Remember my post about Octoboy before? In case you haven't here's another review of the Japanese restaurant that serves one of the best and authentic Takoyaki Balls and Osaka's famous sizzling pizza- Okonomiyaki.
I was more than excited when we got the chance to visit Octoboy in Tomas Morato again not only because I miss their takoyaki balls and okonomiyaki but also because they're offering a new set of items on their menu.
Octoboy is owned by Mr. Giovanni Cheng who wants to revolutionize Japanese cuisine by providing their customers with quality food made with premium ingredients along with excellent service.
We were sampled with Octoboy's all-time favorites and some of their new and best-tasting offerings.
To start off, we were served with Edamame beans which were seasoned with salt for taste. It was an interesting appetizer to munch on as not to bore customers while waiting for the main courses.
Edamame (P100)
I remember the first time I've tried this and had no idea how to eat it. I chewed on the pods without peeling off the skin. After learning the right way of eating it, I couldn't stop myself from munching on this healthy treat.
Although it was seasoned with salt, the beans were not salty at all after peeling the skin off. They were just like nuts that I keep on popping to my mouth.
I guess by now, everyone is familiar with these ball-shaped Japanese snack that can be found in every mall, train station and food court.
Octopus Takoyaki (P120)
Takoyaki balls are made up of flour batter that consist of octopus pieces and veggies. But due to the fact that octopus costs a lot more than squid, most, if not all, food stalls use squid instead of octopus.
However, Octoboy boasts to serve takoyaki balls with pure fresh octopus that would completely melt your heart.
I've tried a good takoyaki from Moshi Moshi but it doesn't comes close to the taste of Octoboy's. I guess it really pays to spend a little more for such a premium delicacy like this Takoyaki.
Ocotoboy's Takoyaki comes in six large pieces of this soft and delicate treat. Each ball is infused with so much flavors that burst and melts in your mouth bite after bite. The bonito flakes on top and the drizzles of mayo and okonomiyaki sauce made it richer, creamier and tastier as you finish the whole thing.
Aside from the usual okonomiyaki sauce that goes with it, Mr. Cheng recommended that we dip the takoyaki balls into their black vinegar sauce to prevent redundancy in taste. A good tip since after finishig our takoyaki, it left us craving for more.
Chicken Okonomiyaki (P300)
Since we previously tried the Octopus Takoyaki, we subsequently had chicken for our okonomiyaki.
Okonomiyaki is a japanese specialty that is made up of batter, assorted veggies and topping such as squid, chicken, pork, shrimp and even octopus. Actually, you may put anything on it since the name itself is derived from the word "okonomi" meaning what you want and "yaki" meaning grilled or cooked.
Octoboy's Chicken Okonomiyaki is a pancake of chicken teriyaki with mozzarella cheese. Generous drizzles of peanut mayo and chili sauce sits below the crunchy topping of tofu skin and sesame seeds.
I would say that this okonomiyaki is by far the tastiest and most savory okonomiyaki I've had over the years. I guess it is because of the rich and creamy peanut mayo that made this japanese sizzling pizza a hit for everyone.
Yakiudon Shrimp (P395)
I can't get enough of the okonomiyaki but I tried to pace and control myself for the succeeding dishes that will be served on our table.
Another best-seller in Octoboy is their fried noodles or Yakiudon specifically their Shrimp Yakiudon.
Again, this dish was as tasty and savory as their okonomiyaki. Octoboy gave a twist to the classic yakiudon by drizzling curry mayo into the dish. Stir-fried in a special tangy sauce, the thin udon noodles were perfectly cooked with fresh veggies and five pieces of deep fried breaded shrimp tempura on top.
Grilled (Saba) Mackerel w/ Ponzu Sauce (P280)
We don't normally order mackerel in restaurants with fear that it wouldn't taste fresh and the fish wouldn't be lean and meaty.
