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Old Aug 8, 2001, 10:57 am
  #1  
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Okonomiyaki restaurant adjacent to Osaka Hilton

Okonomiyaki originated in Osaka after WWII.
I would term it as a stuffed Japaneese pizza.

Okonomiyaki consists of two "pancakes" and inbetween is stuffed whatever you request, like shrimp, pork, bacon, shredded cabbage and vegetables. It is topped w/a Hoisin like sauce. Most Okonomiyaki restaurants also serve Yakisoba which is fried chinese noodles and cabbage (as well as anything you want such as fish, shrimp, pork).

In the building adjacent to the Osaka Hilton called the Hilton Plaza, is an okonomiyaki restaurant on the basement second level (B2) called Okonomiyaki Madonna, open from 11am to 9:30pm. They had an English menu which is not common in Japan.

We started out w/one order of Yakisoba w/shrimp as an appetizer. VERY GOOD!!!!

I then had the Okonomiyaki w/ bacon and pork while my wife had the Hiroshima Okonomiyaki w/ shrimp and mushroom. Hiroshima Okonomiyaki seemed to have a different and heavier tasting sauce on top of it. Both however were VERY VERY tasty and really hit the spot w/some cold Asahi Beer. Our bill was $26 USD.

My wife and I agreed that the bacon and shrimp were the tastiest and the regular Okonomiyaki was better than the Hiroshima version.

so the next day for Lunch before we left on our flight we had a shrimp/bacon okonomiyaki which was great!!!
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Old Sep 6, 2003, 12:46 am
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Thanks for posting this.

I will be in Japan very soon (including Osaka) and will try to eat at this place, or at least try Okonomiyaki somewhere!

I wonder how a shrimp, bacon, and cabbage version would taste? Or shrimp, bacon, cabbage, and mushrooms? (Gotta get those veggies in there! )


Kathy
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Old Jan 27, 2005, 7:13 am
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From Savuer Magazine Jan/Feb 2005

In Japanese, okonomi translates to "as you like it" and yaki is the term for grilled. Put them together and you get Okonomiyaki, a delicious pancake of flour and dashi batter mixed with eggs, various vegetables, and shrimp, beef, or pork. Grilled until it's golden, and topped with sweet, tangy sauce and dried bonito flakes. Our favorite okonomiyaki is the Osaka-style kind sold at the Chiba chain throughout Japan.
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Old Jan 27, 2005, 7:22 am
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Kansai Okonomiyaki is very nice once in a while, in Tokyo they tend to make it too heavy. As it is a kind of street food (like Yakisoba) it's worth to explore a bit around train and subway stations in Osaka for good places. If a stall is full of locals feasting pn their Okonomiyaki it can't be that bad. Don't forget to try the mom n´pop Takoyaki stalls n Kansai. It's a little bit of an acquired taste but they tend to do it just right.
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Old Jan 28, 2005, 7:19 am
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Half the fun of okonomiyaki is making it yourself! You sit on the floor around a table with a heated grill plate in the middle, and order what kind of okonomiyaki you want. It comes to you in a bowl (shredded cabbage, vegetables, and whatever else you ordered, in a batter), and you mix it all up, then dump it out on to the grill (after oiling the grill, of course). Just like a Western pancake, you cook it until it's pretty much done on one side, and then flip it over (takes practice). Cook some more, put on toppings (sauce, shaved fish flakes, seaweed flakes, and my favorite--mayonnaise ^ ). Use the cooking implements to cut it up, and eat right of the grill...or for you well-mannered types, transfer it to your plate first.

You can find okonomiyaki shops all over Tokyo, but the best are probably in the Shi-tamachi part of Tokyo (around Ueno, Asakusa, etc.). I think the best are the small mom-and-pop/family-run businesses. There are upscale, modern, and chain okonomiyaki restaurants, and while these are OK, you kind of lose the ambience of downhome Japan.
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Old Jan 31, 2005, 10:08 am
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I love Okonomiyaki... there's so many shops in Osaka. Will definitely hit this place up next time I'm there.

