What is the first thing you do when you land in a new place? Well, you make a beeline straight from the airport to the nearest street side kiosk serving up a local delicacy. To be honest, well I was just extremely tired when we landed at Kansai International Airport from Singapore (a cool 4.5-5 hour journey) and a bus ride is all you need to get to Kyoto, one of Japans most calm and serene little town and precisely 58 minutes from the airport (as like clockwork, the buses work right on time and on the dot, they are also the best way to travel apart from trains within the country/city since taking a cab is pure luxury. Bus would cost around Y500-600 to Kyoto whereas a Cab is a cool Y15000-18000, go figure!).
View from Kyoto Hotel Okura
I checked into the Kyoto Hotel Okura, a historical landmark hotel of 120 years in the middle of Kyoto with an enviable view from some of the higher floors, spacious bedrooms (unlike the myth that Japan’s stay facilities are compact in nature, though we will get to that later on in the course of the trip), state of the art bathrooms with literally every possible amenity you could think of (including automatic toilers and seat warmers which were as fascinating as a child with a new toy) and all this for Y20,000 onwards (which is quite luxurious as an accommodation per night but well worth it in a country like Japan).
Nishiki Market : Street Style Food
Fresh Baked Dessert Tarts at Nishiki Market
The best part about K.H.O. is that you can walk to the Nishiki Food market(Arcade) from here in about 10 minutes and is considered the finest market for fresh local vegetables and fresh fish of Kyoto. The Pontocho a street between the Kamo River and Kiyamachi from Sanjo to Shijo is an area called “Kagai” (or hanamachi), which is lined with many regular restaurants and bars open till the wee hours of the morning.
Yams (A Local Popular Ingredient) at the market
Street Delicacies: Kyoto
This street is the one which I am talking about, you roam the town in the mornings and afternoons but you come back, snuck in a nice nap and dress up to your nines to hit the Pontocho street. You hop from one bar to another, each one of them have some unique offering or another (some with fine craft beers and some with malts to some with some cool cocktails), if you are hungry, every second little kiosk or store has a menu with images (and most of them with English translations) hung or placed outside on the street, you pick what you feel most hungry for (from Okonomiyaki to Ramen to Fresh Seafood to of course Sushi) and step in to be taken on a culinary journey. With every new step, you discover a cool new spot to eat/drink/party at.
Octopus & Seafood: Kyoto Street Style
Well, we did take a spin around the streets by taking a walk and stopping at virtually every shop in site, the month was the prettiest to visit as the sakura trees were in full bloom, the weather was chilly and it calmly urged you to step into the first restaurant or bar you walk by to take in the warmth and comfort of its offerings.
Tofu and Beer: Kyoto
Okonomiyaki: Another Version Topped with the sweet and delicate Okonomiyaki Sauce
I wanted to try out a Japanese delicacy called Okonomiyaki on the very first day itself, this street was the place to be and was quite surprised that my experience was going to be right next door. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning “what you like” or “what you want”, and yaki meaning “grilled” or “cooked” (yakitori and yakisoba). Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with the Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region. Tokyo okonomiyaki is usually smaller than a Hiroshima or Kansai okonomiyaki.
At Pontocho Street: An Okinomiyaki Restaurant; Pouring Beer on Tap
We walked into a small little restaurant on the Pontocho street which was run by this young chef with his partner (they both barely spoke a word of English but it was not difficult getting our orders placed and fresh cold beers poured out). This place sounded like it made some amazing Kansai- or Osaka-style okonomiyaki and we were not wrong. We were served their local Sapporo beer on tap with a serving of soft, warm and melt-in-your-mouth tofu delicately sauced with soy and spring onions (Starting with a vegetarian dish, can you imagine!) while the boys pottered about slicing up fresh cabbage for our Okonomiyaki omelette (the time was 1am). They whisked a batter made of flour, grated nagaimo (a type of yam – some of the names as we later learnt when we went to Nishiki market cost up to Y10,000 per yam), water or dashi, eggs and shredded cabbage.
