I've known takopachi all my life as fried dough balls stuffed with ham and cheese. Perhaps it's the variety offered in Singapore that made me ignorant of its humble origins. In Japan, the authentic ones are sold with only octopus. No other alternatives available.
One of the signatures along Dotonburi is the takopachi street stand at the beginning of the long food street. There is only one such stand in a proper shophouse there though along the streets there are quite a few makeshift ones.
Rows and rows of these get tossed every now and then for even grilling.
The shy chef who kept himself busy..
Packed in a lunch box, ready to eat! Like schoolgirls, we stood in the waiting area rubbing our hands in glee and ready to partake of the famous takopachi.
It was well barbequed with such an aroma but it ended there. A bite into the dough ball revealed the smooshiest filling, beneath the slight crispy layer was all of a custardly texture. Not quite a fan, to begin with though credit has to be given for thick cubes of octopus.
Not that the takopachi journey ended there...I guess it was to reaffirm if it was a tastebud issue or if we were not used to the original.
Osaka tower's Osaka's answer to Effiel Tower. Methinks the Japanese must idolise the French a whole lot...the few cities we went to all had an equivalent.
Vending machine style! 300 Yen for 6 balls. No questions asked, neither would anyone entertain you if you asked. Well...monkey see monkey do...join the queue and follow suit. The chef barely looked up through the cooking of 60 odd takopachis, he busied himself flipping them non-stop. Such, is dedication.
Question being..why did we join the queue? Plastered all over the shop were claims of THE original takopachi stand from Dotonburi. Like how all laksa shops in katong lay claim over being the first and most original.
The dedicated chef.
Outwardly this did not pale in comparison with the Dotonburi stand...sight and smell were the same. Taste?
Once proven, twice reaffirmed...I confirm the way the Japanese do their takopachis is more molten than those locally.
One of the signatures along Dotonburi is the takopachi street stand at the beginning of the long food street. There is only one such stand in a proper shophouse there though along the streets there are quite a few makeshift ones.
Rows and rows of these get tossed every now and then for even grilling.
The shy chef who kept himself busy..
Packed in a lunch box, ready to eat! Like schoolgirls, we stood in the waiting area rubbing our hands in glee and ready to partake of the famous takopachi.
It was well barbequed with such an aroma but it ended there. A bite into the dough ball revealed the smooshiest filling, beneath the slight crispy layer was all of a custardly texture. Not quite a fan, to begin with though credit has to be given for thick cubes of octopus.
Not that the takopachi journey ended there...I guess it was to reaffirm if it was a tastebud issue or if we were not used to the original.
Osaka tower's Osaka's answer to Effiel Tower. Methinks the Japanese must idolise the French a whole lot...the few cities we went to all had an equivalent.
Vending machine style! 300 Yen for 6 balls. No questions asked, neither would anyone entertain you if you asked. Well...monkey see monkey do...join the queue and follow suit. The chef barely looked up through the cooking of 60 odd takopachis, he busied himself flipping them non-stop. Such, is dedication.
Question being..why did we join the queue? Plastered all over the shop were claims of THE original takopachi stand from Dotonburi. Like how all laksa shops in katong lay claim over being the first and most original.
The dedicated chef.
Outwardly this did not pale in comparison with the Dotonburi stand...sight and smell were the same. Taste?
Once proven, twice reaffirmed...I confirm the way the Japanese do their takopachis is more molten than those locally.
i had a sudden craving for takopachi after reading this post!
ReplyDelete*awww* hahah so is it to gindaco or taka's food kiosk to satiate the craving? :P
ReplyDeletehaha i was at orchard ion that day, so i had gindaco.
ReplyDeleteis it any good? have yet to try since it's only tako inside.
ReplyDelete