Konpai! It all started with a big mug of beer and went from there to sake, whiskey and finally to tea…..oolong tea for digestion at the end of the meal. Who would guess that we were there to taste the famous Osaka Okonomiyaki Pancake?!!!
Osaka is famous, I was told, for the Okonomiyaki Pancake. Okonomi means whatever you like and yaki means cook or fry. It was brought to the table with a dramatic flare. It smelled wonderful. We cut it into wedges and shared it. Describing it hardly does it justice. It was at once, creamy and rich and crunchy and fresh.
In Japan, it seems, the meal may feature a local specialty, but, it still includes sushi, miso soup, ginger, wasabi, fermented veggies and rice. I’m experiencing withdrawal symptoms just thinking about the aromas and flavors.
I live in the west, in the western United States, in Utah. That means I live in close proximity to cowboys, cows, horses, chickens and barbeque. I’m familiar with differences in barbeque from the South to Texas to California; every state and region seems to have their own special methods and recipes. Barbeque is a well-known staple, especially in the west.
But, Korean Barbeque…..never heard of it. Boy has my head been in the sand. In the Salt Lake area, where I live, there are now at least six restaurants specializing in Korean Barbeque on my list to try as soon as possible: Myung Ga, Jang Soo Jang Korean Restaurant, Cafe Seoul, Korea House, E Jo and It’s Tofu.
Miun Rey Park, Kondr, Andrew and me in DaeJeon, Korea
Korean Barbeque, miso soup, rice, kim chi, veggies
It would have been a shame to miss out on it while I was right there in Korea where it originated. Fortunately, friends knew right where to go in Daejeon for great barbeque. It was roasted in a hot kitchen just outside the restaurant door and then brought to the table sizzling on an extremely hot plate that was placed over an in-the-table grill. As we emptied plates of onions, mushrooms, edamame, radishes, cucumbers, peppers, green onion salad, fermented vegetables, kimchi, rice and miso, attentive waiters kept replacing them until we said “no more, please”.
The combination of hot and cold, sweet and spicy, salty, crunchy and sumptuously smooth and rich made this meal a memorable experience. I vote yes for Korean Barbeque. I must admit though, that the detailed instruction and explanation of how to eat it was so enchanting that the food could have been crap and I would still have been romanced. There’s nothing that makes a meal more satisfying than interesting, enjoyable companions.