I was at a place in Shibuya which was not the cleanest place, but the food was fabulous.
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Old Mar 15, 2006, 6:49 am
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Originally Posted by mosburger
Don't forget to try the mom n´pop Takoyaki stalls n Kansai. It's a little bit of an acquired taste but they tend to do it just right.
Tako = ocotopus ?
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Old Mar 15, 2006, 7:10 am
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Tako = ocotopus ?
Hai, so desu!
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Old Mar 15, 2006, 8:17 am
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My favourite okonomiyaki store is located in Kofu, Yamanashi prefecture.

The place is called "Tokugawa" and it's located next door to the international relations center. The owner has been successful enough to expand his store and redecorate, so the restaurant has lost something of the cosy atmosphere that it had in the old days. But the food is just as good.

(And the super-chilled beer is just the thing to relieve you after a muggy Kofu summer day).

Mrs. jib71 and I have tried okonomiyaki in Osaka, Hiroshima, Tokyo ... etc. but we keep coming back to Tokugawa in Kofu. My only regret is that this information will be of little use to most tourists in Japan, because I can't think of very many reasons to visit Kofu. Come to think of it, Tokugawa may be the only reason I go there ...

Somehow it's just the best. (IMHO )
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Old Mar 15, 2006, 9:00 am
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Originally Posted by Sweet Willie
Tako = ocotopus ?
Mmmm... oishii!
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Old Mar 15, 2006, 9:20 am
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Originally Posted by jib71
My favourite okonomiyaki store is located in Kofu, Yamanashi prefecture.

The place is called "Tokugawa" and it's located next door to the international relations center. The owner has been successful enough to expand his store and redecorate, so the restaurant has lost something of the cosy atmosphere that it had in the old days. But the food is just as good.

(And the super-chilled beer is just the thing to relieve you after a muggy Kofu summer day).

Mrs. jib71 and I have tried okonomiyaki in Osaka, Hiroshima, Tokyo ... etc. but we keep coming back to Tokugawa in Kofu. My only regret is that this information will be of little use to most tourists in Japan, because I can't think of very many reasons to visit Kofu. Come to think of it, Tokugawa may be the only reason I go there ...

Somehow it's just the best. (IMHO )
Jib71,

It seems that you live in Japan: do you have any recommendations for good okonomiyaki restaurants in Tokyo/Yokohama? Am flying "back" to Japan for a few weeks next month and would love to have a good plate (or 2!)

Nippon_UK
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Old Mar 15, 2006, 10:40 am
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Originally Posted by Nippon_UK
Jib71,

It seems that you live in Japan: do you have any recommendations for good okonomiyaki restaurants in Tokyo/Yokohama? Am flying "back" to Japan for a few weeks next month and would love to have a good plate (or 2!)

Nippon_UK

I'll be there in a couple of weeks... interested in knowing a good recommendation also.
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Old Mar 15, 2006, 12:42 pm
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I lived in Osaka last year and suggest a restaurant called Fu-Getsu. It is basically in the Kansai area and specializes in Okonomiyaki as well as yakisoba. Ask your concierge, the restaurant is in pretty much the busy areas of Osaka. I know the area great, love it and want to return, if you have any questions about Kobe, Osaka, or Kyoto please PM me.
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Old Mar 15, 2006, 1:35 pm
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Originally Posted by Q Shoe Guy
Hai, so desu!
Shall I elaborate a little bit further? Apart from octopus ( tako as our Kyushu expert mentioned ) Japanese cuisine also knows i(k)ka ( squid ) of sashimi and sushi & donburi dishes fame.

Both can be enjoyed as an arcade game:

http://www.manjiro.com/catalogtakoikapanic.html
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Old Mar 16, 2006, 6:19 am
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Originally Posted by Nippon_UK
do you have any recommendations for good okonomiyaki restaurants in Tokyo/Yokohama?
I don't know an okonomiyaki place in Tokyo that really stands out.

I sometimes go to the one about half way up Kagurazaka, which is better than average. I also occasionally go to the okonomiyaki in the underground area under Tokyo station (Yaesu side - Lemon Dori). Both those places are good but not exceptional.

I've decided to check out a "Kyoto-style" okonomiyaki place in Akasaka with some friends in the near future. It has a review on the bento.com website, I think. Who knows what Kyoto-style means... maybe okonomiyaki with yuba?
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