sweeteners.

As I’m learning to let food be my medicine, rather than poison, I heard that an omnivore relative of mine is sick. I stayed up wondering if I should bite my tongue or risk sounding preachy. I’m not a nutritionist, dietitian, doctor, or scientist, but I felt it was important to share the little knowledge I have based on my own experience. Maybe they will be annoyed and ignore my recommendations. But maybe it will make all the difference.

These are the suggestions I shared:

  • Have 2.5 – 5 teaspoons of turmeric every day.
    • Among the many benefits, turmeric fights and prevents free radicals.
    • You absorb turmeric better when paired with good fats and black pepper.
    • Turmeric tastes good in most foods, including: tea, salads, stews, and rice.
  • Take B12 Supplements
    • Helps regenerate red blood cells.
    • Increases energy, and lowers depression (especially when combined with foods rich in Vitamin B9).
  • Read plant based nutrition books.
    • Relearn healthy eating habits from trustworthy sources.
    • Seek experts that can help you design a meal plan based on your own body’s needs and that is compatible with your prescriptions.
  • Cut out sugar, salt, meat, and dairy.
    • Replace sugar with unrefined sugars, including: dates, maple syrup, and coconut sugar.
    • Replace white salt with pink himalayan salt.
    • Replace meat with chickpeas, lentils, nuts, and beans.
    • Replace dairy with almond, cashew, soy, oat, rice, or hemp milk. For calcium, have almonds, kale, or sesame seeds. For vitamin B, have nutritional yeast. It has a cheesy nutty flavour, and can be mixed into many savoury foods before or after they are cooked.
    • Add chia seeds, ground flax seeds, and/or hemp hearts to every meal.

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Baked Goods Breakfast

Baked Goods Breakfast
| Danielle Geva

Baked Goods Breakfast

After months of planning my trip to Japan, the cherry blossom season started 9 days early. Instead of sleeping in after 30 hours of travel, I rushed out towards the O River on my first day in Osaka. Luckily, the beautiful Sakura trees were still in bloom. Even though the cherry blossoms were the priority, there was no way I’d be able to fully enjoy them on an empty stomach. I stopped worrying about missing out, and started to think about breakfast.

Baked Goods Breakfast

Since I still wanted to make the most of it, I tried to find something to eat by the river. I spotted a bakery called Pompadour, and was drawn by the sweet scent. The bakery had trays and tongs at the entrance, which meant I could wander around and take my time deciding which treats to get. I loved not feeling rushed and pressured to place my order. The bakery also had enough variety to satisfy my needs, but wasn’t overwhelming. 

Baked Goods Breakfast

This place was heaven for someone with a sweet tooth, even if it was far from ideal for someone used to eating mainly vegan food.

Baked Goods Breakfast

When it was time to pay, I was delighted by the level of care taken into packaging my custard filled bun, cheddar and onion bun, and the cutest strawberry shaped bun. Since the strawberry bun was pretty fragile, it was placed in it’s own perfectly fitted container. While people were taking pictures of the cherry blossoms, I couldn’t resist taking pictures of my yummy breakfast.

Baked Goods Breakfast

The strawberry shaped bun did not only look adorable, but it also tasted magical. It had incredibly fluffy cream inside that tasted exactly like a strawberry milkshake. It wasn’t the healthiest breakfast, but sometimes you just need to indulge.

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A late lunch at Green Earth in Osaka

Lunch at Green Earth in Osaka
| Danielle Geva

Before getting hangry, I search through the restaurants on my map. There’s plenty of options, but they are all a train ride away. I’m not sure if I feel like figuring out train fares and transfers. It’s a 20 minute walk to the closest vegan restaurant, Green Earth. The beauty of this place is that it doesn’t close between lunch and dinner, so it’s perfect for jet-lagged travellers.

When I arrive at Green Earth, the place is empty. This can be a bad sign, but considering it’s a weird time I don’t let it throw me. It turns out to be a good thing because I get served quickly before fellow travellers and locals start to trickle in. Since I’m starving, I order the mysterious lunch of the day.

Each daily special has a different type of main and soup, and is served with rice and two salads. I love meals that consist of multiple dishes in one course. The variety feels like a mini buffet for one. I like to sample each dish, and save my favourites for last. This proves to be a difficult task since every flavour in my lunch is spot on.

The stew is rich and hearty, and goes well with the rice topped with sesame salt. The hot soup is comforting. The salads are lightly tosses in divine dressing, and sprinkled with roasted nuts for a nice crunch. My adventurous choice pays off. I’ve read that in Japan it’s considered wasteful to leave food behind, but I don’t have to worry because I’ve devoured every last crumb.

Since Green Earth is close to my hotel, I’m tempted to save it as a backup for when other places are closed. But everything was so delicious that I definitely want to return sooner to taste the rest of the menu.

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