Yaki Stall (I Think)
(I don’t actually know the name of this restaurant, as I was a little tipsy when eating here.)
(really blurry photo due to… shakey hands? drunkeness? cigarette-in-hand?)
Have you ever walked downtown past Quirannale and wondered what that little stall with the Japanese lanterns sold? You know the place; it’s next to Song’s cup-pizza and Quirannale. I first noticed this place had popped up a while ago… that was only because of its sign advertising 1,000W 330cc draft beers (that’s about 80 cents a can for Americans).
Last weekend, I was recommended by Mike, of the Underground Grocers (see link above right-hand corner), to check out “that Japanese octopus place.” So, after having to run an errand dowtown, I did.
Walking in to the “restaurant” was a little difficult. As I am not a five-foot, one-hundred-ten pound Korean man, it was very hard to fit. This place is tiny. Most of our laundry room’s may even be bigger! There are six or seven chairs and two walls with a ledge to rest on.
The menu consists of a variation of two things, Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki. Takoyaki is a ball-shaped dumpling stuffed with batter, tempura, octopus and green onion. These balls come in batches of five for 2,000W and eight for 3,000W. The other menu item is Okonomiyaki, which is basically a fusion between an omelette and pancake made with batter, squid, octopus and vegetables.
(menu)
I opted for the five Takoyaki balls and a draft beer. The balls came out almost instantly fresh off the rack. The owner brought my beer in seconds and a side of green onions soaked in soy and sesame. I didn’t know how to eat these things as it was my first time. First bite; TOO HOT!. I tried not to spit it out as I didn’t want to be rude, and there happened to be a couple of young ladies in the place as well. I quickly grabbed my beer in attempt to wash down the flames; it worked.
(nom, nom, nom)
The consistency of these little guys is unique in a way; personally, I would compare them to the last few bites of a Chicken Pot Pie. There is the flakey dough, and also is a lovely gravey-esque filling. Simply put, these suckers are good (if you like octopus that is). I was surprised by the fact they had a lot of octopus in it. At a cheap place like this I would assume that there would be only mere octo-scraps. Luckily that wasn’t the case. There was no intense spice, and each ball just made me feel warm inside (maybe it was the beers I had earlier). If you’re low on cash, just want to try something new, or have always wanted Japanese octopus balls, I recommend you hit this place up! My little evening snack cost me 3,000W; unbeatable!
- JD
How to get there: Get off at Amigliore by taxi or bus, and walk down the main street toward downtown (A Twosome Place is the start of the street). Continue walking until you see Quirannale on the right-hand side. The Yaki place is literally one stall down.
