Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Japan: Fugetsu restaurant, OSAKA

Reknown to be Japan’s kitchen, Osaka is an excellent hub for sampling various Japanese street food snacks, all usually located within walking distance from each other in Dotonbori. Large shopping streets, a congress of both accessories, clothing and food shops, provides a bit of shelter from the heavy human traffic dispersed along the entire Dotonbori pathway.

When we got told to come back a bit later for our Matsusaka beef fix, the sister suggested we reward ourselves with okonomiyaki, a type of Japanese pancake, at a busy restaurant located in one of Dotonbori’s shopping streets.  We patiently waited for about 10 minutes before being ushered downstairs into a restaurant, no bigger than the width of two king sized mattresses, plastered by a bright coloured orange wall on one side and an assortment of Japanese calligraphy on the other.

 There is a minimum spend per dine-in customer and after surveying nearby tables, it appeared that the okonomiyaki served, be it added with seafood or poultry, can be quite a big meal for small eaters like us. Determined, we went ahead and ordered ourselves one serve of it with a small side of chicken appetizers. Our waiter returned after about 5 minutes with a bowl of finely shredded cabbage, possibly lightly coated with flour and begun to rhythmically beat in an egg before pouring the mixture onto the heated hot plate in front of us.








Throughout the cooking duration, the waiter returned after a few minutes to check on the okonomiyaki’s doneness and flipped it over when due, topping it with a handful of fine shreds of bonito. Once both sides have been cooked, he then brushed over a sweet, sticky looking brown coloured sauce over it followed suit by a lashing of mayonnaise.


Piping hot yet still holding a firm shape, we slowly consumed this humble Japanese dish before jetting off to meet our other friend. Consisting mostly of fiber, one may see it as a healthy meal, quite tasty when combined with the sweet sauce and a touch of cheesy tasting mayonnaise.  

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