Hamamatsu is located along the street of Seirei Hamamatsu Hospital in Sumiyoshi, and there is a sign written in three hiragana characters that reads "heartWe headed to the teppanyaki and okonomiyaki restaurant with a noren (traditional Japanese curtain) that read, "..."
This isApril 2007The shop ownerTatsuya OhishiSince its opening, the deliciousness of the restaurant has spread by word of mouth, and it has quickly become a nationally renowned establishment. This year, 2023, marks the 17th anniversary of the restaurant.heartThis is one of our favorite restaurants, and my husband and I have been going to it regularly for about 16 years since we moved to Hamamatsu.
The restaurant has 6 counter seats and 14 table seats with teppanyaki grills. During lunchtime, it is mostly frequented by elderly couples and office workers, but in the evening, it transforms into a relaxing spot where people enjoy teppanyaki with a beer. Restaurants faced extremely difficult times during the pandemic, but since January of this year, when things began to calm down, the number of customers has increased to even more than before the pandemic, and the restaurant is bustling with customers every day.
Okonomiyaki is a beloved local comfort food with variations in each region, and there are various types, including the "Hiroshima style," which uses a thin batter and layers of ingredients, and the "Kansai style," which uses a fluffy batter mixed with ingredients. In the Enshu region, centered around Hamamatsu, there is also the "Enshu-yaki," which includes pickled radish and folds the batter, butheartThe okonomiyaki at "[restaurant name]" is a completely new and original okonomiyaki that doesn't belong to any of the others. This okonomiyaki has been praised and is featured on the famous gourmet review site "Tabelog" has selected 100 shops that you should visit now"Top 100 Okonomiyaki RestaurantsIn 2022, it was the only one selected from Shizuoka Prefecture.
The menu features okonomiyaki as its main dish, along with offal, motsunabe (offal hot pot), yakisoba (fried noodles), and gyoza (dumplings). In addition to dishes that pair well with beer and shochu, and teppanyaki (griddle-cooked) dishes, they also offer set courses for banquets. We have the same order for the past 16 years, so we simply say, "The usual."
Initially, the style was for customers to cook their own food on a griddle, but to save time and to let customers experience the taste that only a professional can achieve, the owner started doing the cooking.TatsuyaThe style has changed so that the okonomiyaki is cooked in the kitchen at the back and then served on a griddle at each table. A while ago, there was the fun of cooking your own okonomiyaki, but ultimately, okonomiyaki cooked by an amateur can't possibly compare to the taste of okonomiyaki cooked by a professional. It's obvious just by looking at the appearance of the okonomiyaki that has been cooked in the kitchen.
"Okonomiyaki Seafood Mix" 950 yen (tax included)
This okonomiyaki, generously filled with plump shrimp and squid, uses a homemade blend of flour and features a meticulously crafted cooking method. The surface is made crispy with tempura scraps, creating a delightful crunch and texture when the spatula is inserted, while the inside is fluffy and moist, cooked to perfection. The subtle aroma of sesame and chopped ginger complements it perfectly.heartBecause it's cooked using our original method, first-time customers are often shocked, saying, "I've never had okonomiyaki like this before!" We ourselves still remember the shock we felt the first time we tried it.
"Okonomiyaki with Mochi Cheese" 950 yen (tax included)
This fluffy dough is infused with diced mochi (rice cake), topped with a generous amount of tempura batter scraps and cheese, and finished with a crispy, fragrant char on the surface. Almost all female customers choose this the moment they see the name, saying, "I'll have this one!" I'm one of them too (lol). Cheese is definitely a perennial favorite among women.
You can decorate your okonomiyaki to your liking on the griddle after it's brought to your table. When the sauce is poured onto the hot griddle, it makes a sizzling sound that whets the appetite, and the savory steam stimulates all the senses.heartThe okonomiyaki sauce at this shop is a rich, sweet and sour sauce made with plenty of vegetables and fruits. The staff say they use it at home for dishes other than okonomiyaki, and that they refill it at the shop when they run out. The shop also sells its original sauce for customers at the cash register inside the store.
「heartThe okonomiyaki sauce from "[restaurant name]" goes perfectly with mayonnaise. When you spread mayonnaise in lines, the contrast with the sauce is beautiful and makes your mouth water. The first place to put mayonnaise on okonomiyaki was a famous long-established okonomiyaki restaurant in Osaka, "[restaurant name]".Osaka BotejyuIt is said that the founder got the idea to put mayonnaise on hot dogs from the sauce served on them.
On the griddle, the okonomiyaki is topped with sauce, mayonnaise, bonito flakes, and dried seaweed in that order to complete the dish.
Cut into bite-sized pieces, enjoy the aroma of bonito flakes and dried seaweed as you savor the piping hot okonomiyaki. The broth from the ingredients permeates the entire batter, creating a delicious flavor. The fluffy and moist texture is complemented by the sweetness of the cabbage, the sesame flavor and the accent of chopped ginger, and the synergistic effect of the savory sauce and mayonnaise makes for an exquisite okonomiyaki.
It's impossible to make okonomiyaki this delicious at home.TatsuyaHe said, "I want people to experience the flavors that can be created with ingredients that anyone can get, but with the skill of a professional." He explained that his business is based on skill, not on the ingredients.heartThe young people working part-time at the restaurant are puzzled, saying, "Why is it that the okonomiyaki the master makes tastes so different from mine, even though we're using the same ingredients!?" It seems that it's not easy to improve your skills and become proficient enough to make a decent okonomiyaki. Even with a basic recipe, the amount of moisture in the cabbage changes depending on the season, so the size and fineness of the cuts, the amount of moisture in the batter, and the cooking time all vary from day to day. This is truly the mark of a master craftsman!
TatsuyaThis restaurant's okonomiyaki uses tempura scraps on the surface, resulting in a crispy, crunchy texture on the outside while remaining fluffy and moist on the inside, offering a completely new okonomiyaki texture you've never experienced before. The cooking method is also exquisite, and I really want everyone to experience this texture. Since coming to Hamamatsu, I've recommended the okonomiyaki here to my foodie friends, and they've all given it rave reviews, with many becoming repeat customers and fans. Even when out-of-town guests visit, they often choose this over Hamamatsu gyoza...heartWe recommend it to everyone (lol) because we ourselves are big fans of "Kokoro".TatsuyaThank you so much for the delicious okonomiyaki, as always!
Okonomiyaki Kokoro
Address: 1-16-14 Sumiyoshi, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
TEL: 053-476-5086
Telephone inquiries are accepted from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM and from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
Opening hours: Lunch 11:30-13:30, Dinner 17:00-21:00
Closed on Sundays
Parking: 4 spaces
https://cocollo.jimdofree.com/
