After spending a few days sightseeing my way through Tokyo, I was more than ready to slow down in Osaka and do what the city does best: eat.

I think I should be honest with you right now...

I wouldn’t call myself neither a picky eater nor am I walking around claiming the "daring foodie" title. I just love a great meal (who doesn’t?), but I'm someone who tends to stick with what I know I’ll enjoy rather than ordering the most adventurous thing on the menu. But don’t get me wrong, I’ll happily try something new every now and then.

So when the Four Seasons invited me on this trip, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to step outside my comfort zone, expand my palate and discover a whole new side of Asian cuisine.

We welcomed our first night in Osaka with some pre-dinner drinks at Bar Bota with panoramic views of the city.

This cocktail felt like a grown-up version of strawberries and cream. I’m not a big drinker so, I appreciated the sweetness in this that didn't go too far into “juice territory” where I’m excusing myself halfway through dinner from a sugar-induced migraine. I sipped on this while crunching down on popcorn and nuts coated in soy sauce which were so delicious I forgot to take a photo of them. My bad.

The first entrée of the trip was from Jiang Nan Chun, a restaurant specialising in authentic Cantonese cuisine. This was served with their XO sauce and chilli oil that provided just the right amount of spice.

You can actually buy a jar of their famous XO sauce, which I deeply regret not doing before I left because I would be absolutely SLATHERING it onto everything. I’d say this was quite a texturally exhilarating experience and I was not expecting black fungus to have both a gelatinous and CRONCHY texture.

Instead of ordering my usual Coke Zero, I opted for the tea pairing with my meal—a decision that opened the door to an entirely new world of hot plant juice. I imagine this is what Uncle Iroh must've felt when he opened his tea shop in Avatar the Last Airbender.

The jasmine sparkling tea, in particular, was a revelation and I felt instantly transported to a rejuvenating spa experience…in my mouth! I was converted into a sparkling tea enthusiast for the rest of the trip and even reverse image searched the brand they served to see if it’s available in Australia. It is! See: Premium Jasmine Sparkling Tea.

Another textural experience but I’m not mad about it.

I’m not usually a scallop fan, but the char on these added a smoky depth that might’ve changed my mind. The cherry tomatoes were infused with preserved plum so you could say they were bursting with flavour. And to my surprise, the crispy eel was my favourite of the bunch. The honey-glazed coating and sesame paired with the crispiness of the eel felt like I was eating an schmancy snack.

I didn’t think it was possible to reinvent pumpkin soup…until now. This felt equal parts like a toasty hug but also some well-deserved indulgence. Moving forward, if my pumpkin soup isn’t topped with truffle, I don’t want it.

Chef Raymond Wong’s signature dish was, without question, the highlight of dinner. The crab meat was rich, flakey perfection with a crispy edge. It was served with red vinegar and ginger jelly that’s typically enjoyed afterwards as a palate cleanser.

However, our Four Seasons’ host shared with us this hack: add small bits of the jelly directly into the crab shell and let it gently melt onto the meat. Scoop up the crab with the softened jelly, and it transforms it into the most mouth-watering balance of sweet and savoury flavours.

Speaking of things that melt, this wagyu beef in barbecue sauce simply melted in my mouth. Which unfortunately meant it was gone within minutes. But as I like to say, it’s about the journey, not the destination. The meat was perfectly tender and the shishito peppers and fried garlic gave it a nice crunch.

You really can never go wrong with a classic. This was rich, fluffy and comforting even though I was already feeling quite full by this point. I topped each scoop with a spoonful of the XO sauce which took it to the next level.

I can never say no to dessert…especially when it’s something as refreshing as this. The tofu was so silky amongst the syrup it felt almost drinkable (but I decided to have some decorum and consume this with a spoon as intended).

Now THIS was a true work of art. I almost didn’t want to eat it, but glad I did because it was the perfect way to end the meal. The ‘fish’ was made using almond milk with a strawberry flavour for an extra bit of creaminess.

One of the many things I loved about staying at the Four Seasons was being welcomed with a sweet treat in my room each day. On my first night in Osaka, I enjoyed these delicious chocolates dusted with cocoa powder, along with crisp, juicy grapes. I was nibbling on those through the night like a little door mouse.

I wanted to start breakfast off with something light so I could go IN on the baked goods and sweet treats at the hotel's French-inspired bistro, Jardin. This was stuffed with ham, onion, mushrooms, tomato, bell peppers and cheese and seriously hit the spot.

My taste for matcha leans HARD into the strong and earthy flavours and bright, vibrant green that I need before I start the day. So, if you’re looking to get into matcha for the very first time or just want to avoid the overpowering, leafy taste that you're not used to (yet) then maybe this is the drink for you!

I was still craving something savoury so I trotted over to the buffet and assembled what may look like a minimalist's version of an English breakfast with beans (which were cooked in a tangy, tomato-ey sauce), bacon, sautéed mushrooms and crispy potatoes but I, personally, was satisfied with my creation.

The highlight of Jardin’s breakfast buffet is without a doubt its sweets selection. I was spoiled for choice and honestly, overwhelmed because in an ideal world, I would’ve (selfishly) had one of each treat. After much pondering, I filled my plate with a vanilla honey pound cake, coffee muffin and yuzu muffin (when in Japan right?). These were fluffy, perfectly moist, and disappeared far too quickly.

GULPED down some guava juice. My drink of choice at breakfast when I’m feeling a little fancy.

