HazelDiary

Buchiumaya is a small restaurant that is located at some alley in Tokyo. The restaurant is known mainly to the locals and it is quite hard to find if you are a first-timer. Thank god I have E with me. He introduced this place to me when we travelled to Tokyo last December. Buchiumaya is a hidden gem that serves Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki. This place is definitely worth checking out if you have time to queue for it.





So, what is the difference between the Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki and the Okonomiyaki we had usually? That’s the first question that comes into my mind. Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki uses noodles and they cook everything on a teppanyaki grill. The pan-fried pancake is prepared with layer after layer of ingredients rather than scrambled.
 Being kiasu, we headed over earlier before the restaurant open. So, we managed to secure seats the moment the restaurant starts operation. Lucky us as the lines start to form even before the restaurant opens. This is the culture in Japan.
The space is limited and there is no English menu. Everything in Japanese and the staffs are all Japanese that speaks minimal English. Luckily E knows Japanese and we managed to order without any problem.
 We ordered kirin beer and squid snack to kick start of dinner. The squid snack is very addictive especially dipping it into the spiced mayonnaise. It goes pretty well with beer too.
While waiting for our Okonomiyaki to be ready, I managed to get snapshots on chef in action. Since it is on teppanyaki grill, the kitchen is an open-concept and customers like us are entertained with the chef’s preparation.
 We had the okonomiyaki with stir fried soba in it and generous servings of chopped spring onions and bonito flakes on it. The portion served is generous too. We end up couldn’t finish it and takeaway the balance for supper. The okonomiyaki texture is delicious and umami in flavour. The pancake is thin and mostly stuffed with ingredients in it. It is amazing!

However, you will smell like okonomiyaki too when you stepped out of the restaurant. But it’s allright! The meal is wonderful and satisfying! And you can slowly walk to Shinjuku station to digest and start eating away.

Read about my Japan travelogue here

Address:Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku 160-0023, Tokyo Prefecture
Tel: +81 3-3364-0807

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