Tried 2 Regional Styles Of Okonomiyaki
21st - 27th April 2023 - New Experience Number 12.
Sushi. Ramen. Kobe Beef. All things that people generally associate with Japanese cuisine. Okonomiyaki was something we’d never heard of until we were researching Osaka, and it was recommended as a dish to try in the foodie area of Dotonbori.
After a thoroughly delicious Osaka style Okonomiyaki, we discovered Hiroshima also specialised the dish, so made sure to seek out this different variation during our travels.
What The Heck Is Okonomiyaki?
Well, it’s not the most elegant of dishes. It’s a bit like a big pancake with a pile of ingredients and some sauce on top. Sort of like a pizza in the way it has toppings. It won’t necessarily win any awards for it’s aesthetics, however it is a hearty and rich dish with an unusual sweet and salty taste.
Store-cupboard Staples
Variations of the dish are thought to have been around since the 1600s, however the word Okonomiyaki was apparently first used in Osaka in the 1930s. After natural disasters and war when amenities and ingredients were scarce, this filling and relatively cheap dish to make became a staple for many people.
The main ingredients may not be particularly sophisticated, including flour, egg and cabbage, however the topping is slightly more unusual, consisting of Okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and bento flakes.
Osaka Style Okonomiyaki
Despite arriving at Ajinoya restaurant at 2.30pm, we still had to queue up outside for half an hour. We took this as a good sign though. Nearing the entrance, the friendly and efficient staff gave us a menu to look over. The Okonomiyaki had many iterations and there were other tempting offers on the menu including yakisoba noodles.
After much deliberation about which of the variations we would go for and deciding on toppings, our order was taken before we’d actually stepped foot through the door.
Hot Table
It’s rare to be told not to touch the table when you’re seated in a restaurant as an adult, but that’s what our chef instructed as he turned the gas on. The Other Half and I were sitting opposite each other across our own individual teppan; the flat hot plate where the theatre of food began right infront of us.
Off The Menu
We each ordered an Okonomiyaki, keen to try some local cuisine. However, I don’t like to order exactly the same thing as the Other Half other as it feels like a missed opportunity to sample more flavours. So I opted for cheese and tomato, whilst he ordered bacon and cheese with an additional egg on top.
The raw ingredients were prepared in the kitchen and brought to our table for cooking by the staff. The cheese looked like some derivation of cheddar, the bacon was thick and the tomatoes were fresh.
No Ordinary Pancake
The main body of the Okonomiyaki was stirred up quickly in the bowl before being placed as two portions onto the teppan table top with a satisfying sizzle.
Deftly scooping and shoving the ingredients with short metal spatulas, our server shaped the mixture into two circles and then left them to cook.
Flipping Good Stuff
Without needing to check, a different member of staff knew it was time to turn over our meals. Their spatula skill was impressive. It was a clean flip. The cooked side looked very nicely done.
As with everything else we saw on our travels in Japan, this was an efficient set up. There were numerous members of staff in the restaurant who had hybrid roles of both serving the customers and cooking the food. They weren’t just assigned to particular tables either, they interchanged and seamlessly picked up the next cooking stage wherever needed it.
Our additional items were added, and a cloche was placed over the top for the last part of the cooking.
Final Flourishes For The Perfect Okonomiyaki
The finale was all of the toppings. A dollop of shiny thick brown gloop was spread over the top. This was the Okonomiyaki sauce. There’s no way to really describe the appearance of it that makes it sound pretty.
Next was a squeeze of mayonnaise. Yes, mayonnaise. I know. Bear with me. I promise it works. Decoratively applied in zigzagging thin lines this was slightly more appetising for the eyes.
A flourish of smoked bonito fish shavings were sprinkled on next which seemed to dance as the delicate pieces contorted with the heat. Lastly, a dusting of delicate dried seaweed flakes topped off the dish.
