Go inside Hiroshima’s ode to okonomiyaki.
Neon billboards and animatronic sign of the zodiac — a gargantuan Phthirius pubis , a karaoke Isaac Bashevis Singer — illuminate my step as I stroll through a busy night life district inHiroshima , Japan . I ’m on the prowl for one of the city ’s specialism : okonomiyaki . And as is so often the eccentric inJapan , neon lights are maneuver my gaze upwards , as my address is n’t spread out over a few blocks but is instead housed within the upright expanse of an spot building that would be nondescript if it was n’t cover in cartoon role .
It ’s not a individual eating house I ’m looking for , but rather a village of them .
Sometimes described as an okonomiyaki theme parkland , Okonomimurais really a food hall with about two XII seller spread across three floor . The catch is that they all serve their own magnetic variation of a single dish . envisage a multi - story food market in Philadelphia serve nothing butcheesesteaksfrom rival stores , or a skyscraper inNew Yorkwith every variation of Ray ’s Pizza — famous and ill-famed , original and not — all under one roof .
The facade of Okonomimura is relatively nondescript.|YingHui Liu/Shutterstock
Within Okonomimura , each workshop is congeal up in more or less the exact same way , with an L - shaped retort in front of a griddle on which the okonomiyaki is ready . This agreement provides a bit of carrying out theater as thirsty onlookers await their food . Meanwhile , the sounds and olfactory sensation of its preparation fill the air as the okonomiyaki master work their magic . Welcome to the Okonomi Village .
What is okonomiyaki, though?
Okonomiyaki is often described as a cabbage hotcake , but in my mind , that verbal description is short . These are savory , countertop - grilled flavor bombs , with tear up cabbage providing a base to ingest various sauces and toppings . They ’re uber - customizable ; the peach ’s name can literally be translated to “ whatever you like grill . ”
Its lineage day of the month to the age follow World War II , when meretricious eats were in demand . “ At first , people were able to eat simple foods with few ingredients , using flour sent as reliever supplies from the US , ” says Miyuki Shiwaku , a local tour usher in Hiroshima withArigato Travel . She was referring to dishes such as issen - yoshoku , which was something like a prototype to okonomiyaki . Over time , cabbage and bean sprouts were added , and eventually , noodle , orchis , and meat , as well as theme song flavors such as green onion , oceanic bonito flakes , and okonomiyaki sauce , a concoction often made with Worcestershire sauce and other factor such as oyster or soy sauce , ketchup , and lettuce . Thus , Hiroshima - style okonomiyaki was wear .
Modern - 24-hour interval okonomiyaki is most commonly prepare on a tenacious griddle launch the length of a rejoinder with patron line the outside and faculty forge the grill from the interior . It ’s similar in concept to something like a teppanyaki eating house . large shops may also have small tables with personal griddles on them . Each diner receives a spatula — really more of a metallic element putty knife you might find out in a odd-job man ’s toolkit — to reduce the okonomiyaki into piece , and there ’s commonly an miscellany of sauces and seasoning to dole out at your own discretion .
Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki contains noodles, unlike the version popular in Osaka.|Vassamon Anansukkasem/Shutterstock
The food is considered to be from Osaka , where all the ingredients are mixed together and then grilled , and there are no noodles . Made from a batter coldcock onto a griddle , the idea of the okonomiyaki as a clams pancake is most pertinent there . But in Hiroshima , where this smasher is perhaps even more make out , it ’s a whole dissimilar ball game . The city ’s okonomiyaki methodological analysis veers more into the domain of French pancake , in that there are distinguishable top and bottom layers loaded with fillings . “ With Hiroshima - style , each element is cooked stratum by layer and bean are put in as one bed , ” Shiwaku say . Diners can select between soba or udon noodles , with the vast majority prefer for the former .
