Located in the Kyoto Porta near the Kyoto train station is where I had my first real meal in Kyoto, お好み焼きOkonomiyaki.
The restaurant had a long line but since we were only three people willing to sit at the bar and not cook for ourselves we were let in before people who had been there longer. Sitting at the bar next to the hot grill we were able to watch them work and relax without worrying that we wouldn’t cook it properly.
Okonomiyaki is like a savory pancake or omlette. It’s made up of a batter which is usually a mix of flour and nagimo or yamaimo (yam), egg, cabbage, meat and veggies. After it’s cooked it’s topped with an okonomiyaki sauce (soysauce, ketchup, and honey), aonori (finely powdered green seaweed), Katsuobushi (bonito flakes), and mayo.
I ordered the Buta-Tama Okonomiyaki which is a pork Okonomiyaki. It was 842 yen.
I drizzled the mayo on top, then used the little spatula to cut it up to eat. We each got our own and I found it absolutely delicious. It was fun to eat, and I would like to try sitting at a table where you make it yourself, flipping it over until it’s the right color to cut up and serve. It was a perfect mix of sweet and savory.