Around The Way

Friday night, I went to Teppan Kenta, another one of the growing list of izakaya joints in the city. This Japanese eatery was hidden around the back of a condo on Wellesley so it might be hard to find the first time. Look down the side street for the Spanish restaurant Segovia or the back entrance to Northbound Leather and make a left.

Inside was your typical dark-wood décor and wooden communal tables. However, the bulk of seats was around the teppanaki/food bar. I was there for their take on the okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake). While the chef was preparing my dish on the flat grill, I tried the kurage ($3) appetizer. The marinated jelly fish had a good crunch and a small spicy kick. The cold dish was refreshing on this hot evening.

The Okonomiyaki DX ($15) was Hiroshima style, making it different from the usual recipe. Instead of batter, layers of cabbage, noodle, and other veggies were fried, then sandwiched and mixed with beaten eggs. The squid and shrimp were cooked separately and added on top with a generous amount of bonito. There was more sauce than usual but it wasn't overwhelming. It was a tasty pile, the crunchy seafood went well with the fried mix. However, I thought that the fatty richness of the pork slices were better. So the all-pork Okonomiyaki would be a better choice.