Lunch at Minami-Senju Station "Machikado-ya" service lunch for 590 yen includes mini pork cutlet with fried horse mackerel and croquette. Surprisingly, the horse mackerel is fluffy and delicious. It seems like chain restaurants didn't used to offer this much, but recently it has become popular or maybe easier to handle, as the lineup has been increasing.

I ate a couple of pieces before taking the photo. I was hungry because it was close to closing time. The tonkatsu set meal cost less than 1000 yen. I've been cooking at home recently, so I'm more conscious of cost-effectiveness. I'd rather cook and eat at home than eat nearby. That's how I feel as someone who has just started cooking. I'll either skip late-night snacks or eat at home.

Near the intersection in Minamisonocho, there is a popular restaurant called "Machinaka-ya". They offer affordable set meals, and by 11:45, 70% of the seats were already filled. The daily special includes a bowl set and a set meal for only 590 yen, which is quite cheap! However, today's purpose was this: purchasing a meal ticket from the ticket machine and sitting at a small table for two. The highlight was the Bonito Tataki Set for 890 yen, a seasonal limited dish. While waiting, they served self-serve tea. The dish arrived in about 3 minutes, with plenty of onions and seaweed under the tataki. The absence of sliced garlic may be due to the location in an office district. The dish was light and delicious with ponzu sauce. The large dashimaki tamago was a delightful surprise, as I hadn't had eggs for breakfast. Due to price increases, they have temporarily stopped selling dashimaki tamago as a standalone item. Rice refills are free (self-service), but I didn't need any more. My stomach was satisfied. The restaurant was once full, but around 12:15, some seats became available. The ratio of men to women was 8 to 2. The skilled and efficient waitresses in the hall left a good impression with their swift and efficient service.

I think this chain restaurant is doing its best to keep price increases to a minimum amidst the ongoing price hike rush. It's a shame that there isn't one nearby. I chose the "Handmade Katsu Don and Mini Udon Set ¥740" from the donburi and noodle set menu. You purchase a ticket from the ticket machine and hand it to the staff when you sit down. Since it was around noon, I had to wait just to sit down. I bet everyone's lunch break from nearby companies overlaps... I would hate to have a lunch break where I have to rush to eat and go back... (•̩̩̩̩＿•̩̩̩̩) It took quite a while for the food to arrive after I sat down. It's okay since I'm not in a hurry, but it was a bit slow. I ended up waiting for 20 minutes. The katsu don was really well done. The sauce, katsu, and egg were just to my liking. I always order the katsu don at this restaurant. However, the udon is honestly not tasty! First, the broth. It lacks depth, like something is missing. Soy sauce flavor? It's like Tokyo udon. And the noodles. It's so soft and mushy, like udon for babies haha. This must have been left boiling and forgotten because it's like this... no way. They also have ramen sets, but I don't know about those. But I won't be ordering udon again... (´༎ຶོρ༎ຶོ`) The staff's customer service is really good. It's common to say "Sorry for the delay" or "Thank you for waiting" but I've seen part-timers who can't even do that recently, so it's nice to see. Next time, I'll go at a different time and try something other than the udon set.

On Monday lunch, I had the Aji fry, croquette, and half tonkatsu set meal for 590 yen at "Machikadoya Minamimorimachi". I also paid an extra 80 yen to change the miso soup. You can easily enjoy seafood, soba, and udon sets here, but they also have a special focus on their miso soup. I recommend trying the changed version. It's conveniently located near the station.

