Okonomiyaki restaurants are fairly common in Japan and the dish is a popular one at festivals but what makes okonomiyaki special is not only do you choose your ingredients, but in most restaurants, you get to cook it yourself! Doesn’t that sound like fun? I know I really enjoy interactive dining experiences and you can’t get more interactive that cooking your own food!

Like Yakiniku, you will find a grill in the center of your table and the ingredients are brought to your table in bowls. All you need to do is mix them together, pour the batter on the grill and use a meal spatula to shape and flip your pancake. When it’s done, top it with some of the traditional, slightly sweet, sauce and optional items like mayonnaise and fish flakes and you are ready to eat!

One okonomiyaki will cost between Y800 and Y1,200 (USD $8-12) at a restaurant and will serve two people nicely. The Tokyo Metropolitan multi-lingual Okonomiyaki menu lists other combinations like asparagus and bacon (this one sounds really good to me!), Kimuchi (Korean spicy cabbage – Chinese cabbage) with pork and potato and bacon but the combinations are limited only by your imagination. I have to admit that at first I was hesitant to try okonomiyaki but I have even eaten one with octopus squid, or tako taco as it is called in Japan, and it was quite tasty. Okonomiyaki is something that I would not hesitate to try again, in fact I may even try to make it at home! (I’ll use this Okonomiyaki recipe from Kids Web Japan)

Photo Credit: Flickr, Okonomiyaki & Okonomiyaki

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler

When we go we usually start off with a couple of beer while we ponder the menu. We then order a salad, some kim-chi, a plate of chicken, some beef and some steamed rice. Depending on the restaurant, vegetable and seafood plates may also be available.

Once you have placed your order your waiter or waitress will fire up your grill in anticipation of the food that’s about to arrive. When the food arrives you will find that the beef is usually well marbled and the chicken is marinated to perfection.

Now you get to cook! Grab your chopsticks, select a piece of meat and slap it onto the grill. Take a sip of your beer and chat with your friends while inhaling, with anticipation, the appetizing aroma of grilling food. When your meat is cooked to perfection remove it from the grill and dip it into one of the various sauces that are provided by the restaurant. Now take a bite – oishi (delicious!). Take another sip of your beer and repeat until you are full.

Yakiniku goes great with friends and beer and is always a good time so check it out! You can find Yakiniku restaurants in most major cities and if you can’t find Yakiniku try Korean Barbeque – it’s a variation on the same theme.

Our favorite Yakiniku restaurant is located near the Makuhari-Hongo station, about 35 minutes from Tokyo. Check out the lovely design of the matchbook cover from the restaurant at Fly Away Cafe.

Photos: Personal Collection

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler