Kiji Okonomiyaki – Osaka, Japan.
Kiji Umeda has been open since 1970 – that equates to 40 years of okonomiyaki knowledge and hence their claim to be the best spot for Osaka-style okonomiyaki. Located in the maze-like basement of the jaw-dropping Umeda Sky Building, Kiji sits on one of the many corners of the little alleys underneath the building. There is a surreal feeling when you walk on the cobbled pathway underneath the building that is dimly lit save for the neon lights of the indistinguishable line of restaurants with patrons appearing and disappearing into doors.
As my travelling partner and I enter Kiji, it is still early in the evening as we are the only people inside the restaurant (during peak hour expect to wait at least 30 minutes). The owner (pictured) gestures us to sit wherever we please and soon recognises we are foreigners. His English is pretty good, no doubt from the frequent amount of tourists that visit his shop and he questions whether we are first-time okonomiyaki eaters. We reply that we’ve had it before from places in Sydney but he replies ‘I’ll make you something special’. To be honest, I had no idea how it would compare to what I’ve been eating in Sydney, but surely it has to be mind blasting, right?
The walls are decorated with an interesting touch that keeps you busy whilst waiting for your food: name cards and photos of patrons that have visited before us and they are all literally date back decades till the present.
We sat next to this particular plaque, supposedly it is a famous food critic in Japan. The chibi art is cute and a unique refreshing approach to reviewing.
As this wasn’t on the menu I guess an appropriate dish name is ‘Chef’s Special’: as you can see, Osaka-style okonomiyaki is very distinctive. The chopped cabbage is mixed with the batter and other ingredients such as green onion and flour then cooked. What is different from the traditional okonomiyaki is that this version we were served has extras such as peas, egg, carrot, mushroom and chicken pieces. To put it simply, it was a new experience that I will never forgot. The grill at the centre of the table keeps the food warm so that if you’re not in a hungry, you can savour and enjoy a truly local delicacy. The sweet okonomiyaki sauce (otafuku) is thick and seals the flavour of the ingredients.
Sharing an okonomiyaki was not enough to abate our hungry after an exhilaratingly long day at Universal Studios so we ordered a common dish at okonomiyaki places, yakisoba. The simplicity of ingredients with a splash of seasoning makes this liberally-sized dish so easy to palate and hard not to appreciate. The chewy noodles together with the crisp vegetables hit the spot just fine.
As we get up and leave, the restaurant is completely full and an eager queue snakes outside. The chef comes out to farewell us and now that I think of it, I regret not taking a photo with this genuine chef. Gochisou-sama.
*edit* NB: I found the receipt for the meal! (yes I kept most of the receipts). The okonomiyaki cost 750 yen and the yakisoba cost 600 yen.
Okonomiyaki Kiji (http://www.takimikoji.jp/shopnews/kiji.html)
Umeda Sky Building-B1
Osaka, Japan 542-0081
Phone: 06-6440-5970
Open 11:30-21:30
Closed on Thursdays
Bonus shots from this particular day:
Caramel popcorn from Universal Studios (Osaka) – I swear I ate like 5 boxes of these….they are so addictive and when I retire I will start a caramel popcorn stand on George St.
I love rollercoasters.
Umeda Sky Building
PS: Feel free to hit me up for specific details on how to get to this restaurant or other places to eat in Osaka.
January 21st, 2010 at 9:15 pm
I am so jealous! I haven’t been to Japan but would love to; I keep pushing it back and going elsewhere first. Sort of like restaurants really!
January 21st, 2010 at 11:50 pm
I like popcorn
January 22nd, 2010 at 12:19 am
japan is definitely one of those places i’d love to visit for the food and culture.
January 23rd, 2010 at 1:42 am
Ahhhh OKAERI!
I went to Kiji in Tokyo! But it feels right to eat at the origin of Okonomiyaki in Osaka hey?
January 23rd, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Heya joey – I’m the same with restaurants as you…
Heya Grace – I expect you to visit my popcorn stand when I open it then
Heya Simon – Do it! Both are mesmerising.
Heya Yas – I was *going* to go to Kiji in Tokyo too but I simply had too many restuarants already planned. I heard good things about it, but no doubt it is probably the case that Kiji in Osaka is better than Kiji in Tokyo because it originated from there.
January 23rd, 2010 at 1:18 pm
haha! I can be one of those ppl that parade up and down george st holding big signs (and it will say get your popcorn heeere)
I’ll take my wages in popcorn
January 23rd, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Banzai!
It’s so hard finding places in Tokyo…too many streets.
January 23rd, 2010 at 2:13 pm
looks awesome
love the popcorn as well!
I’ll be going to japan in early feb for the first time. a few day in osaka/kyoto, about a week in tokyo.. also a few days in sapporo too
do u have any more restaurant recommendations? definitely want to try a bit of everything and the more traditional places haha
btw awesome blog!
January 24th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Hey Grace – sounds like a deal haha.
Hey The Ninja – I had like 2-3 maps of the same suburb and sometimes still got lost on the way to a restaurant >< Hey Ash - So jealous that you're going to Japan within a few weeks. Where abouts are you staying in Tokyo and Osaka? I can whip up a few recommendations for you based on what you want to try, budget, etc. Throw me an email on herecomesthefood@gmail.com