Along the street in Sumiyoshi, near Seirei Hamamatsu Hospital, there are three hiragana characters that read:heartThere is a shop with a noren (traditional Japanese curtain) that reads "[...]". The owner opened it seven years ago.Tatsuya OishiThis is an okonomiyaki restaurant run by Mr. [Name]. I found this restaurant relatively soon after coming to Hamamatsu, and I was curious about it, so I decided to visit, and now I'm a regular customer.”"When it comes to okonomiyaki, it's Kokoro-san."”That's our go-to choice. And it's a highly recommended okonomiyaki restaurant that currently boasts the No. 1 ranking in both the western and Shizuoka areas for okonomiyaki on Tabelog (a Japanese restaurant review site)!
The restaurant has 6 counter seats and 14 table seats with teppanyaki grills. When it first opened, it seems that customers cooked their own food on the teppanyaki grills, but to save time, and alsoA taste that can only be achieved by a professional.To let customers experience the quality of the okonomiyaki, the owner, Tatsuya, changed the style midway through the season so that he would cook it in the kitchen at the back and then serve it on a hot griddle right in front of the customers. Certainly, there was a certain enjoyment in cooking your own okonomiyaki in the past, but looking back, I feel like I was missing out. It's simply impossible to compare to the taste of okonomiyaki cooked by a professional. During lunchtime, the clientele is mostly elderly couples and office workers, but in the evening, it transforms into a relaxing spot where people enjoy teppanyaki with a beer.
Okonomiyaki Kokoro's second most popular item is the "Mochi Cheese Okonomiyaki Lunch" for 750 yen.
The fluffy dough is embedded with diced mochi, then topped with a generous amount of tempura batter scraps and cheese, giving it a delightful crispness. Apparently, most female customers choose this item the moment they see the name, and I'm one of them! (laughs) Cheese is definitely a perennial favorite among women.
Kokoro-sanOkonomiyaki sauceThis is a rich, sweet and sour sauce made with plenty of vegetables and fruits. It pairs perfectly with mayonnaise! Incidentally, the staff apparently use it at home for things other than okonomiyaki, and when they run out, they refill it at the store before going home! The sauce is also sold for customers at the cash register inside the store. Even though you can buy the sauce, I think it would be impossible to make such delicious okonomiyaki at home. Tatsuya said that his business is based on skill, not ingredients, and that he wants people to know "the taste that can be produced with ingredients that anyone can get, but with the skill of a professional." In particular, the part-time staff are puzzled, saying, "Why is it that the okonomiyaki that the master makes is so different from mine even though we use the same ingredients!?" and it takes time for them to improve their skills and be able to make a decent one on their own. Tatsuya said that even though there is 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 are different every day. That's what you call craftsmanship! Tatsuya-san, I'll come again to enjoy your delicious okonomiyaki♪
Okonomiyaki Kokoro
1-16-14 Sumiyoshi, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu City TEL: 053-476-5086
Opening hours: 11:30-14:00, 17:30-22:00 Closed: Sundays
http://cocollo.seesaa.net/
