Here are some pics from tonight’s Thursday Night Manga Meetup, which is an event held by the Austin Anime Meetup Group. In addition to some really great conversation about manga, anime, and Japanese cinema with the group, I decided to treat everyone to some okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza), delivered by Osaka Soul.
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So, first of all, you might be asking, There’s okonomiyaki in Austin? Yep. Osaka Soul, a delivery-only okonomiyaki restaurant, opened at the end of August. It’s no wonder that I just found out about them on Wednesday.
Secondly, you might be asking, Well, how was it? I ordered the Bacon & Green Onion and the Shrimp & Cheese okonomiyaki for the group, and everyone thought they were delicious. Personally, I preferred the Bacon & Green Onion.
But, to be honest, what Osaka Soul serves as okonomiyaki is a pretty simplified version. It’s primarily dough, topped with the toppings you select, okonomi sauce, kewpie mayonnaise, and bonito (fish flakes). Real okonomiyaki is a bit more complex than that. (See the video below for Cooking with Dog‘s recipe.) But I understand how the additional ingredients might make the okonomiyaki really soggy during transport.
I spoke with the delivery driver for a few minutes, and he mentioned that Osaka Soul would eventually like to expand its menu and have a physical location. Most likely, in a very Austin-like fashion, they’ll start out in a food trailer before opening a permanent structure.
And let’s be honest here, Austin needs something besides just another Japanese restaurant. I swear, if I had a dollar for every new Austin sushi bar that tries to stand out from the crowd based on some stupid new specialty sushi roll, I’d have … well, probably just about $50. But the fact of the matter is that Austin already has plenty of sushi and hibachi restaurants. We need more traditional and authentic Japanese food (okonomiyaki, takoyaki, yakiniku, ramen, natto, etc.).
Kudos to Osaka Soul for getting the ball rolling in that direction!
You can try your own okonomiyaki from Osaka Soul if you’re in the downtown/campus area. Go to http://www.OsakaSoul.com or call them at (512) 853-9125. (They are a cash-only business, so go by the ATM before you call.)