551 Horai Ebisubashi Honten - Osaka

551 Hourai, a Chinese restaurant in Osaka, is famous for its extendable pork chops. The seafood fried noodles available in the restaurant are a hidden gem.

On the ground floor there is the take-out counter, which sells varieties of Shu mai and steamed dumplings. The upper floor restaurant offers a variety of Chinese dishes that are quite cheap but not quite authentic Chinese. It is very popular among locals and tourists alike, and so it can be fairly crowded. But I never had to wait for a table.

Pig roasted and steamed Char siu bread in old style yeast raised dough. Bouncy and toothy buns, generous filling and balanced aroma (sweet, but not too sweet, hearty, but not too salty, fragrant, but not over seasoned with Chinese wine and sesame oil and white pepper). It is worth stopping!

Tasted the famous nikuman, maybe I have had my hope too high but it was just so so. The filling is definitely different from normal ones, worth a try but I won't come back one again. Their potato sold outside was also good, but quite pricey. Again, worth a try while waiting in line for takoyaki sold in the shop opposite!

A little overrated steamed pork bun take-out food. Packed with tourists for a long line up. Not really worth the wait and time. More like a one-time try for fun. Lots more better food choices for your money.