Dohtonbori - An Okonomiyaki Experience

Written By clapalisoc on Friday 13 May 2016 | 15:06

Been introduced to Okonomiyaki by the husband years ago and honestly, it did not make an impression. I don't even remember where we tried it but I remember that it wasn't delicious and there was something odd in it. I have never dared to try this Japanese dish again until I got the message from looloo.

Dohtonbori Greenhills
"Ponpokopon!"

Dohtonbori rendezvoos on a Thursday night, in Greenhills. I didn't even think about it, really, I just said YES though at the back of my mind there were a couple of things I wasn't sure of: one - how to get there by myself from Paranaque and two - the bad Okonomiyaki experience. But then again Okonomiyaki is a specialty of Dohtonbori and in any Japanese restaurant, you're sure that the house specialty is always worth it. Setting aside any worries, I told the husband about it and we had a game plan.


Dohtonbori Greenhills Tatami Room
Tatami Room at Dohtonbori Greenhills

It's easy to spot Dohtonbori in this area coz there weren't a lot of restaurants and they have this cute raccoon statue right in front of their door to welcome you. The place was warmly lit with modern interiors and a play of traditional touches to somewhat make you feel like you're in a restaurant in Japan. They have a space that can accommodate a lot of guests plus a tatami room with about four tables if you want a more relaxed setting. Each table here has a teppan in the middle that can cook about two dishes at a time. Dishes are cooked right in front of you. You can either have them do it for you or if you would like a total Okonomiyaki experience, you can do it by yourself. No need to worry though coz their staff will be there to guide you and help you out.


Dohtonbori Greenhills owner, Dohtonbori Greenhills Japanese Chef
Rey (wearing blue) and Kosugi (wearing black)

Kim and Rey from Dohtonbori Philippines, together with their Japanese chef Kosugi joined us that night. They answered every question that we had and made sure that we were comfortable and had all that we needed. According to Rey, they train their servers for months and makes sure that each one has the same skills to maintain the quality of the dishes cooked. Each stroke and flip is taught until each member of their crew gets it the way it's done in all their other branches.

We got the chance to try their best sellers --

Cheesy Pork Okonomiyaki for 240Php



Dohtonbori Greenhills Cheesy Pork Okonomiyaki


They have a wide selection of Okonomiyaki from pork, beef, seafood, cheese and even mochi. We tried their Cheesy Pork Okonomiyaki and we were given a step by step demo on how to cook Okonomiyaki the right way. They have timers by the way to ensure that each Okonomiyaki is cooked perfectly.




The process of cooking started by 1) mixing together the bacon cut pork, pickled red ginger, cabbage, spring onions, tempura bits and egg in a bowl and pouring half of it into the teppan. 2) Add in the cubes of mozzarella cheese and 3) pour in the rest of the mixture. Wait for 5 minutes to cook one side. 



Dohtonbori Greenhills, How to cook okonomiyaki

4) Flip to cook the other side, for another 5 minutes. 5) Give your Okonomiyaki another flip and another 5 minutes to finish the cooking process and then 6) smother with Okonomiyaki sauce


Dohtonbori Greenhills, how to cook okonomiyaki

7) Drizzle with lots of Japanese mayo (create some art) 8) sprinkle with bonito flakes and some nori flakes.



Dohtonbori Greenhills, Cheesy Pork Okonomiyaki


Slice it up to reveal the gooey cheese and enjoy while warm! 

I must say that this was good. The sauce had a kick of sweetness and some sour notes. I liked that it also had the right saltiness and that the cabbage was still crisp. The mix of all the ingredients was just right and this was a far cry from my first Okonomiyaki experience years ago.

Dohtonbori Pizza for 340Php

Aside from Okonomiyaki, they also have Teppan Pizza. Basically, the crust is your usual pancake batter and they top it with an assortment of ingredients. Their best sellers are the Four Cheese and Dohtonbori Pizza.


How to cook a teppan pizza

1) Pour in the batter into the teppan for the pizza crust then 2) cover it with overlapping strips of bacon cut pork. 3) Flip that over to cook the pork and wait for 5 minutes.




4) Flip it one last time to add in the rest of the ingredients 5) Okonomiyaki sauce, mixed cheese, cabbage with pickled ginger. 6) Make a hole in the middle of the veggies and dunk the egg. 7) Cover everything up with an aluminum dome and wait for it to cook.


How to make a teppan pizza

Once done, 8) drizzle generously with Japanese mayo. 9) Sprinkle with bonito and nori flakes. 


Dohtonbori Pizza

I think this was my favorite of the spread that night. Loved the runny egg, the pancake base, the crisp veggies and the mix of the sauce with the pork and the cheese that added saltiness. The mayo tied everything together and the bonito flakes plus nori added an umami-ish flavor.