This month, during the end of the month, I went to a nearby set meal restaurant called Kadoya for lunch while doing some banking errands. I like their chicken cutlet, which has a crispy coating but tender inside, and this time I ordered the chicken cutlet with sweet soy sauce. However, the cutlet was always soaked in overly sweet sauce, making it soggy and losing its crispy texture over time. I am always advised by my doctor to watch my sugar intake during annual health check-ups, so this time I bravely asked the waitress to serve the cutlet without the sweet sauce. The staff kindly prepared a separate sauce for me, which was a great gesture. With the sweet sauce separated, the chicken cutlet remained crispy and I enjoyed it with grated radish and soy sauce. The eggplant, which was usually soaked in the sweet sauce, I used as a miso soup ingredient for eggplant miso soup. And I added tofu to the excess sauce to make a tofu hot pot. Just by separating the sauce, the quality of the lunch skyrocketed. This way, I am all set for next year's health check-up! (Enjoying plenty of white rice)

I occasionally use this place for lunch. They always have seasonal limited menus, so it's nice that I don't get tired of it easily. This time, I had the "Torimami" set, which includes fried chicken, chicken cutlet, and sweet and sour chicken. The portion is huge. Even though rice refills are free, I didn't need one because there was so much food. Lastly, I enjoyed a warm tea to finish off with ochazuke. Thank you for the meal.

In Minamimori-cho, at the "Machikado-ya Minamimori Store," the lunch service costs 590 yen for a sauce katsu donburi with zaru soba. It was unusual to see that the place was crowded, and it took over 15 minutes for the food to be served. In this day and age, it's great to be able to have lunch for almost the price of a one coin, and they even offer rice refills, which is very much appreciated.

At the familiar restaurant near Minamimorimachi Station on the Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line, I bought lunch from the ticket machine. After some deliberation, I chose the Katsuo (bonito) tataki and tempura assorted meal for 790 yen. The Katsuo tataki can also be ordered in a half size. The restaurant was crowded during lunchtime, but my meal was ready in about 10 minutes. The tempura included fish, sardine, shrimp, green pepper, and half-cut chikuwa, which I enjoyed with the tempura dipping sauce. The tempura was crispy - I wonder if they used baking soda in the batter? The Katsuo tataki came with about 4 slices, served with ginger, green onion, soy sauce, onion, and young sprouts. The bonito was tender. Overall, it was a great value meal.

I visited the restaurant after 1 pm. The place has around 40 seats at the counter and tables, and it was about 60% full. It seems to be conveniently located near the station. One of the attractions for me is that you can get seconds of rice. I ordered the daily set meal for 590 yen. On Mondays and Tuesdays, they serve croquettes, pork cutlets, and horse mackerel fry. It comes with chilled tofu and miso soup. There are pickles available for seconds at the counter. It arrived in about 10 minutes. The pork cutlet sauce is served in a small dish, and Worcestershire sauce is provided in a bottle. It's very Osaka-like to have two types of sauces. The breading was crispy and coarse, which I liked. I have been to other branches a few times, but the staff at this store had excellent teamwork. I won't go into specific examples, but it was clear that the store manager and the staff were working well together. I had a pleasant experience.

When you're really hungry, a corner restaurant like this one is a lifesaver. After all, they offer all-you-can-eat rice. These types of set meal restaurants, such as Yayoi and Miyamoto Munashi, are very convenient. During lunchtime, they have two options for 590 yen: a mini udon with a rice bowl or a daily special set meal. Let's go with the daily special set meal for 590 yen. The dish of the day is the Fry Mix Set Meal, which includes fried horse mackerel, mini pork cutlet, and croquette. I sit at the counter seats separated by acrylic panels, as it feels awkward to occupy a table for four by myself. The meal arrives with Worcestershire sauce for the fried horse mackerel and tonkatsu sauce in a small dish. Let's start with the salad. I hope it helps alleviate the rapid rise in blood sugar after eating. The freshly fried horse mackerel is hot and crispy. The mini pork cutlet is not that small, which is nice. The croquette is also included. The small side dish is chilled tofu. You can freely help yourself to rice. Refills are automatic - just press a button to get more rice served in a bowl. The serving size varies by store, and this one offers a maximum of 170g for a large serving. In reality, it was 178g. That's considered a large serving in the world, huh? It's about the same amount of rice as the first serving. The pickles are also all-you-can-eat. I sprinkle some sesame seeds, but it's not sesame salt, so it feels a bit lacking. I'll enjoy the all-you-can-eat pickles. With three fried items, let's have another bowl of rice. That's like eating 500g of rice with three bowls. My stomach was so full that I didn't feel like doing anything in the afternoon. ★ Blog "Living to Eat" is here.

