As everyone in Osaka and every guidebook about the city will tell you, okonomiyaki, that pancake-like Japanese dish, is this city's soul food. It's comfort food, fit for every man, woman and child. Some might argue the same for takoyaki, octopus batter balls, but that is another discussion for another column. This is about okonomiyaki, and what might be one of the best places to chow down on the city's most famous dish.

I use the word might, because despite my best efforts there are so many Osaka restaurants serving okonomiyaki that I have yet to visit. And the dish can be a touchy topic. Osaka tends to fancy itself the center of the okonomiyaki world, but so, too, does Hiroshima, which prepares the dish a little differently. It's an ongoing rivalry.

One of the best things about Kiji is that it's hard to find. This works in your favor since it's been included in the Bib Gourmand section of the Michelin Guide and has become ever more popular. Kiji is located right in the middle of Umeda, where four major train lines converge, meaning it's easy to get to, but hard to find.