Today was a national holiday in Japan: National Foundation Day (Kenkoku Kinen no Hi, 建国記念の日). It commemorates the mythical founding of Japan and the ascension of Emperor Jimmu, the legendary first emperor, supposedly in 660 BCE whose imperial lineage apparently goes all the way back to the sun goddess Amaterasu, just as Julius Caesar's lineage went all the way back to the goddess Venus.
Not a lot happens on this day, at least not in my neck of the backwoods. I don't think I saw a single Japanese Hinomaru (日の丸) flag flying. Even so, it was definitely a national holiday, and I know that because (1) I had no classes today and (2) the Mrs was home!
We decided to go out for lunch. Our plan was to get some grub - udon or ramen or maybe tonkatsu - at the Aeon Town shopping mall that opened a couple of months ago within a stone's throw of our house. Of course, when we got there we quickly discovered that half the population of our suburb had a similar plan. Much as I enjoy a stonking good bowl of hot nikku-tama udon, I'm not too keen on the idea of sitting outside the restaurant for ages waiting for a table to clear.
The Mrs suggested that we hot foot it round the corner to our local (and favourite) okonomiyaki restaurant, and I had been thinking the same thing, so that's what we did - no queue, and seats at the counter available for us.
The restaurant is called Guuchiku, and like every other okonomiyaki restaurant in Hiroshima, the okonomiyaki in this restaurant is... Hiroshima-fuu (style) okonomiyaki and NOT - absolutely NOT - Osaka-fuu okonomiyaki.
Unlike Osaka-style okonomiyaki, Hiroshima-style is made in layers, with each ingredient cooked separately before being combined.
I went for my usual, and the most popular option on the Guuchiku menu, "Cheese Mentaiko." This version was made with cabbage, "nikku, tama(go), soba" (meat, egg, and noodles), and topped with cheese and mentaiko (spicy cod roe) - which gives this okonomiyaki its "tigerish" appearance! I requested an optional topping of ebi (shrimp) - master's servings of shrimp are always generous for just 200 yen extra.
One key ingredient I ought to mention is the "Otafuku" okonomiyaki sauce. Otafuku is a Hiroshima-based company known for its rich, slightly sweet sauce that complements the savory flavors of okonomiyaki. The sauce is added to the okonomiyaki before it is served, but Otafuku sauce as well as mayonnaise bottles are available for the customers.
I washed the okonomiyaki down with just one beer today... and enjoyed a pleasant afternoon snooze when I got back home.
So much for my "National Foundation Day" in Japan!
Cheers!
David Hurley
#InspiredFocus
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yummy!❤️
Wow that looks good! I have not heard of this dish before. I wonder if we have something like this in Japanese restaurants here. I think it will be good to try. :D Hope you had a restful holiday! Happy midweek!
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!BBHThank you for curating this post, @iamraincrystal - "Okonomi-yaki" literally means "whatever-you-like grilled/fried" because you can add "whatever you like" to the contents in addition to the basic ingredients. For okonomiyaki, you'd need to find a "teppan" or "hot plate" restaurant.
thank you I learned something new again today 😆 I'll pay closer attention when trying out new dishes (esp. Japanese dishes) 😊
an advance happy weekend 🎉
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enjoy 🍷 !WINE