Oh? I don't have any cash in my wallet. I won't be able to have lunch like this. I should withdraw some money first. Walking in the light rain, I head towards Minami-Morimachi for lunch. Successfully withdrew money. Now, off to lunch in the Minami-Morimachi area. Alright, let's go to Machikado-ya. It might be my first time here. Using the ticket vending machine, I order the Katsutoji set with miso soup upgraded to tonjiru for 850 yen. Cold tea is served. Soon, the Katsutoji is served, and the egg is nice and runny. It's quite tasty. I also enjoy the small cold tofu while eating. I get a refill of rice using the automatic rice dispenser. I add a little more. I am satisfied. Thank you for the meal!

On a regular afternoon, during lunch time in Minami-Morimachi, I was wandering around not sure what kind of lunch I wanted. Sometimes there are those moments, right? Not in the mood for ramen or curry. So, I ended up at a chain restaurant with a variety of set meals. The reason being they had a pork cutlet and simmered egg dish as the daily special! I was drawn to it after watching a TV show featuring a pork cutlet bowl the day before, craving that egg and pork combination. I didn't hesitate and ordered the daily special set meal. Unfortunately, it was a chicken cutlet instead of pork, but the flavor of the simmered egg cooked in dashi was irresistible. Taking a bite of the cutlet, the combination of the dashi and meat flavor was a perfect match. I placed it on the rice in the bowl to make an instant cutlet bowl. Then, I suddenly remembered the "Sauce Simmered Cutlet Bowl" I had in Aizu-Wakamatsu. It was a fusion of a sauce cutlet bowl and a simmered cutlet bowl, a menu item not commonly found nationwide. It looks like a regular egg and cutlet bowl, but instead of soy sauce, it's simmered in dashi with added sauce. So, I asked the server for some sauce to mix with the cutlet simmered in dashi. When I poured the sauce over the cutlet and egg on the rice, it was delicious. It reminded me of that sauce simmered cutlet bowl I had in Aizu! The flavor of the dashi mixed with the sweetness and acidity of the sauce was appetizing. I couldn't resist getting a free refill of rice and ended up eating too much. This is not good, excessive calories are guaranteed, so please don't imitate if you're a good kid who cares about your health.

Thank you as always~♫ To the street corner diner~⁽⁽ଘ( ˊᵕˋ )ଓ⁾⁾They use a food ticket system and have partitions in place for infection prevention! It's safe and secure during this time. Sometimes you just feel like eating a set meal that even includes soup, right? I ordered the fried oyster and meat udon set meal♫ Ahh, it tastes so good~ The meat udon is flavorful with plenty of meat, and the broth seeps into your hungry stomach... The fried oysters were also incredibly delicious with all the juices. It's great that you can easily go there alone⁽⁽ଘ( ˊᵕˋ )ଓ⁾⁾Thank you for the meal!

After being pampered at my favorite salon in Minamimorimachi, I found myself surrounded by delicious temptations at the Tenjinbashi-suji shopping street. I stumbled upon a restaurant called "Machikado-ya", which seemed to be a chain of eateries. This was my first time trying it out, and the food was really delicious. The rice was especially important and satisfying. I didn't go for seconds, though the temptation was strong. The beef loin poster at the entrance had a strong impact on me, and I found myself pressing the order button almost automatically at the ticket machine. The beef loin dish was really filling and tasty, with plenty of meat. The combination with the ponzu sauce was great, and I managed to resist the urge for seconds and finished my meal neatly. The rice was really tasty, and the menu had a variety of options at affordable prices. Lunchtime is great, isn't it? I wonder what I should try next time.

