Garb Monaque, a cafe, bar and restaurant, occupies a funky building — think of a birdcage that's been twisted at both ends — between Osaka Station and Grand Front Osaka, two playgrounds devoted to conspicuous consumption.

And the funkiness doesn't end with the building's design. The maitre d', dressed in a shiny, skimpy jacket, projects a rather, cool and casual vibe.

The food, too, is casual, and mostly European dishes with inflections of Japanese, served up pretty fast.

The restaurant occupies a big space and on a recent visit for lunch, on the first real day of spring, the place was buzzing with office workers, shoppers and mothers wielding prams.

I went for the daily lunch special: bouillon soup, which tasted mostly of the salty stock, with crusts of bread. The main course was better: a generous serving of pork covered in gravy and served with mash, roasted white turnip, carrot and renkon (lotus root).

It's a satisfactory and filling lunch, if a little underwhelming. The platter I spotted across the room filled with steak fillet and chips looked a little better.

Garb Monaque is open from 7:30 a.m. and it's one of the better places to grab breakfast in Umeda, though, again, it's mostly Western fare: granola and yogurt, toasted sandwiches and bread sets with fruit juices, teas and coffees.