Okonomiyaki. It is a fun word to say, go ahead and try it, o-ko-no-mi-yaki. It just rolls off the lips and tongue. If saying it is fun, eating it, be it Hiroshima or Osaka style, is a texture and taste experience not to be missed when in Japan. Okonomiyaki was just the beginning of our 15 days tasting and eating our way around Japan.
Our journey was filled with culinary exploration and rewards at every turn. Using dollars as a metric for what we valued, when we look back at our budget for Japan it is clear that we voted for the amazing food. We exceeded our average daily budget for food of $45 by 80%, while still being slightly under budget for the country as a whole. We both have zero regrets about a single dollar we spent on all of the delicious food. Below are some of our favorites. If we missed your favorite, please leave it in the comments.
The Great Okonomiyaki Debate
Hiroshima or Osaka style? This is the question that needs answering when consuming okonomiyaki. Both styles start with the same basic ingredients: cabbage, rice pancake batter, and egg. And while Hiroshima style also includes noodles, it is really the assembly process that distinguishes the two. Hiroshima style okonomiyake has a much more complex and regimented approach to its layered construction. At the Full Focus center in Hiroshima, which has an entire floor dedicated to okonomiyaki restaurants, we sat at a bar and watched the process unfold before our eyes. The chefs layer the ingredients one at a time to carefully build a crunchy and cheesy delicious creation.
Our experience in Osaka was much different with the ingredients arriving mixed together in a bowl. The chef then poured the mixture out onto the hot griddle to let it cook while periodically reiterating through hand gestures that it was not yet ready to eat. I guess he expected us to dig in with our chopsticks as soon as he turned his back. And while I appreciate the simplicity of Osaka style, and its delicious combination of sweet sauce and mayonnaise, I remain a loyal Hiroshima style fan. There are after all no short cuts to create the great tastes and textures that come from the effort that goes into creating a layered Hiroshima okonomiyaki.
Donuts
While not the first thing to come to mind in a discussion of Japanese cuisine, we found that despite a couple of other dessert failures (green tea ice cream was gross), the donuts were consistent winners. From the cinnamon donuts we bought in a Kyoto subway station to the delicious whipped cream and brown sugar topped delight below that we discovered by joining a long line of teenagers outside a stand at the Nishiki Food Market, the donuts did not disappoint. The second lesson we learned here is that a long line of Japanese teenagers outside any food stand often leads to delicious discoveries!
Attention to the Details
The Japanese take presentation of their food to a whole new level. For anyone that has read Linchpin by Seth Godin, the Japanese bring their “art” to work everyday in many wonderful ways. If you have not read the book I highly recommend it, but the result of this effort towards every small detail is that you will constantly be delighted. The perfect example of this is the omelet I ordered for breakfast one morning from a small hole-in-the-wall place in Tokyo. The owner/chef used the ketchup to wish me a great day, and as a result was sure to bring a smile to my face and more importantly bring us back in the next morning.
We found this same amazing effort all over Japan, including the McDonald’s in the Hiroshima train station. Imagine this experience at a McDonald’s at home: our order of hash browns is delayed, so we take a seat at a table. Minutes later the cashier brings our hash browns to the table and apologizes for the delay. He then wishes us a great morning and safe travels. What a change from what we can expect when we return to the States! At the 30th Street Station McDonald’s in Philadelphia I am glad when I get what I ordered the first time around, much less a polite good morning and a wish for safe travels.
The Best Beef
No discussion of Japanese cuisine would be complete without mention of one of Japan’s most famous and expensive exports, Kobe beef. With our JR train passes in hand, we spent our last afternoon in Japan by taking a quick side trip to Kobe. Only a 25-minute train ride from Osaka, I had to try genuine Kobe beef in Kobe. Despite the price tag of $55 per person for lunch, it was well worth it. The beef had extensive fine marbling that made for a tender and flavorful steak when prepared by our own personal chef. In addition to the beef we also had seasonal vegetables that were grilled in the rendered fat of the steak (yum!), seafood bisque, salad, coffee, green tea and grapefruit sorbet for dessert. It was an excellent end to our Japanese eating adventures.
Also be sure to check out our favorite pictures from Japan here.
{ 6 comments }