This jawbreaker sized snack was almost always served in a cluster. They were baked balls of battered octopus cooked in a contraption (think cast iron egg crates), which preserves their cylindrical shape. Often, a chopstick was used to magically “flip” them over once the bottom halves have formed.
Our ordering process usually went something like this:
C&R: Takoyaki (holds up 8 fingers)
Cook: (gestures to okonomi sauce)
C&R: Hai! (yes)
Cook: (gestures to seaweed flakes)
C&R: Hai!
Cook: (gestures to bonito flakes)
C&R: Hai! Futatsu (two orders).
Cook: Ehh? (incredulous onomotopoeia)
C&R: Hai! 🙂
Our favorite spot was a stand by our place in Kobe until it was trumped by Takoyaki Wanaka in Osaka for its crisp perfection. In fact, in a (failed) attempt to compare and contrast the various kiosks during one of our grub and runs, we accidentally ordered from two of the same exact establishment around the block from each other. How were we supposed to know it was a chain? ;P