I had been wanting to try this chain restaurant for a while. I decided to enter when I saw that they offered a reasonably priced beef cutlet set on the menu. I ordered with the image of the popular beef cutlet in mind. It was served promptly as it was late. At first glance, there were 5 crispy fried beef cutlets! And there were two types of dipping sauces, one was sauce and the other was demi-glace. It seemed like a great deal, so I had high expectations as I started eating. However, something felt off. The meat inside the breading seemed to be... beef with tendons? The meat was a bit larger than bite-sized, but it was tough and chewy due to the tendons. It was not the juicy medium rare meat that is popular these days. It seemed to be lean meat without much fat, but with a lot of tendons. It may have just been bad luck with this particular piece, but it was not enjoyable to eat with rice. Overall, it was a mediocre lunch. I might consider coming back if they introduce more appealing menu items in the future. Thank you for the meal.

There are 17 locations of "Machikado-ya" in Osaka, and I visited for the first time. I ordered the eel rice bowl (with miso soup) for 1,150 yen, which is a bit pricey for a set meal but quite reasonable for eel. The eel was soft and delicious, even the sauce alone made the rice tasty. This is a limited-time offer until early August. You purchase a meal ticket from a touch panel vending machine, similar to Yoshinoya's style, but what's amazing is that many dishes exceed 1000kcal in calories. The prices are also higher than Yoshinoya, making it a recommended spot for those who want a hearty meal.

I had explored all the food options in the vicinity of Minamimori-cho by myself, so I decided to go to a set meal restaurant for a change. I went to the familiar chain restaurant called Machikado-ya. I ordered the fried chicken set meal and sat at the counter seat. The kitchen was lively and the atmosphere was nice. The fried chicken was quite delicious. And the best part was the rice, it was really tasty. I couldn't help but get a second helping of rice... The rice refill here is done through an automatic rice dispenser. You press a button and more rice comes out. Hmm, the taste of the rice is the same but it feels clean. I wonder about it... Thank you for the meal~

In December 2018, I went to "Machikado-ya" in Minami-Morimachi for lunch. I had passed by it many times before, but this time I noticed the "Gyuu-Nira Tamago Teishoku" (beef and leek with egg set meal) on the poster outside and decided to give it a try. I bought the meal ticket from the vending machine and sat at a table. After a short wait, the set meal arrived (with miso soup and tofu). Let's dig in! The beef and leek with egg was delicious, although I prefer the egg to be a bit more runny. The combination of beef, leek, and rice was very tasty. I ended up having a second helping of rice. Thank you for the meal.

On December 2, 2018, I met up with a friend near my house at the "Osaka Tenmangu Shrine" and we got fresh vegetables and tofu for a hot pot party at the "Fresh Vegetable Market" held in the shrine grounds. It was past 11 pm, so we decided to have lunch nearby and headed to "Machikado-ya Minamimorimachi Store" on the north side of the Minamimorimachi intersection. This place offers satisfying meals with great taste and portion sizes at any time, with 24-hour operation and affordable prices. I had been curious about this place for a while but hesitated to go in because it looked like a cheap set meal restaurant from the outside. However, once inside, I found it to be spacious, clean, and had a relaxing atmosphere. The set meal menu was extensive, and I purchased the "Plate Udon Set" for 790 yen (tax included), which came with rice, miso soup, and a side dish (cold tofu). Rice was free for refills. My friend chose the "Beef and Chive Rice Bowl Set" for 850 yen. We also got a side of pickles as a table service and our meals were ready in 8 minutes. The "Plate Udon" was served in a hot metal pot with thin fried noodles topped with vegetables (bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, onions, green onions) cooked in sauce along with pork, scallops, chicken meatballs, and fish cakes. It was a luxurious dish! The noodles were already soft due to the heat, and the flavor was a bit bland, but it tasted just right once the sauce was added. We helped ourselves to extra rice from a large rice cooker in the center of the restaurant and finished our meal with cold tofu, miso soup with seaweed, and pickles. My stomach was fully satisfied. I also tried a bit of my friend's "Beef and Chive Rice Bowl Set," and it was much tastier (oops). The restaurant is conveniently located near Minamimorimachi Station and being open 24 hours is a blessing for me when I come home late at night! It's the 6th place I've found where I can have a late dinner, following Sukiya, Matsuya, Tsukumaru Udon, Gyoza no Ohsho, and Matsunoya. Thank you for the meal! (●^o^●)