Omelette Yakisoba for 290Php

Dohtonbori Philippines Omelette Yakisoba
Ingredients for the Omelette Yakisoba

This reminded me so much of Omurice probably because of the thin scrambled egg that enveloped the noodles. Preparation was simple for this one. 



How to cook Omelette Yakisoba

1) Mix the pork strips, carrots, bell pepper, ginger, mushroom, bean sprouts, cabbage and noodles, sauce and stir-fry everything. 2) Fry the scrambled egg into thin round shape and put the stir fried noodles + veggies on top. 3) Expertly enveloped the stir-fried noodle mixture with the fried egg. 



How to cook omelette yakisoba

4) To finish it off, they smothered the entire thing with their signature sauce. Then, 5) drizzled with Japanese mayo and 6) sprinkled with bonito and nori flakes. 



Omelette Yakisoba

This tasted just like the other dishes served because the ingredients were almost the same but the noodles held the flavor of the sauce nicely.



Zaru Soba
Zaru Soba for 220Php

Not really a fan of cold noodles and I have only tried eating cold soba once or twice. The cold soba here was really good. The noodles had this light flavor in it, add a little wasabi, dip into the sauce - ahhhh..simple but really good. The heat of the wasabi gave a good contrast to the cold noodles as it slides down your throat. The sauce was light and it was the first time that I saw sesame seeds added.



Garlic Angus Striploin Steak
Garlic Angus Striploin Steak for 530Php

They also had us try their Garlic Angus Strip Loin which wasn't as tender as I have expected but I loved the garlic butter that they smothered the steak with. 



Garlic Angus Striploin Steak

I asked for a medium well done-ness. The steak was seasoned just right and the butter with loads of garlic bits gave it a characteristic garlicky flavor which wasn't too strong.



Dohtonbori desserts
Tiramisu for 220Php - Berries Mini Parfait for 140Php - Chocolate Mini Parfait for 140Php

For dessert, they had us try their parfaits and Tiramisu. I personally preferred the Tiramisu which had a scoop of mascarpone cheese ice cream with chocolate and coffee powder, chocolate crunch balls and slices of chocolate brownies. The sweetness broke all the salty food that I ate. The Berries Parfait had frozen berries in it and was also good.



Okonomiyaki Experience


According to Rey, ingredients like the veggies, meat and seafood are locally sourced but all others like the flour, bonito flakes, nori, mayo, noodles are from Japan.

Servers were nice and friendly, always smiling and very attentive. I kinda observed how they treated their paying customers and it was the same way they treated us.

Will definitely bring the hubby here coz he's such a fan of Japanese food.


4 out of 5 Stars for Dohtonbori!


UPDATE:


Went back to Dohtonbori with the family weeks after my sponsored adventure but this time, we were paying customers. I have to say that their service was consistent - warm and friendly staff, very helpful and responsive. We got the following --

Cheesy Pork Okonomiyaki
Cheesy Pork Okonomiyaki for 240Php

Husband got their Pork and Cheese Okonomiyaki and he loved it! The quality and taste was consistent and the husband enjoyed every bit of it. He even played around with the nori and bonito flakes to add more flavor into his okonomiyaki.



Sake Ozeki Nama
Sake Ozeki Nama for 130Php

He also got a bottle of and shared it with me. He was so happy with the whole experience that he was already planning to go back even when we were still there.



Zaru Soba
Zaru Soba for 220Php

I loved the Zaru Soba last time so I ordered it again. Introduced this to Cherienne, sans the wasabi, and she enjoyed it! We got another order because one was not enough. Husband also tried it and loved it! We were never fanatics of cold noodles until this Zaru Soba from Dohtonbori.



Teppan Pizza Quattro Formaggi
Quattro Formaggi Teppan Pizza for 240Php

My daughter also asked for a Teppan Pizza and we got the Quatro Formaggi. She watched intently as Mafe cooked it for us. Four kinds of cheeses – Mixed cheese, mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan made this teppan pizza so good! 



Teppan Pizza Four Cheese
A closer look at the gooey cheese and the caramel drizzle!

But what made all the difference was the caramel sauce that was drizzled after it was cooked. It gave a really good contrast to the rather salty teppan pizza. It was gooey and lovely! Little miss loved this!


Rating this family visit 5 out of 5 Stars!




---Dohtonbori: Missouri Square, 8 Missouri St., Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila

***you can also find them here: 

---G/F Main Bldg., SM City North EDSA, EDSA cor. North Ave., Quezon City, Metro Manila
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About clapalisoc

I am a workaholic mom who is also trying to be the best wife ever. I am a self proclaimed food lover, a frustrated cook and pastry master. I have a thing for books and scrap booking fills up my free time. Blogging? It's something I do once in a while when I can squeeze in some "me time" in this super busy life.

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