Okonomiyaki at Saturday Ferry Building farmers market + any must-try vendors?

[reesie]

I know for sure that Namu sells okonomiyaki on Thursdays at the Ferry Building farmers market, but does anyone know if they have it for sure on Saturdays as well? I'd hate to get myself all excited to try it, only to find it's only on Thursdays!

Also, any other must-try places at the farmers market? I don't get up to the Ferry Building farmers market that often, so I want to try to have a good idea of what to try before I get up there.

[amydeastbay]

I saw it on the menu last Saturday, so I'd assume it's available whenever Namu is at the market.

[reesie]

Yes I do think they have the okonomiyaki whenever they are at the market. From what I hear, it's one of the main dishes they serve along with the kimchi fried rice and korean tacos. The other dishes seem to rotate around.

[little big al]

Right to the right of Namu is Ryan Farr's joint. It's all a bit too dear for me, but the sausage roll (4 bucks) (still kinda pricey) is absolutely one of the best specimens I've ever had AND THERE'S NO LINE. You can eat one while you wait for your okonmiyaki, or one of Roli Rolti's fine fine porchetta panino.

[Melanie Wong]

I've had the okonomiyaki at the Thurs market and have been comparing notes on it with other chowhounds offline who've tried it. So far, none think Namu's is that great. I love almost everything else I've had from Namu, but not its version of okonomiyaki.

[phokonomiyaki]

There are 11 other restaurants in SF (and south) that serve Okonomiyaki, so if you want to try it sometime other than Thu/Sat at Ferry Building, you do have options - there is a list here as well as easy instructions to make at home. http://okonomiyakiworld.com

[Tripeler]

Thoroughly cool Okonomiyaki site. For that served at the market at the Ferry Building, what style is it? Osaka, Hiroshima, or? The approach is quite different depending on the area from Japan from which it originates. SF Okonomiyaki enthusiasts would be really lucky to find Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki, which is remarkably light and crisp.

[Melanie Wong]

Since it's heavy and tough, I don't think Hiroshima would claim it. Maybe Namu has some consistency problems at the market or maybe this is intentional. Did anyone try it today?

[Tripeler]

Heavy and tough, sounds like Osaka-style, done poorly.
Has anyone tried it? Curious to hear how it is.
Okonomiyaki is quite rare in the U.S.

[soupnazi]

Mifune Don Restaurant is my fav

[Debbie M]

Yes, Osaka-style done poorly can be pretty poor.

Last year, I want to say it was around late spring, Delica-rf1 briefly had Osaka-style okonomiyaki. It was the smallest okonomiyaki I've ever seen, slightly smaller than a saucer, which some people might not like, but that allowed you to pair it with another small dish. It was an excellent rendition, crispy without being overcooked, and non-greasy. Definitely the best I've had locally. I hope it's something they'll have again this year.

The place in the South Bay mentioned below was probably the late, lamented Hiroshima Okonomiyaki House . They also had takoyaki, if you needed some batter goodness to go with your cleaner, lighter Hiroshima style.

[Melanie Wong]

Sebo had takoyaki on Sunday during its izakaya service. Here's the photo from its twitterfeed, http://twitpic.com/1a4oqa

[Martin Strell]

We tried it today (well, yesterday, by now). Didn't like it much. Jing and I shared one, and we didn't finish it. We found it heavy and greasy. Incidentally, they'd warned me that it would take "nine minutes" to make - it was more like 15. On the other hand, we loved the "Korean tacos" we got from Namu. Rib meat with little bits of vegetables, rolled inside a dried seaweed wrapper, with a tomato-kimchee salsa. We'd get these again for sure, but not the okonomiyaki.

[Melanie Wong]

thanks for the update, Martin. This piece in SF Weekly dubs it Osaka style. It's been hyped so much but I just don't see why. Maybe for use as a frisbee . . .

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010...

I do like the taco-like ssam too.

[Martin Strell]

It was total coincidence that we had this yesterday - I was unaware of the hype until I saw this thread after we got home. We don't usually go to the Ferry Building market - with the crowds and the parking hassles at he Ferry Building, we usually go to one of the more accessible markets. But I had two cousins visiting from back east, and that was where they wanted to meet, which was fine with me. The Namu stall looked interesting, so I decided to check it out. I wanted something that wasn't too spicy so I could share with the kids, and they recommended the Okonomiyaki.

