My wonderful friend, Tim, took us to Sakura Tei where he did all the ordering and cooking of okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) and monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き), best described as savory Japanese pancakes. Of course I ate WAY too much but had an amazing time.

I remember that the first time I had ate these “pancakes,” I thought of them as a thicker and inferior version of Korean pajeon -which is popular to eat at restaurants like Joseon Kalguksu (조선칼국수와통막걸리) or Cheon Tak (천탁). But, once I ate okonomiyaki during a trip to Osaka, I was hooked and craved it every time I was in Japan. The perfect ones are burn-your-mouth hot, chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and so good!

The name of okonomiyaki is derived from the word okonomi, meaning “how you like” or “what you like,” and yaki meaning “grill.” Monjayaki (often called simply “monja”) is similar to okonomiyaki but uses different liquid ingredients.

You can find directions to the Sakura Tei Okonomiyaki & Monjayaki Restaurant in Harajuku, Tokyo here. Enjoy!