Okonomiyaki Jiban-Ya

Located at the front of the restaurant where Steak Easy is located, we find Okonomiyaki Jiban-Ya.  This place is also run by the same people who brought us Secret Congee and Ginger & Scallion.  After a month-long stay in Japan during the Summer, I was quite interested how this place would compare to the Okonomiyaki I had in Osaka.  They definitely are taking things seriously by importing Okonomiyaki Teppans straight from Japan.  They served the Okonomiyaki right onto the teppan so it keeps things hot and sizzling.

We started with some appies first including the Wasabi Greens Tsukemono.  This was a pungent dish that wasn't just your usual pickles.  There was definitely a fermented hit at the very first bite that was strong and impactful.  Nice crunch from the greens.  We also had the Furikake Butter Corn that did its best impression of Mexican Elote.  Corn was plump and had pops of sweetness while having just a touch of smokiness.  Butter was creamy and added saltiness while the furikake did it's spiced thing.

Topped with a considerable amount of black tobiko, the Miso Butter Crab Dumplings were chock full of crab.  They were a bit on the fishier side, but texturally, the crab was fluffy.  The dumpling wrapper itself was pretty al dente and really needed the miso butter for moisture.  Thankfully there was plenty of it.  We found it to be velvety with a rich saltiness.  Some chili oil provided a little something something.  Lastly, we had the Mala Koji Duck Breast.  The duck itself was juicy and fairly tender.  Skin was a bit flabby though, yet had lots of flavor.  That mala koji was spicy and full of umami.  Really addictive and could be eaten with anything!

Onto the Okonomiyaki, we tried the Hiroshima-Style (with noodles) with scallops and cheese.  After we let the noodles sear on the teppan for a bit, they turned out to be fairly al dente and smoky.  The cheese crisped up on the teppan and added some texture and nuttiness.  On top, we found large whole scallops complete with the mantle.  For our Osaka-Style Okonomiyaki, we had the Panko Oyster.  This was made with cabbage and egg.  Tender, but with a crunch, the cabbage was mildly-seasoned.  Naturally, we added the okonomiyaki sauce provided at the table.  Although the oyster was fried up well with a crispy breading, it was on the fishier side.  Despite that, the okonomiyaki itself was pretty legit.  Maybe next time, I'll go with the basic versions, as I didn't really need the toppings.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Keeping it legit with the teppan at your table

- Okonomiyaki are large

- Cabbage and noodles were optimal texture

The Bad:

- Some of the seafood was fishy