Surprisingly, Octoboy's saba tasted fresh and juicy. The meat was delicate and soft with smokey grilled marks on the skin.
Kani Salad (P165)
Octoboy gave another twist to the classic Japanese kani salad. Instead of the usual japanese mayo, their kani salad had vinaigrette as its dressing with just a little amount of japanese mayo drizzled on top.
A bowl of fresh and crisp greens and cucumber with sweet diced mangoes, kani strips, tobiko and wakame, the success of this salad lies mainly on the special dressing and the freshness of the ingredients.
Crispy Gyoza (P95)
Instead of the usual steamed and pan fried dumplings, Octoboy decided to serve their gyoza fried. Although I prefer the steamed ones due to health reasons, I found these deep fried crispy gyoza tastier and more flavorful. What made it tastier is the sauce that enhanced the flavors of the classic Japanese potstickers.
And to end our Octolicious meal, we were served with these cute mini desserts from My Pink Wasabi called Kashi Makis.
Midnight Mint- Chocolate sponge cake and dark chocolate ganache infused with peppermint tea
Oolong Berry- White chocolate strawberry ganache wrapped in almond sponge cake and white chocolate, topped with strawberry roe.
Choco Loco- Nutty milk chocolate ganache wrapped with chocolate cake and toasted nuts
White Matcha- Creamy white chocolate green tea ganache wrapped in pistachio cake and nuts
I was completely blown away by the taste of these makis. I couldn't imagine how a pop of these miniature cakes into the mouth could produce bold and big flavors. My personal favorite is the White Matcha as this maki holds three of my favorite ingredients- White chocolate, green tea and pistachio. The perfect mix of these ingredients yielded a balance of nutty sweet taste.
Looking forward to trying out other kashi maki flavors from My Pink Wasabi!
In my opinion, Octoboy is still the undisputed place for best-tasting takoyaki balls and okonomiyaki in the Metro. I highly suggest trying out some of the Chef's Recommendations as they innovate and create new delectable Japanese dishes once in a while. In addition, they manage to entertain their customers by providing live band performances every Friday and Saturday night- transforming it into a modern Japanese resto-bar wherein friends, office professionals and even famous celebrities flock to relax and experience authentic Japanese cuisine. So be sure to swing by at Octoboy soon and it will definitely capture your heart and huge appetite instantly.
cheese overload! yummy! i wanna try their takoyaki, i miss the authentic japanese taste.
ReplyDeleteThe resto is worth a visit .i like to try the sizzling pizza and all other food
ReplyDeleteOctoboy really surprised me, in fairness.. :) I wasn't expecting the food to be really good, but I was proven wrong. For okonomiyaki though, I still haven't found myself used to their peanut mayo sauce XD
ReplyDeleteNot really fond of Japanese food, but would love to give this a shot!
ReplyDeleteThey have a wide range of foods and would definitely want to try octopus again.
ReplyDeletemouth watering, i wonder how different it is from the usual italian and american pizza. :)
ReplyDeleteMmmm. Japanese food. Those dish looks really good...
ReplyDeleteGrilled (Saba) Mackerel w/ Ponzu Sauce (P280) looks yummy!
ReplyDeleteI used to really dislike Takoyakis with fish flakes on top since I've gotten so used to Samurai's version. But months of living here in Singapore made me appreciate it more. Hehehe!
ReplyDeleteLove Pink Wasabi. They're really good. =)
I am not really a fan of Japanese foods except sushi but it seems the shrimp could be quite tasty.
ReplyDeletewhat a delicious yummy post. foods looks delicious lalo na yung mackerel!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to try their Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki! :)
ReplyDeleteif there's one thing i love about japanese foods, its their fried delicacies... love to try them... thanks. Yahweh bless.
ReplyDeleteI honestly pity myself for having tried only one Japanese cuisine in Eastwood.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure to indulge more on my vacation. :)
Very appetizing! I've always been a pizza lover. Hopefully I could try this treat in the future!
