Otafuku

Are you in the East Village and need a snack? Have a craving for something Japanese? Otafuku is the place to visit. This hole-in-the-wall joint, nestled between two bars, makes delicious takoyaki (octopus balls), a popular street snack in Japan. The store is tiny (probably only 70 square feet) and the standing room for customers is about 20 square feet. Put in your order, take a number and wait for savory little balls of heaven to be placed in your hands.

These octopus balls are made in a special takoyaki tray which is a griddle that has holes in it to cook and form the snack-sized balls. The batter is put into the holes; as they cook, octopus is placed into the batter along with pickled ginger, scallions, and sometimes bits of fried tempera batter. Then a little more batter is place on top of it and they are flipped over so the other side can continue cooking into the form of a ball. The result is this creamy seafood ball of deliciousness which is then topped with a takoyaki sauce (similar to teriyaki or eel sauce) then Japanese mayonnaise, seaweed flakes and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). To me, the spicier the better, so I add a blog of sriracha on the side.

For $5 dollars, you get SIX golf ball sized takoyaki with all the bells and whistles. It's a deal that can't be passed up when you're in the east village!