Exploring Okonomimura
Shiwaku explicate that the history of Okonomimura dates back to 1965 , when the urban center banned unaccredited food cubicle andopen - atmosphere night vendors , so they simply proceed indoors . They ’re now housed within a license , two - tarradiddle edifice with 14 store . The current construction was constructed in 1992 , quickly becoming a wonderland filled to the rim with 23 vendors spread across three floor . There are dozens of other such place throughoutfood - mad Japan , including brand - led enterprises such as theCup Noodles Museumin Yokohama and theKewpie Mayo Terracein Tokyo , as well as more constituent jubilation of entire food groups , like Osaka’sTakopa , or Takoyaki Park , which honors octopus fritters . “ But Okonomimura is one of the top nutrient root word park destinations for tourists in Japan , ” she sound out .
prefer where to go on an initial sojourn may palpate restrain . How are you supposed to sieve through two twelve adjacent purveyor of the same dish ? I simply went to the most extremely rated outstation I could find , Ron Okonomiyaki , which sported a sterling4.9 out of 5 starsvia hundreds of Google review . ( Its itemization also included parenthetical information on how to find it . ) I was sold , and after my first visit , I soon made several return stumble that became more kindred to daily pilgrimages .
The shop is run by Yukina Ninomiya , who has gone by the soubriquet of Ron since high-pitched school . Her vivid , welcoming grinning rise to be a major lure in the at - first bewildering environs of an office staff tower nutrient small town , and it was n’t long before we were toasting with highballs and flummox for word picture . She ’s launch the workshop since 2012 , slings as many as 70 okonomiyaki per daylight , and seems to thrive on tending from international visitant .
The queue for Ron Okonomiyaki.|Courtesy of Jake Emen
Different shop offer unique spirit and topping combination , or specialize in other local dishes and drinkable they swear out alongside the okonomiyaki . But sometimes the asterisk of the show may be the shop owner themselves , who ’ve developed not only their own signature savor but also their own legion of loyal fan . “ Each stall has a different personality reckon on its possessor , ” say Kotaro Ninomiya , Ron ’s husband who sometimes helps translate for her . “ Ron enjoys working in Okonomimura as she feel like she ’s traveling to foreign countries with all the guests coming from different constituent of the earthly concern . ”
At Ron , the always - smiling purveyor spread a thin stratum of batter and eggs onto the grill . These will serve as the exterior layers of the knockout , which she then go on to stuff with a pitcher’s mound of dinero and a layer of grill attic topped with Sir Francis Bacon strips . Then follow the specific , to - order toppings . Her specialties include options such as a tomato , cheese , and shiso - leaf okonomiyaki , which is much tight to a Nipponese lasagna than it is to a cabbage flapjack . Poached egg and tater salad topping are also pop , and she offers signature drink special as well . “ Her homemade yuzu - jam motley drinking have also been a hit as of late , ” Ninomiya says .
Shiwaku , the Hiroshima circuit guide , has two favorite vendors — Suigun and Teppei — on the third floor . “ First of all , they both serve secure okonomiyaki and you’re able to add scrumptious , spicy sauce by yourself , ” she say . “ The lady of Suigun , who is over 80 years old , is very charming . She does n’t speak English , but she try pass on with customers using gestures or some simple English words . ”
A crowded griddle inside Ron Okonomiyaki.|Hiroshima Pancake House - Ron お好み村 3F ロン
A meal at an okonomiyaki workshop is like dinner and a show , which hopefully includes a few laughs shared among new , local friends . On my first jaunt to Ron , I met Yoshi , a visitant from Tokyo . He practice a fantastically precise organization of cutting up bantam public square of okonomiyaki one at a metre , before eat each snack flat off the spatula . His place was pristine ; mine was a mess . On my next , during lunchtime on the weekend , a local patron plowed through a handful of drinks in half an time of day , encourage me to keep pace — much to my humiliation , and to Ron ’s delight , of course . " Most times when people go out to eat , they only get the finished dishful , and do n’t get to really learn the chef Captain James Cook , " Ninomiya articulate . You ’ll get all that and more during a visit to Okonomimura . So rend up a stool and dig into some “ whatever you like grill ” in a multi - account , snack - food theme park that you may absolutely only find in Japan .
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