My cousins were wide-eyed and amazed at the market. It made me remember how much we take for granted here, and how much my own attitude towards food has changed since moving to the Bay Area a little more than 20 years ago. My cousins, who are a little older than I am, remember me as the skinny kid who only ate bologna sandwiches.

[YSZ]

Any suggestions for okonomiyaki in the South Bay?

[reesie]

I've heard tales of great okonomiyaki at one place in South Bay, but that place has closed its doors. I've had the okonomiyaki at Sushi Masa in San Jose. I thought it was good, but a little heavy on the sauces and very salty. Otherwise the texture was nice and it has meat and seafood in it too. I don't know if the okonimyaki experts will say that it's good, but it's one place to try in south bay for sure if you're in the mood and don't want to make it yourself at home.

[YSZ]

Thanks reesie. I'll try Sushi Masa soon, though Namu may call my name loudly enough that I'll have to make a special Thursday trip North.

Maybe the next time I go to Nijiya (MV) I'll see if they have any local recommendations. If so, I'll pass along the word.

[reesie]

Aha... we found the Namu stand and tried it too. I thought it was okay, but nothing to write home about. Mine was nice and crisp on the edges, but the middle was kinda doughy and I thought the cabbage should have been chopped instead of just put there in big chunks. It was hard to eat with a plastic fork.

But yes, the korean tacos were bomb!! I really enjoyed those.

[grayelf]

This is a helpful thread -- I might have been tempted to try the okonimiyaki at Namu had I not read it, as I do love me some Japanese "pancakes" :-). The link to okonomiyaki outside Japan is great too, though not comprehensive, at least as far as Vancouver is concerned. I will check in again in case others post on preferred spots in the Bay Area...

[phokonomiyaki]

Hi Greyelf - The Vancouver listings at okonomiyakiworld.com were updated yesterday to add a few that some Van food publishers discussed on Twitter over the weekend....if you know of any others, please email or post. Thanks!

[phokonomiyaki]

Hi. Namu is definitely Osaka style (or Kansai style). I don't believe there is anywhere in Bay Area that serves Hiroshima style, though it's pretty easy to make at home. Thanks for the tip on Sushi Masa, it's added to the list at http://okonomiyakiworld.com I've had the Namu a couple of times, once it was decent, the other time not as good. It probably depends on the weather, the lineup, the taco orders, and the cook - maybe a bit inconsistent. My favorites are Mifune Don and Genki Ramen. Also, a bit out of the way, but the Majikku Ramen in Daly City was pretty well done. Have not tried the brand new Bushido Izakaya www.bushidoizakaya.com - has anyone?

[bbulkow]

Tried it today. Small room, gorgeous wood walls, nice enough for lunch, I thought the okonomiyaki (served at table with very few options - veg vs chicken vs pork etc) lacked a certain something - a "coming togetherness".

[reesie]

I have not tried the one at Genki Ramen, but I recently had the seafood okonomiyaki at Mifune Don and it was so good! I think it's the best okonomiyaki I've had here in SF yet. It seems like it just gets better and better, so hopefully Genki Ramen will turn out to be very tasty as well!

[Robert Lauriston]

Adding a link:

[Melanie Wong]

Deep in Noe Valley isn't listed. I noticed okonomiyaki on the menu, http://deep-sf.com/deepsplash.pdf , has anyone tried it?

[bbulkow]

OkonomiyakiWorld reports nothing between SF and Mountain View.

Any reports in between? Menlo Park through San Mateo, say? Lots of Japanese along that corridor, must be *some* okonomiyaki!

[bbulkow]

I tried the new place on Castro in Mt View (bushido?), and I thought the okonomiyaki were ok but not great. It just didn't come together, although all the pieces were there.

[reesie]

bbulkow, how would you compare it to the other okonomiyaki? Which one is your favourite so far here?

I would imagine there must be okonomiyaki in San Mateo, but maybe it's not as popular because they are Hawaiian Japanese? I don't know how popular okonomiyaki is in Hawaii (maybe someone can clear that up). Come to think of it, I'm not sure if a lot of the Japanese people here are from Hawaii or Japan. Ha.

[bbulkow]

I filed my in-depth comments on a thread about Bushido directly.

[tatertot]

I noticed that the Cherry Blossom festival is coming up in Japantown. I've never been but maybe some food vendors will be serving okonomiyaki. Saturday and Sunday, April 10 & 11, 17 & 18, 2010

[isaac1972]

The Cherry Blossom festival is generally abysmal, I wouldn't get your hopes up about eating much good Japanese food there.

[reesie]

The food isn't that great, but the festival's grand parade is worth attending!