The orthodox Osaka style of Japan’s beloved octopus balls is waiting at Jugemu.
Takoyaki is impossible to find in Tokyo…??? That statement didn’t seem right to us. Sure, Japan’s beloved octopus dumplings may have originated in Osaka, and the city is still considered takoyaki holy ground and has the most enthusiastic fans, but takoyaki is popular across Japan. There’s even a major takoyaki chain, Tsukiji Gindako, that was founded in Tokyo’s Tsukiji neighborhood.
But as our Osaka-born reporter Seiji Nakazawa will vehemently tell you, he doesn’t consider Gindako takoyaki to be real takoyaki. Sure, he admits they’re tasty enough, but to him, “Gindako” are their own kind of food, separate from takoyaki.
▼ For everyone else on our staff, this is a picture of Gindako’s takoyaki, but for Seiji, it’s a snapshot of Gindako’s Gindako.
Seiji feels similarly about pretty much all the takoyaki he’s had since moving to Tokyo: They may not be bad, but they’re not takoyaki. So what’s his beef with how Tokyo does octopus balls? Their texture.
Take another look at Gindako’s version in the photo above. See how the outside has been cooked enough to develop a sort of crisp crust? That’s the problem. Takoyaki isn’t supposed to be like that, Seiji says. Instead, the dumpling is supposed to be tender not just at the center, but all the way through. The outer texture should be no firmer than what it would feel like biting into a thin crepe. To Seiji’s palate, Tokyo’s takoyaki feel more like they’re fried than grilled.
Again, he’s not saying that the contrast between the crisp outer layer and gooey center in Gindako takoyaki is bad. However, it feels too fancy, too calculated, too much like someone is trying to elevate the dumplings into a serious dish. The proper takoyaki ideology, Seiji says, is that takoyaki should be a completely unpretentious snack that you can scarf down as quickly as you want to, and the soft Osaka-style texture is what makes that possible.
So imagine how high Seiji’s heart jumped while he was walking around the Ameya Yokocho section of Tokyo’s Ueno neighborhood and saw a stand boasting that it sold not only Osaka takoyaki, but Osaka Senshu takoyaki, referencing the part of Osaka Prefecture where Seiji grew up.
Right away, the down-to-earth, no-frills seating area had Seiji feeling confident that this place, called Osaka Senshu Jugemu, had brought the old-school Osaka takoyaki philosophy with it to Tokyo.
The menu is straightforward too. You choose how many takoyaki you want (starting at six for 480 yen [US$3.20]) and then your sauce/primary seasoning, with options consisting of the standard savory Worchester-like takoyaki sauce, a spicy variant, ginger, and salt and pepper.
Seiji opted for a six pack with the standard sauce, plus some mayo, bonito flakes, and aonori (powdered seaweed). Once he had his order, he knew he was in for some, by his definition, real takoyaki.
The texture was perfectly gooey, sometimes so much so that the dumpling would melt away before he could bring it up to his mouth and he’d eat the octopus and batter separately, the latter mixing with the sauce and mayo into a delicious mess.
As happy as Seiji was to have finally found a place to get his preferred style of takoyaki in Tokyo, he was even more thrilled when he did some checking and found out that Jugemu also has two other branches in the city, one in the Nakano neighborhood and the other in Koenji. So whether you’re an Osaka-style takoyaki hardliner like he is, or you’re just interested in getting a taste of the dish’s roots without going all the way to Osaka, be sure to check them out.
Restaurant information
Osaka Senshu Takoyaki Jugemu (Ueno Okachimachi branch) / 大阪泉州たこ焼きじゅげむ（上野御徒町店）
Address: Tookyo-to, Taito-ku, Ueno 6-9-1
東京都台東区上野6-9-1
Open 1 p.m.-10 p.m.
Website
Photos ©SoraNews24
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