Egg-citing

3.5/5 stars

The newest arrival to the small Japanese restaurant enclave off of Xinyuan Xili, Hideyoshi is a tiny, four-table joint that serves up okonomiyaki, a Japanese-style omelette loaded with pork, seafood and other good stuff, lightly brushed with sweet sauce, and topped with mayonnaise and bits of seaweed. The décor is simple—think Tori Tei but smaller—with a handful of tables and a few seats around the bar. But if you’re heading to Hideyoshi, you’re not going for the ambiance, you’re going for the food, and fans of this particular dish will not be disappointed. Though the tables are set up with a hot plate built in to cook the okonomiyaki yourself, at Hideyoshi they cook it for you and leave the hot plate just warm enough to keep your food from cooling off while you eat. Owner Kimio Taji hails from Kobe, but both Kansai and Kanto-style okonomiyaki are on the menu, one with noodles, and one without, respectively. We tried the signature Hideyoshi yaki (¥53), the pork kimchi yaki (¥48) and the mixed seafood yaki (¥62). Though not cheap, they are authentic, tasty versions of the dish, and leave you full and satisfied. Wash it down with a glass of lemon chuhai (¥38), or a bottle of Asahi (¥20) and you’ve got a meal worth traveling for. Service is a bit spotty, but pleasant and friendly, and we suspect it will be ship shape in the coming months—Hideyoshi just opened this past January. There’s a simple, clean toilet on premises, which fortunately means no sojourns into the surrounding neighborhood. One word of warning: don’t head to Hideyoshi expecting an extensive menu of Japanese bar food—aside from a few simple side dishes like edamame (¥18) and pork yakisoba (¥38), it’s all okonomiyaki, all the time.

Laura Fitch, March, 2012