Singapore (singapore)
Last Updated: January 31, 2017
Do you want to make your own okonomiyaki?
Ajiya Okonomiyaki is probably one of the few Japanese restaurants in Singapore that allows you to cook your own Japanese savoury pancake on a teppanyaki table.
The restaurant is closest to Beauty World MRT station, just take exit B and it’ll be a few minutes’ walk to the entrance of Ajiya Okonomiyaki.
The interior exudes a homey feel and you should choose to sit by the long counter top if you want to experiment with the okonomiyaki and beef teppanyaki yourself.
Larger groups can choose to sit at tables separated by partitions, which provide a cosier space.
The okonomiyaki served at Ajiya is made from a combination of cabbage, sakura ebi, tempura crisps, scallions and egg yolk. For the toppings, you can choose to have either seafood, meat and/or vegetables, depending on your order.
We had the Seafood and Meat Combo ($14) and chose tobiko, crabmeat and bacon as our three toppings. The ingredients will all come served separately, so it’s down to you to mix it up and pour onto the teppanyaki table.
There are many other toppings available like prawns, smoked duck, ham, cheese, kimchi and shiitake mushrooms. You’ll be spoilt for choice!
After the pancake is cooked, you can even create your own designs on it, freehand or with a stencil that is provided. We were thrilled to design our own Mickey Mouse Okonomiyaki.
Go crazy drawing patterns on the surface or use a tool to trim off the pancake edges to create the desired shape.
With the Mickey Mouse stencil placed over the okonomiyaki, you can squeeze mayonnaise on it to form the outline.
But that’s not all! You can also add teriyaki sauce and some bonito flakes to further customise your okonomiyaki.
Ta-da! Our Mickey Mouse Okonomiyaki is ready to be eaten. Easy right?
We tried some other dishes too, including the Hiyashi Chuka Ramen ($9), which came served as a beautiful heap of chilled ramen hidden beneath shredded carrots, cucumbers, eggs, ham and crab meat.
The noodles were soft yet springy and made for a refreshing dish.
The Potato Cheese Mentai ($10) was one of our favourites. Served on a hot pan, the potatoes are generously topped with creamy mentai cheese.
Fried rice may seem like a simple dish, but the Garlic Fried Rice with Prawns ($5) at Ajiya was filled with ingredients including prawns and egg, fragrant from frying together with garlic.
One of the recommended dishes is the Shio Koji Tori Karaage ($12). The crispy chicken chunks are marinated overnight in shio koji (fermented mixture of malted rice, salt and water) before they are fried, making the pieces so flavourful and juicy with each bite.
We loved the Century Egg Kani Tofu ($6), which is a blend of tofu with Surimi crabmeat, drenched in Ajiya’s homemade century egg sauce. The dish was creamy and delectable, with a soft crunch from the tobiko.
Besides okonomiyaki, you can also grill meats and vegetables on the teppanyaki counter top.
We had the Kurobuta Pork ($22), US Short Prime Rib ($35) and Japanese Wagyu Beef ($48). Usually the meats come in separate portions, but since we wanted to take a good photo, we requested the selection to be served on a platter.
Once the meats are cooked, you can choose to eat directly from the counter top. For those sitting at the tables for larger groups, the grilled food will come served on plates.
To end your meal, do try Ajiya’s Special Teppan Dessert ($6), where bananas are mixed with butter and grilled in front of you. The bananas are then added to a scoop of vanilla ice cream and served.
This dessert is downright sinful, so of course we loved it.
Head to Ajiya Okonomiyaki for an interactive meal experience and to try your hand at DIY okonomiyaki or teppanyaki. Kids will love this, so get your whole family together!
Expected damage: $15 – $30 per pax
