Make the Osaka specialties “Okonomiyaki” and “Takoyaki” yourself!

You might have heard that Japan’s soul food “okonomiyaki” was a big hit in the Olympic Village. If you are interested in making okonomiyaki and takoyaki yourself, we have the perfect restaurant for you! Located in the famous bar quarter Kanda, “Dekunobou” is the place to go!

You can’t miss “Dekunobo”. The popular restaurant is located near Kanda station and has a painting of a humungous octopus on its wall.

“Dekunobo” has seats on both two floors. All tables have large specially custom-made iron griddles built into them. What makes “Dekunobou” special is that you can prepare almost every dish on the menu yourself – which is a lot of fun! The menu features a variety of hearty dishes, such as okonomiyaki (= a mixture of cabbage, flour, and water, baked into a flat, round shape. Sometimes it’s referred to as “Japanese pizza” or “Japanese pancake”), takoyaki (= ball-shaped “octopus balls”), monjayaki (= similar to okonomiyaki, but with different liquid ingredients), as well as grilled meat and vegetables.

I visited the restaurant immediately after opening hours, but not much time passed until all seats were taken by locals, regulars, and first-time guests. I loved the cozy atmosphere and the tables that allow you to prepare and share teppanyaki together with your friends.

Use the touch panel to order. The menu is English and Japanese.

I ordered okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and grilled vegetables. When ordering, don’t forget to tell the staff that you want to prepare the food yourself, otherwise, the okonomiyaki might come already cooked.

This is okonomiyaki named “buta-ten” with pork meat. If you bake them yourself, the ingredients will be delivered in this way.

By the way, Dekunobo offers “Osaka-style” okonomiyaki. In general, there are two types of okonomiyaki. “Hiroshima-style”, where the ingredients are layered and baked on top of each other, and “Osaka-style”, where all ingredients are mixed first and then and baked like pancakes. For people like me who don’t know how to prepare okonomiyaki like a pro, the staff will kindly teach you how to make okonomiyaki. For example, one trick is to bake the meat first and then mix it into the batter.

First, grill the meat.
When the meat is baked, mix it with the rest of the ingredients and bake it like a pancake.
When one side is baked, turn it over using the spatula.
Apply the original sauce with the brush and sprinkle mayonnaise and seaweed on top!
To eat the okonomiyaki, use the spatula and cut it like a cake.
The baked okonomiyaki is crispy on the outside and (thanks to the yam) fluffy on the inside – the chewy texture is irresistible!

Next, I tried to make the Osaka specialty “takoyaki”!

After the staff filled the batter into the takoyaki mold, I had to add the ingredients into each mold. The batter was close to overflowing… Will this super liquid batter ever turn into a round ball?!
The only tool you have to form the balls are two thin metal picks. I never thought that I would manage to bake even one round shape, but gradually things started to look better.
The kind restaurant staff helped me with some great advice. This is the final result!

The restaurant offers multiple types of takoyaki. I had takoyaki without “tako” (octopus), but with bacon, mochi rice balls, and cheese. The freshly baked takoyaki was piping hot, and the combination of juicy bacon, creamy cheese, and chewy mochi was the best!

All dishes I ordered were reasonable and tasted extremely satisfying. After all, it’s just more fun to prepare each dish yourself. For some reason, it feels exceptionally delicious.
If you want to eat at a typical local Japanese restaurant, why don’t you try teppanyaki dishes at “Dekunobou” in front of Kanda Station?


Dekunobo

https://kanda-dekunobou.owst.jp
3-18-7 Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/53aeiQM2X5c2EK2KA
Nearest station: Kanda Station