Takoyaki + Yakisoba set at a Japanese street-food spot ($8.90)!
Japanese street-food set — takoyaki with bonito flakes and mayo, plus yakisoba topped with a sunny-side-up egg. $8.90.
Mid-week Japanese street-food fix — went for the Takoyaki + Yakisoba combo set at $8.90. The osaka classic and the noodle staple in one go. 😋
What was on the gold tray ($8.90):
- Takoyaki balls crowned with a generous mountain of dancing bonito flakes (katsuobushi) — those famous wispy fish flakes that move as the heat rises off the balls. Drizzled with takoyaki sauce and a zigzag of Japanese kewpie mayo underneath. 6 balls in total.
- Yakisoba noodles (visible through the takoyaki pile) — wok-fried noodles in tonkatsu-style sauce, slightly slick, slightly sweet.
- A crispy sunny-side-up egg on top of the yakisoba — orange yolk dusted with green parsley, ready to break and run into the noodles.
Pop the takoyaki in the mouth whole — the crispy exterior cracks to reveal the molten dashi-octopus centre inside (be careful, always 10 degrees hotter than you expect). Then move to the yakisoba: break the yolk, mix it into the noodles for that silk coating effect.
The set format is the right move at a Japanese street-food place — you get the iconic dish + a proper carb base + a runny egg, all for under $10. Single-handed eating-by-toothpick possible if you ditch the egg.
Total: $8.90. Combo pricing wins.
Overall: 4.3 / 5. Takoyaki crust was properly crispy (not soggy from sauce, a common pitfall), yakisoba sauce had real tonkatsu depth, bonito flakes were generously piled. Solid Japanese comfort combo. 😍👍🏼