Finishing off the most important meal of the day with a flakey pain au chocolat. I can’t say I’ve ever had a bad one, but this was definitely up there with the best. Plus, look at the SIZE of this thing. They certainly weren’t skimping on the pastry. My only GRIPE is not ordering a coffee to dunk all those flakey bits into for the ultimate combo. Yum.

Back on the 37th floor with sweeping views of Osaka is Sushi L’abysse, where traditional Japanese nigiri meets French techniques. We kicked things off with a “hot spring” egg, which was a fun, little interactive starter. Gently pressing on the side of the egg made the caviar tucked inside burst out with the yolk. I mixed everything together so I could get all the flavours and textures in each bite. It was creamy and felt like the TikTok sound that goes “good soup”.

This extracted cucumber juice was a great reset between strong-flavoured dishes. It melted away stronger tastes of caviar and umami to simply ease into the next course.

Absolutely luxe living if I do say so myself. 

Another textural experience was this squid in liver sauce, topped with black lemon-coated almonds and kumquat jelly. It was an unexpected combination of flavours and, while I’m not usually one to eat squid prepared like this, the almonds added a satisfying crunch, while the kumquat brought a bright sweetness to it.

You should’ve seen the smile on my face when I heard the words "tea pairing" with this meal. This selection included sparkling matcha, sustainable black tea sourced from Kyoto and finished off with some Uji tea. I really appreciated the mixture of cold and hot.

This apple and ginger pickled in vinegar was an intended palette cleanser between each nigiri but honestly, could’ve been a meal on its own. I think I had about three servings of this in one sitting because I couldn’t get enough. While most restaurants just serve the ginger on its own as the cleanser, the sweetness of the apple balances out the spices without ruining its core flavour notes. I wish they sold these by the jar, TBH.

If I’m going to be honest, my knowledge of fish species and perhaps the ocean in general, is limited to what I’ve caught in Animal Crossing during the pandemic. I’d also GLADLY say that I’d choose eating these critters over selling them for Bells to pay off my debts to Tom Nook just to spite him. A tangent for another time.

I’m going to speed run through all the fish otherwise we’d be here all day. We started off with horse mackerel.

I knew barracuda both from Animal Crossing and the title of the song by Heart that Chappell Roan covered which I got to see at 2026 Laneway.

Cynthia Erivo once responded to an interviewer telling her people “are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with them,” that she “didn’t know that was happening” and I think the same response could be applied to eating raw shrimp. Nonetheless this is exactly the “going out of my comfort zone” I signed myself up for. 

I’ve never had, or seen, squid scored this way, but I loved how the soy sauce dripped into all the crevices!

Everything tasted so fresh I can never go back to food court sushi again...

This broth definitely puts the beef bone broth that I drink every morning to shame. It was made from dried Japanese mushrooms, kombu, chicken broth and the secret ingredient: wagyu beef fat for an umami flavour. Topped with gold flakes ‘cause why not!

I love mochi but have never had it served like this—on pineapple, lemon grass and ginger. It was topped with pear seed oil for added sweetness. This was seriously so refreshing, if I was stranded in the desert and came across this I would drink it like my life depended on it.

If I were an ice cream, I think I would be like this Japanese sweet sake flavour. Topped with yuzu, jelly, a little soy sauce and flower cheese for a subtle, salty taste (kind of like how people swear by ice cream with salt and olive oil?). I genuinely could’ve eaten a whole tub of this.

An honourable mention goes to these, which I stumbled across while embarking on a hashigo (bar hopping with food stops along the way). Four Seasons Osaka is in a prime spot, and a night crawl through Namba, just a 15-minute drive from the hotel, is a must.

Tucked away down a quiet street is Jun Chang Chi, a tiny, six-seat restaurant dedicated entirely to gyoza. It’s where I was introduced to the masterpiece that is pork gyozas smothered in cheese. They were made fresh to order, and paired with miso sauce and spicy oil. The whole experience felt genuinely life-changing.

After demolishing far too many gyozas, we wandered over to Strawberry Mania to wash them down with this strawberry smoothie topped with milky soft-serve. It was still hot, even at 9:30pm, so this was exactly what I needed. I was happily cooling down while simultaneously trying to avoid giving myself a brain freeze. Worth it!

We changed rooms and spent the night on the GENSUI level, an exclusive Japanese floor of the hotel where just 21 tatami-style rooms offer a serene, ryokan-inspired stay. For today's treat, I was welcomed with two wagashi, traditional Japanese confections. I couldn't quite work out the flavours of either one, but they both featured earthy, soft notes. I really enjoyed the delicate texture and flowerlike presentation. 

You can’t leave Osaka, or maybe even Japan, without trying at least one bento box. Unfortunately, the one at the SABO lounge on the GENSUI floor has completely ruined all future bento boxes for me by setting the bar so high. In music festival terms, this was a seriously stacked line-up.

My standouts were the baked cod with miso, the beef tataki with grated daikon and the matcha noodles with sweet shrimp. As a pickle girlie, I also loved the selection of Japanese pickles on the side.

The bento also included homemade tofu with caviar, poached mushrooms with yuzu, a poached egg with black truffle, white rice and miso soup. I happily polished it all off at the counter while soaking up my final views of Osaka from the 28th floor.

I really did not expect to come out of this trip a tea drinker.

Ending my Osaka food trip on a sweet note with some strawberries and a piece of rockmelon. While it may not look like the most exciting thing to eat as I bid farewell to the culinary capital, Japanese fruit is pretty much elite because of its sweetness so I was tickled.

If you’re looking to splurge and treat yourself to a little luxury, a stay at the Four Seasons Osaka definitely ticks all the boxes—or at the very least, it’s worth stopping by for the incredible food alone.