Okonomiyaki – Thefoodiefetish

Yasube is a family-run restaurant in Pontocho that serves Okonomiyaki. The menu offers many variations, and you can add different ingredients to your Okonomiyaki. The prices are very reasonable, and it is one of the cheaper places to eat in Pontocho. The son speaks good English, and there are English menus available.

We had the yaki-udon with pork and kimchi (¥ 950) and pork and seafood combo with egg okonomiyaki (¥ 950). It was served on the hot plate on the table. I liked that we could put the sauce and toppings on the okonomiyaki. I have had okonomiyaki, and sometimes the sauce was too much for me. This would be the best one of the okonomiyaki I have had both in Kyoto and Osaka. I think the minced pork made a big difference. I had added pork slices instead of minced pork in the previous okonomiyaki. The minced pork made the okonomiyaki less dry and gave it a savory sweetness.

Yasube

Opening hours: Monday to Wednesday, 12:00 PM to 19:30 PM; Thursday to Saturday, 16:30 PM to 23:30 PM, Sunday, 15:00 PM to 22:30 PM

Telephone number: +81 75-221-2613

Address: 142 Umenokichō (Pontochōdōri), Nakagyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 604-8012, Japan

My first meal in Kyoto was dinner at this small, homey Okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancake) restaurant on Sanjo-jingu-Michi (Okonomiyaki Bonbori).

. The owners were a lovely elderly couple. The menu was simple, with a variety of Okonomiyaki, noodles, and stir-fried dishes. There is no English menu available. Luckily, my sister could read and speak Japanese.

My sister and I were tired after a day of traveling, so we did not order too much. We ordered a stir-fried vegetable, fried kimchi udon noodles, and a seafood Okonomiyaki. The fried kimchi udon noodle was better than I expected. It is a mixture of sweet, salty, and sour (from the kimchi). The pork slices in the fried udon were incredibly tender and savory; they had absorbed all the different flavors.

It was our first time having Okonomiyaki. It was intriguing watching the man make it. We were full of anticipation. When the Okonomiyaki was placed in front of us, we were like two children who could not wait to dig into a bowl of cookies. 🙂

I could only taste the sweetness of the Okonomiyaki sauce on my first bite, but as I ate, the other flavors (the vegetables, egg, shrimp, and squid) began to present themselves. It was a savory pancake indeed and also very filling!