Food Travelling

Hungry hippo?
So anyone who has travelled or generally been anywhere with me will know that I am obsessed with food. It is definitely something I have inherited from the male side of my family. I love my father’s stories about food, which include making an amazing curry for his father and realising it was actually too delicious to share. So instead, he ate the whole thing and got a takeaway for his dad. I would do the same… ahem…
Anyhoo, on arrival in Japan we discovered it was extremely hot and muggy. So much so it was almost hard to breathe, especially when you emerge from an air-conditioned airplane. Then we were told our luggage was missing. Ugh. So on a whim we decided to head towards Hiroshima, as you can find some of the best food there. That was our reason. I kid you not… read on to find out more about this amazing dish…
Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is translated to “as you like it”, so it’s pretty flexible in terms of ingredients, but I would describe it as an enormous omelette stuffed with shredded lettuce as the main part and then you just insert any tasty morcel you can find. From prawns (my favourite) to bacon, vegetables, kimchi… the list just goes on. The best bit is the sweet brown Okonomiyaki sauce that you dribble on the top alongside mayonaise, seaweed and bonito fish flakes.
This dish changes depending on where in Japan you are. If you are in the Mid-West then it will be served as written above. If you are in Hiroshima, you get this on one half and fried noodles on the other half – this is the reason we decided we need to go to Hiroshima by the way – and in Tokyo it’s a runny affair that’s very flat.
So, when, like us, you find yourself in Hiroshima, the famous place to check out is called the Okonomimura (Okonomiyaki Village – but it’s more like a massive food hall with only one dish).We wandered around all the floors, trying to figure out which one would be the tastiest.
When RON Restaurant’s friendly staff waved us over, we couldn’t resist. And we were not disappointed. I shouldn’t be writing this when I’m hungry, as my stomach is literally rumbling…

You sit at the table surrounded by strangers as the chefs prepare your meal in front of you. 
The piece de resistance! YUMMY! You then cut it up, add sauce…
… and grab a beer to wash it all down wash. Pure bliss and by far one of my absolute favourite Japanese meals ever!

It’s surprisingly easy to make and there are Okonomiyaki restaurants in most big cities so try it for yourself 🙂 And if you find yourself in Hiroshima, we went to Ron (top left on the 3rd floor – we are even giving you a map it was so delicious!)