Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Japan Day 8: {Kobe} Kobe Steak Lunch + Nankin-Machi

We hailed a cab right after we ended our leisurely walk around the Kitano district.  Our next stop was to look for this restaurant which we read about in a local magazine claiming to be one of the best restaurants in Kobe.

It is almost unthinkable for my carnivorous brood to be in Kobe and NOT enjoy the exquisite melt-in-your-mouth taste of Kobe beef! We gave instructions to our cab driver to bring us to Kobe-Grill Kobo. It was a restaurant that came highly recommended by the local travel magazine.

Here is C discussing with the driver where to take us.  We took with us a magazine article showing the best  restaurants to eat in Kobe.  Since everything is in Japanese, we had to ask the can driver to read the directions. As you can very well see, with my family, anything that pertains to food IS serious matter!

The Japanese cab driver was friendly and super chatty.  It wasn't such a long drive, but when we got to the destination, it seems like the address in the magazine was quite tricky to locate. We had to go around the block several times, but we couldn't see any restaurant signage, or any restaurant for that matter!  The cab driver was quite helpful as he parked the cab, and insisted on walking with us to help us locate the restaurant.

One walk around the tiny alley did not prove successful... no resto in sight.  So he tried calling the number listed on the magazine. No one is picking up...

And because we seemed really determined to have some of that Kobe beef, he even knocked on some of the establishments within the area to ask. Here are the three Japanese in deep discussion, with our cab driver showing them the magazine article.

I think after close to an hour, we finally accepted defeat... the magazine must've printed out the wrong info. We thanked our cab driver profusely for his time... but parang he is close to crying na! teehee!:) He suggested mag Chinatown na lang daw kami.                            



And because we were really hungry already by that time, we did follow his suggestion. Off to Nankin-Machi!

Kobe Chinatown, also known as Nankin-Machi,  is one of the three largest Chinatown in Japan. Nankin-Machi originated in 1800s, when Kobe's port was opened to foreigners including Chinese immigrants. During that time, the Chinese people were referred to as "people from Nanking" by the Japanese, hence the name "Nankin-Machi" (Nanking Town).

Nankinmachi is like any Chinatown elsewhere in the world -bustling and touristy.  The place is fun for a quick stroll, particularly for grumbling tummies since restaurants and food stalls abound in both sides of the street.






This is the small plaza at the center of Nankin-Machi.

And this is the kind of Kobe Steak lunch that we had been relegated to.  BooHoo! I really pitied C because even before we left for Japan, it was already one of my husband's priority to eat Kobe beef in Kobe.  Kobe beef pa din naman ito... we just had to settle for a food stall version na nga lang. Teeheehee!


Here are some more photos:



And because it's not really us if we don't keep on eating....
as we exit Kobe Chinatown, we saw a Kobe Croquette store with a long queue of people. Seems like food is a magnet for my kids!

They cook the croquettes on the spot. Order from what's available and they cook it for you right after you pay.


That way, the croquettes are always crispy and piping hot!

More of our Kobe adventures in my next post!





I've updated this post to provide a link to ALL MY JAPAN POSTS!


1. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/03/phenomenal-tip-my-10-step-guide-on-how.html
2. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/04/japan-2014-osaka-kyoto-nara-kobe-trip.html
3. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/04/japan-2014-websites-and-apps-to-help.html



4. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/04/japan-2014-snippets-of-our-vacation.html
5. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/04/japan-2014-where-to-stay-in-osaka.html
6. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/04/japan-2014-where-to-stay-in-osaka_25.html



7. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/04/japan-2014-how-to-get-around-kansai-how.html
8. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/05/japan-2014-day-1-arrival-at-osaka.html
9. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/05/japan-2014-day-2-universal-studios-japan.html



10. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/05/japan-2014-day-2-ippudo-ramen-osaka.html
11. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/05/japan-2014-day-3-eastern-kyoto.html
12. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/05/japan-2014-day-3-eastern-kyoto_16.html



13. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/05/japan-2014-day-3-eastern-kyoto-kodaiji.html
14. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/07/japan-2014-day-4-western-kyoto.html
15. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/07/japan-2014-day-4-western-kyoto-kinkakuji.html



16. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/11/japan-2014-day-5-downtown-kyoto-nishiki.html
17. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2014/12/japan-2014-day-5-southern-kyoto-fushimi.html
18. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2015/01/japan-2014-day-5-nara-nara-deer-park.html



19. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2015/01/japan-2014-day-6-osaka-kuromon-ichiba.html
20. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2015/01/japan-2014-day-6-osaka-tempozan-harbor.html
21. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2015/01/japan-2014-day-7-osaka-shinsaibashi.html



22. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2015/01/japan-2014-day-8-kobe-kitano-district.html
23. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2015/01/japan-2014-day-8-kobe-kobe-steak-lunch.html
24. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2015/01/japan-2014-day-8-kobe-meriken-park.html



25. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2015/01/japan-2014-day-9-osaka-hanami-picnic-at.html

28. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2015/04/japan-2014-day-10-osaka-osaka-museum-of.html
29. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2015/04/japan-2014-drainspotting-in-japan-art.html
30. http://thephenomenalmama.blogspot.com/2015/04/japan-2014-ways-to-save-so-you-can.html

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