Chefs at Work ! Time: 1am and just getting started
The omelette was whisked and tossed onto the Teppen (or hot plate) and cooked till fluffy and golden. I chose to add thin pork belly into mine (which is usually mistaken for bacon, and which again, is not a bad thing to mistaken it for) and it came served up well cooked, on a hot plate, drizzled with okonomiyaki sauce, green onions mixed in soya sauce and more beer. (they have other versions such as fillings like octopus, squid, shrimp, vegetables, mochi or cheese. Okonomiyaki is sometimes compared to an pancake and is also referred to as a “Japanese pizza” or “Osaka soul food”.
This was akin to eating comfort street food back home and though they may have vegetarian versions (since you can ask them to avoid the meats/seafood) you cannot avoid the fish sauces or stocks they may use to make the base for most of their food (ignorance may work in this case, and it does since they would not understand what vegetarian is, and if they do, they still categorize stocks and sauces with fish in them to be vegetarian). Unlike other Asian countries, the food here is finer, fresher, less smelly, less fermented (except for the occasional soy or unless you have dared to venture into a traditional ramen joint) and the emphasis is on plating and hygiene.
Okonomiyaki Sauce
I asked the young chef where I could pick up the okonomiyaki sauce and he not only showed me a bottle which you could pick up from most local supermarkets but also gave me a quick-fix homemade version recipe which you could whisk up in your own home too. The other tip he left me with was to drizzle mayonnaise onto the okonomiyaki dish if you wanted a heavier more creamy experience, it is after all a local norm.
I found this a quirky change from the usual egg dishes we are used to making here (bhurji, poached or masala omelette) and I am happy to share the recipe of one of Japan’s most favoured street food – The Okonomiyaki Omelette.
Okonomiyaki Omelette
OKONOMIYAKI OMELETTE
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour (I like to use whole wheat)
- ¾ cup dashi* or water
- 1 egg
- ¼ of a cabbage, about 2-3 cups packed, shredded
- 1 green onion, sliced
- Okonomiyaki sauce to taste
- mayonnaise to taste
- green onions to taste, sliced
Okonomiyaki Sauce
- 3 tablsp Ketchup (try using Heinz or a milder ketchup)
- 1 tsp Soya Sauce (Kikkoman)
- 1 tablsp Worcestershire Sauce
Directions
- Mix all the ingredients for the Okonomiyaki sauce and keep aside
- Mix the flour, dashi (or water), egg, cabbage and reen onion in a large bowl. Whisk well.
- Heat some oil in pan and Pour in mixture.
- Cook on medium heat until golden brown on both sides, about 6-9 minutes per side. You can even serve this folder like omelette.
- Top with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise and green onion slices.
* Dashi is a Japanese broth or stock that is used in many Japanese dishes from soups to rice bowls to okonomiyaki and even in omelettes. One of the reasons that it is used in so many dishes is because it is packed full of umami and it adds a ton of flavour to anything that you use it in. Dashi is a simple stock made with boiling water, kombu, a dried kelp, and katsuobushi or bonito flakes or dried, fermented and smoked skipjack tuna. You also get ready Dashi stock cubes. Dashi makes for an amazing stock for Miso Soup.
Origami Art at Kyoto Hotel Okura
This trip was sponsored by Singapore Airlines and the Kyoto & Osaka Tourism Board and as much as I would have loved to experience this if I was to use the services incognito, it was a satisfying experience. Though the tourism board had their own inimitable way of showcasing their country with a touristy itinerary and pin pointing some of their favourite places to eat, there were a lot of opportunities to take off post dinner and discover Japan on our own.
This particular experience was after hearing some really good things about the night life of Japan post midnight and the board was thoughtful enough to put us up in a hotel which was within a stone’s throw away from the street nightlife of Kyoto.
The photographs with the blue titling have been shot by Aneesh Bhasin, a multi award winning lifestyle photographer & writer based in India. He shoots everything from food to people all over the world. He is also the co founder of HipCask India’s first wine and spirit focused smart phone app and consumer platform.
