Takoyaki at Freshstreet

Finally made it out to sample the takoyaki from Freshstreet this week! I hope you got to know Freshstreet last summer, when they were serving up amazing Japanese-style crepes from their mobile Foodie Cart. Myself, I quickly became addicted to their lemon pork belly and bulgogi bibimbap crepes.

Foodie Cart fans were devastated to learn that the crepe cart was involved in an accident and likely wasn't coming back after a winter break. Thankfully owners Kenny Kim and Misako Ohba are back at it, cooking up takoyaki (tiny ball-shaped dumplings stuffed with chunks of octopus) out of Mikey's Late Night Slice shack in the Short North.

They're supposed to be a street-food snack, but two dishes were definitely filling enough to serve as a lunch. For my inaugural order, I tried the traditional octopus and a savory veggie version. Both were delish, especially after being topped with sweet soy-sauce-esque okonomiyaki sauce, mayo and bonito flakes (ultra-fine fishy shavings).

Word is Freshstreet will soon be testing out negiyaki, a scallion-packed version of the okonomiyaki savory pancakes filled with various veggies, meats and cheeses.