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Okonomiyaki taiyaki: Sweet and savoury combination confuses the senses

Oona McGee Jul 15, 2021
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We love okonomiyaki and we love taiyaki, but will we love okonomiyaki taiyaki?

Taiyaki has gained a worldwide following over the years, with the humble fish-shaped sweet — usually filled with custard or a sweet red bean paste — now featuring some more unusual fillings like mint chocolate and corned beef.

Our food-loving reporter Mr Sato is a bit of a purist when it comes to taiyaki sweets, insisting that custard cream is always the best, but when he found out about a longstanding store that had an unusual savoury taiyaki on the menu, his curiosity got the better of him and he couldn’t resist giving it a try.

So he hopped on a train and headed out to Mieu Creme Bar in Tokyo’s Hachioji district, which first set up business at the local Daiei Supermarket building in 1971, before moving to its current location in 2015, after Daei closed due to its aging building.

▼ Mieu Creme Bar is called “Myukure Bar Coa” in Japanese.

When he arrived at the store, the first thing to catch his eye was the extensive crepe menu, which included flavours like crème brûlée, bacon and egg, and pizza.

There were over 80 types of crepes on the menu, but Mr Sato had his heart set on the unusual taiyaki, which he found on a different board, over with the ice creams, shaved ice and tapioca drinks. There were three types of taiyaki on offer: Red Bean, Custard, and…

▼ Okonomiyaki!

Mr Sato had never seen an Okonomiyaki Taiyaki before, so he immediately handed over 170 yen (US$1.54) for it and waited a few minutes for the fish-shaped treat to be made.

▼ Once it was handed to him, Mr Sato saw that it looked like a regular taiyaki from the outside…

But on the inside, this was no regular taiyaki at all! It was filled with all the main ingredients you’d find in okonomiyaki — cabbage, pork, okonomiyaki sauce, and little bits of red beni shouga pickled ginger — but instead of the flour-based batter usually used to bind it all together, the mix was sandwiched inside the sweet dough of taiyaki.

Taking a bite of this sent Mr Sato’s senses into a tailspin of confusion. His eyes were clearly telling him he was eating a taiyaki sweet, but his taste buds were telling him he was eating okonomiyaki.

Strangely, though, the combination worked surprisingly well together, and Mr Sato didn’t mind it at all. In fact, if he were a local high school student, he’d probably pop into this crepe bar every day for one of these.

▼ If he were young, he’d get a crème brûlée crepe too…so he did. Because despite not looking it, Mr Sato is still a high school kid at heart.

Mr Sato was impressed by both the crepe and the taiyaki, saying they tasted delicious and freshly made. With unusual flavour combinations and fresh ingredients, it’s no wonder the business has survived for half a century — and here’s hoping they last for many more years to come too!

Restaurant information
Mieu Creme Bar / ミュクレバーコア
Address: Tokyo-to, Hachioji-shi, Yokoyamacho 3-9 Howa Honsha Building 1F
東京都八王子市横山町3-9 豊和本社ビル 1F
Open: 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (Closed Mondays)
Website

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