Dotonbori, in the the centre of Osaka, is more or less considered ground zero for the city’s nightlife. Running parallel to the main canal, it’s a crowded, noisy, neon jungle that often draws comparisons to Bladerunner. The main street hums with the clamour of pachinko parlours and girl bars, and back streets seem to lead off into worlds and lives that most of us are barely able to imagine. It’s right here in the middle of this vice and ruin, that some of the best street food in the city can be found.

As I mentioned in my last post, okonomiyaki (cabbage pancake) and Takoyaki (octopus balls) are two of Osaka’s most celebrated dishes. Dimpled hotplates cooking golfball size takoyaki are distributed thickly throughout the downtown area, and so many restaurants and street stalls sell Okonomiyaki it can be hard choosing the right ones. In Dotonburi however, I was lucky enough to find two great examples of both right next to each other.

My last Osakan Takoyaki experience didn’t go too well, but this time things were different. The Takoyaki was firm on the outside, and concealed a rich molten batter that exploded in my mouth on contact. At the heart of the Takoyaki, lurked a thick substantial piece of tender octopus. The Takoyaki were covered in mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauce (a thick, sweet sauce similiar to worchester) and thin shavings of smoked, dried and fermented tuna called katsuobushi.

These three condiments were also features of the okonimiyaki on sale just across the street. This time however, they sat on top of a thick pancake made from chopped cabbage in a rich, eggy batter and a slice of something resembling streaky bacon. This felt more like an omelette than a pancake, and had a remarkable hash brown consistency. This was my first experience of Okonomayki (I tried to find some in Tokyo last year but to no avail) but needless to say it’s one I had to experience again before I went back to Seoul.

Both dishes make for great street food, and both easily found. The stalls are located opposite each other, slightly off the main street and just before the thin, wooden bridge about half way down the pedestrianised section. Depending on the time of day, one or the other should have a long queue!