Turns out Tokyo isn't the only place with eyebrow-raising food trends. One of the more buzzed-about treats in Osaka this year has been from Panbo, a small store in the city's America-mura neighborhood. It is basically a pancake on a stick.
The treat, featuring five pancake-like cakes and an assortment of fruits on a skewer, has generated a lot of attention online and on TV. When I visited midday on a Thursday, though, there were no lines at all, just a couple of employees and myself. The branding of Panbo imagines this part of Osaka as the city's own Harajuku, down to busting out the word "kawaii." Whatever gets tourist's attention.
The pancake on a stick (¥800), though, ends up being pretty tasty, albeit a bit tricky to eat. The store offers about a dozen sauces to drizzle on the stick, along with sprinkles and powders, so you can customize as you see fit. I opted for raspberry and rainbow sprinkles, a combo adding a nice sweetness. It's a nice snack, and the fruit is fresh and juicy (save, inexplicably, for the strawberry). A good novelty sweet to try for those OK with embracing their touristy side.