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| - Having never had Okonomiyaki, savory Japanese pancakes, I wasn't really sure what to expect with Teppanyaki Kyoto. Um...whoa. Even the pics here on Yelp don't do the insanity of these pancakes justice. I got the Hiroshimayaki and it was a very thin layer of pancake covered in heaps of cabbage, yaki soba, egg, beef strips, and finished with a ridiculous amount of sauce (spicy mayo and brown sauce) and bonito flakes. It actually freaked me out a little when it arrived--it was HUGE and the flakes of fish were swaying in a creepy fashion from the steam coming off the plate. It looked like it was ALIVE. Me: "Why is it moving?" My friend: "Yeah, I'm just trying to ignore that."
Okay, so I'm not sure Okonomiyaki is my thing. I am one of those people that like their foods not to touch each other on the plate and have a phobia of casseroles, etc. Okonomiyaki was a little too much of a mess of flavors for me. I kind of scraped off the sauce/bonito because it was the most intense flavor on there, and proceeded to eat the rest of the layers separately. Each component was good, especially the beef. I could see why people would like this crazy bastard pancake.
Since the Hiroshimayaki takes an estimated 25 minutes to prepare, we did get appetizers. The calamari was really good, but I really didn't like the salsa that came with it (yes, salsa, like the Mexican stuff). The shrimp and avocado had a sweet sauce on it that I liked a lot.
It's cool that Teppanyaki Kyoto is trying to do authentic Japanese without bringing sushi into the mix and I think they are doing it very well. However, I can't help but wish that their menu was a little longer. It is very short compared to most other restaurants focused on a specific ethnic food. The majority of it is made up of Okonomiyaki variations, so if you're not a big fan of the pancake, you don't have too many other choices. But if you do like them...then awesome, totally recommended! For me, just "A-OK."
Update: I've heard that they have expanded their menu beyond just Okonomiyaki, so hoping I can come back to try other dishes soon!
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