Okonomi-yaki? No... Okonomi-yummy!

Nerida got me hooked a couple of years ago on the Japanese taste sensation, okonomiyaki. We tried it at Melbourne's Peko Peko but Nerida was adamant that it wasn't the best. Ever since I have been on a quest to find an authentic okonomiyaki restaurant, complete with real Japanese mayo!

Today that search came to an end when we lunched at Abeno near Covent Garden.

For the uninitiated (of which I am no longer a member), okonomiyaki is Japan's answer to the omlette but filled with pickled ginger, cabbage, spring onion and countless other delights. Today Rog added prawns, pork and squid and I added pork and kimch'i (just for JP).

Once you order the waiters come out and cook the okonomiyaki on the hotplate that is inset into the table. It is great, you get a meal and a show.

Once it is cooked they swirl on the mayonaise and the special okonomiyaki sauce, sprinkle on some seaweed flakes and finally dump on a generous serve of fish flakes.

To savour this special occasion (and the fact that I've been wearing a t-shirt around London today) Rog tried to take a photo for you all. Lucky for you the camera was set to video so you get more me for your money! Check out the finished okonomiyaki at the end of the vid and you can see the wierd little dance that the fish flakes do atop the omlette.



Tags: London, dining