Okonomiyaki お好み焼き

Ah, Friday.
We had a crazy storm come through overnight, complete with high winds and lots of blowing rain. Sometimes I am reminded that we live near the ocean. During the day the warm air blew out and the chilly December air came back in, so when deciding where to eat tonight we went with a warm choice, okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is one of my favorite Japanese foods. It's kind of like a pancake, kind of like an omlette. It is savory and served with a spicy barbeque-esque sauce, and topped with mayo, bonito (dried fish flakes), and aonori (dried seaweed). I know it sounds funky, but it is soooo good! Our local okonomiyaki restaurant is about a 15 minute walk from our house (see above photo).





















At the restaurant, there is a griddle set into the table, which is one reason why okonomiyaki is so great on a chilly night; the table gets quite hot. Our local restaurant (which is a chain) serves konnyaku as a free appetizer. Konnyaku is a love/hate thing. It has very little taste and is rather rubbery in texture. I am coming around to liking it, and the broth that it is served in is pretty tasty. Apparently it is quite healthy.

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Tonight we ordered kimchi okonomiyaki (background) and Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, which has noodles in it (foreground).

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Yum!

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This is the kitchen, which is visible right when you walk into the restaurant. The blur is from the glass panel that separates the grill from the entryway. You can see the variety of toppings available on the grill. おいしい！

If you want to try okonomiyaki for yourself, the sauce is easily found in the U.S. at Asian markets like Mitsuwa, and you can readily find recipes on the internet (click here). If you are in the Kansas City area, try the delicious One Bite Grill in Overland Park.