Japan Mar 2011 Day 2 – Dinner @ 鹤桥风月大阪焼 Fugetsu Okonomiyaki

Dinner time and we found ourselves back along shinsaibashi suji 心齋橋筋. Not wanting to travel far out, after a long and tiring day at Osaka Castle and Umeda, Dotonbori seemed like the best option, and 鶴橋風月 大阪焼 Fugetsu Okonomiyaki located just next to Dotonbori-bashi was ideal. It’s authentic and its piping hot for the freezing cold weather!

Cute pinky piggy on the menu whom i’d affectionately called “buta-san”.

Having the okonomiyaki prepared right before our eyes – the performance before the feast! Pardon the bewildering and somewhat bizzare-looking photos. The white balance for the photos in this pos seem to be all screwed up!

Yakisoba with a bit of everything… Beef slices, shrimp, squid, oysters with assortment of yasai like cabbage, carrots and bean sprouts. The noodles looked so drab but each strand tasted so amazing!

Tamago yaki 玉子焼 with cheese and unagi filling. Quite different from the kanto version, the tamago yaki we are accustomed to seeing and eating in our local japanese restaurants which is firmer and more compact with a better defined shape, the Kansai variety is more of a very thick and floppy crepe. Very delicious nonetheless, with a wonderful juxtaposition of sweetness from the kabayaki sauce over the unagi and slight savoury taste from the fondue-like melted cheese.

Slice of tamagoyaki dressed with shichimi powder and dried parsley.

A molehill of coarsely juilienned cabbage burying all the ingredients within. The top is piled with a big heap of benito flakes which “quivered” and “jiggled” to the heat.

After about 10 min, its finally done! The waiting staff smeared mayonnaise followed by okonomiyaki sauce generously on the top. I took the spatula and started scoring criss-crosses on the saucy condiments to get the pattern. Very crudely executed but it was fun nonetheless!!!

We chose a seafood filling combo which included shrimp and squid. Sweetness of vegetables combined with sweetness of seafood can only mean one thing…the way to a very rewarding gastronomic experience!

The cabbage filling was really moist and sweet owing to the fact its probably steamed in its own juices!!! The batter initially poured over the cabbage cooked quickly and formed a crusty outer skin over the cabbage locked within, preventing any moisture from seeping out. Given how hot the surface was, one would had expected the okonomiyaki to be charred to the core. But no! What a revelation…

There was a seasonal menu for “winter delights” offering really big and fat oysters with the okonomiyaki. Judging from what i saw on another table. They are true to the size in the photograph on the menu! J doesn’t take oysters and I try to abstain from shellfish when I’m overseas for fear of getting the runs from consuming nasties like Salmonella.

Now on retrospect, I really regret and remorse over not having gone ahead with the order! With the recent nuclear scare and waste water being piped into the nearby seas, i wonder when it’ll be safe to feast on these big and fat oysters!

Working out the damage on the bill… if only okonomiyaki is economiyaki!!!

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