Fear Of The Flavours
Turning off the gas, our server wished us a nice meal. I wished us a nice meal too as I was very dubious about what we were about to eat.
Firstly, the Okonomiyaki looked huge. I wasn’t sure I could eat this much food in one sitting.
Secondly, those last four toppings were not the most appealing in terms of how they looked and what they were. There was a lot of non-solid action going on with the sauces and they seemed so different to each other I couldn’t quite anticipate how they would work.
Thirdly, I’m also not very adventurous with fish. I’m pretty much an entry level fish eater, so the bonito and seaweed were potentially going to be a challenge for my pallet.
Delightfully Delicious Okonomiyaki
My first mouthful was not the face contorter I had been expecting.
It was sweet, savoury, and salty all in one mouthful. I really enjoyed the freshness of the tomatoes which complemented the fried ingredients. The Okonomiyaki sauce was sweet and tangy at the same time and worked well with the saltiness of the melted cheese. The mayonnaise brought a subtle creaminess to the party and the fishy flourishes were nice and light and not at all overpowering.
There was so much going on. Even though the list of ingredients didn’t really sound like they would work together, it was an incredibly tasty dish.
We both surprised ourselves in finishing every last morsel. Impressive considering the size of the portion!
Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki
The Hiroshima style Okonomikayi had some subtle differences compared to the Osaka style dish.
The ingredients for this variation were not mixed together, but rather created in layers. There was also the addition of noodles too.
Firstly, a thin circular layer of batter was spooned on to the hot plate and cooked like a regular pancake. A very good helping of cabbage was added next. Thankfully it reduced down as it cooked. Then a layer of cooked noodles was piled on. Once everything was ready, the toppings were added much in the same was as they had been in Osaka, although we applied our own mayonnaise.
The noodles were a nice addition, I quite liked them, they worked well and added a new dimension of texture.
There was some variation in the Okonmiyaki sauces used too, but they all had that perfect pairing of sweet and tangy flavour. It tasted a little bit like Worcestershire sauce, but had much more depth.
Regional Variations Of Okonomiyaki
In total, we had four different Okonomiyaki during our travels through Japan. It’s worth trying at least one of the styles if you ever visit, even if it’s just for the spectacle of the preparation.
Our Osaka Okonomiyaki provided the most theatre in the preparation, but we sat at the hot plate counter in all of the places we ordered the meal and saw the chef creating our delicious dishes with just as much love and attention.
As to which one was our favourite? Ah, that’s impossible to say without sampling more of them!
Want To Try It Yourself?
- If you ever go to Japan and visit Osaka or Hiroshima, you’ll be able to find plenty of places to try an okonomiyaki. There are other variations in other parts of Japan, but these are the two most famous versions.
- We went to….
- Ajinoya in Osaka
- OK Tepan in Hiroshima
- Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki Kurawanka in Miyajima
- If you really want to fully embrace an okonomiyaki experience, Otafuku, the makers of the okonomiyaki sauce used across a majority of Hiroshima, offer a museum tour and cookery class! I shall be looking into this if I ever get to go back!
- Why not have a look to see if there are any Japanese restaurants near you where they may have okonomiyaki on the menu
- Have a go at making one yourself. There are lots of recipes online that you can follow.
- There is a website called Okonomiyaki World, which is dedicated to the dish. There is even a page that lists the Japanese restaurants outside of Japan which serve okonomiyaki. I’m not sure how up to date it is, but it could be worth a look to see if there is one near you.
Cost Of Experience
On average, an okonomiyaki cost around 1250 yen each.
This converted to about £6.90 in April 2023.
Not bad considering how big and filling they are!
Recommendations
- These can be quite big dishes, so if you’re really not sure about it, why not share one with someone?
- You can be quite adventurous as often you can request additional ingredients including many sea food options.
- Enjoy the spectacle of the make!
- Whilst this isn’t likely to blow you away as high end cuisine, it’s up there as a really good filling comfort food.
- Don’t forget to take a picture!