Takoyaki (fried octopus balls), 6 for S$4.80

On the same night we had dinner at Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin, I joined the queue for the much-hyped takoyaki from Tsukiji Gindaco at ION Orchard’s B4 food hall.

Verdict: Miles better than Takopachi over at Takashimaya! There’s a nice-sized chunk of octopus in each ball, and the beni shoga (red pickled ginger), tenkasu (crunchy flour bits), leeks, and katsuobushi (fish shavings) are of much better quality.

The best part was the crispy, browned exterior. They achieved this by pouring a final round of oil onto the hot iron pans to further brown and crisp up the cooked flour balls. Sweet…!

Left: Pre-battered balls; Right: Ready to be served!

While it was delectable, it wasn’t quite as mindblowing as I’d expected. Hmm, maybe my expectations were too high? But a friend who’s tried the real deal in Japan told me that while it’s better than what’s currently available elsewhere in Singapore, it still falls short of the original ones in Japan.

Oh well, I guess we can’t eat chicken rice in Russia and expect it to be as authentic as in Singapore. At least we now have something closer to the real deal.

Tsukiji Gindaco
#B4-64/65, ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
Singapore 238801
Open: 10am – 10pm daily