mino_ej20t
Lunch in early May 2023, on a Saturday. I felt like having some flour-based dish today, so I decided to try a restaurant in Shibuya. The place near Tokyo Station that I usually go to, Denkosekka, tends to be crowded during Golden Week, so I opted for a restaurant in Shibuya instead. Shibuya was bustling with people, especially around the station. When I arrived around 11:10 AM, there was only one other group of customers. I thought I would be seated at the counter, but it seemed that area was reserved, so I was shown to a table instead. I noticed reservation signs on some of the other tables as well. The restaurant had a good number of seats, so it felt easy to get in despite the busy area. Located on the 9th floor of a commercial building, it may not attract random passersby like a place in a more casual setting.
I ordered the "Pork Tamago" with added snack-sized squid tempura called "Pork Tamago Ika-Ten", choosing soba noodles over udon, and adding mochi and cheese as toppings. I also asked for a non-alcoholic beer. The food arrived after a short wait. I liked how the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki was wrapped in egg. The combination of pork, squid tempura, mochi, and cheese was delicious, with the soba noodles wrapped in egg adding a nice touch. The toppings, especially the mochi, gave it a genuine Hiroshima feel and were very tasty. The dish was carb-heavy with plenty of cabbage and flavorful ingredients, and it paired well with the sauce and non-alcoholic beer.
Despite the crowds in Shibuya, the restaurant wasn't overly busy, so I would definitely consider coming back. On a side note unrelated to the food, when the dish was brought out, the spatula was placed under the okonomiyaki, and I mistook it for part of the hot plate handle. I even went as far as calling the server over to ask for the spatula, which led to a funny moment of confusion before I realized my mistake. Looking back, the server's reaction was quite amusing, reminiscent of a comedy skit. I made sure to apologize and learned to double-check before asking questions in the future.