ReplyDeleteI want to try their takoyaki and okonomiyaki. What is the proper way of eating edamame btw?
ReplyDeletegosh. this post made me drool!
ReplyDeletei haven't tried octoboy yet but i'm so curious!!! japanese pizza? i love jap food and pizza.. and so combined... shucks, i'll be delighted for sure ;D
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agree! it was my first time to try them and i loved it! :)
ReplyDeleteyou just have to push the beans out of its pod.. no worries 'cause it quite easy to do :)
ReplyDeletequite dfferent 'cause okonomiyaki is more like a pancake or perhaps close to omelettes :)
ReplyDeleteCraving for tayokaki now. I want to eat! lol
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of Takoyaki and as of the moment I still find Samurai Ball's Takoyaki better. I think I am going to try this one out.
ReplyDeleteI like the cute octopus. :D All the food looks very delicious...
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a Japanese food fan but this should be interesting to try especially the edamame and the yakiudon shrimp
ReplyDeleteYakiudon shrimp and crispy Gyoza looks yummy..i love to try it
ReplyDeleteOK. First of all, it's lunch time here, and thank you for making my mouth water. Haha. Nagutom ako lalo! Hahahaha..
ReplyDeleteNice ang restaurant. Though I'm more of a Korean-food lover, I think that trying Japanese food is not a bad thing to do, and looking at the photos that you gave us, I think, mapapasabak ako sa Japanese food. LOL
Oh wow, now I am hungry. Does Octoboy has only one branch? I surely want to try out their foods. The Octopus Takoyaki seems to be tasty looking one and also the pizza. But I think I need friends to join with me to try out most of their foods. Yummy foods.
ReplyDeletethey also have one branch in banawe but the place is smaller.. i'd recommend visiting their tomas morato branch instead :) yes, it's better to have friends dine with you cause their servings are to share :)
ReplyDeleteI love Japanese food and these really looks good. But I am curious, where is the sizzling japanese pizza?
ReplyDeleteit's the okonomiyaki :) it's called sizzling japanese pizza 'cause it's placed on a sizzling plate and sliced like a pizza :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this post :) .. I am pleased and definitely like to try out this japanese restaurant.. I will ask my hubby to drop by here.
ReplyDeleteseafood waaa and this is the reason why I am hesitant to enter japanese restaurants hahahaha.. thanks for sharing though
ReplyDeleteI have tried Octoboy and surprisingly, I love their menu. And the prices of the food is quite reasonable too.
ReplyDeleteNow I know the difference between Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki, I thought they were the same. The Kashi Maki also look delicious!
ReplyDeleteI missed eating Takoyaki for the longest time now. I just hope group buying sites would have this already.
ReplyDeleteactually octoboy offered vouchers in ensogo recently. Upon checking today, they're already sold out :(
ReplyDeleteOctoboy is near our office...love Edamame too.
ReplyDeleteYou have convinced me!
ReplyDeleteIt seems they're all perfect for my discriminating taste buds. The prices are affordable. I'm excited to eat Japanese prepared foods!
ReplyDeleteWaaaahhhhh!!!! TAKOYAKI!!!! I got to try it there. I hope it has the same delicious taste like the one I buy at Salcedo Saturday market.
ReplyDeletethat chicken okonomiyaki is mouth watering! a must-try for me!
ReplyDeleteWow! Nomnom! I love Japanese food. That looks mouthwatering. This post made me hungry and crave for Japanese food. :(
ReplyDeleteI love how you describe this culinary experience..
ReplyDeleteMakes me wanna jump right off my seat and hunt this place..
Hmmm! I should tell my friends first.
I wanna taste that Takoyaki Balls
interesting. do they have any vegan food?
ReplyDelete@facebook-100003516307743:disqus I'm afraid they don't have :(
ReplyDeletedi masarap yun yakiudon
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I think their Takoyaki Balls is a bit expensive. But to be fair it has real Octopus.
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