Okonomiyaki is like the Everything Pancake.
It boasts tender meat or seafood, a heap of shredded cabbage, a sunny side-up egg, and plenty of saucy sauce all over the top.
Tall and impressive, it is a whopper of a meal.
It is guaranteed to fill you up — and then some.
Inexpensive, it is a popular, casual, after-work meal best enjoyed with beer in Japan, which is where I fell hard for it while traveling there.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to look long and hard to find it at Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area.
So when I read about okonomiyaki-centered Fugetsu in downtown Sunnyvale, I knew I had to visit. While there are Fugetsu locations in San Jose and Santa Clara, they are more like takeout markets.
In contrast, the Sunnyvale Fugetsu is a sit-down restaurant. Actually, it’s really like two restaurants in one. Apparently, when Fugetsu’s lease in Santa Clara ended in 2021, the decision was made to move it to Rokko Japanese Restaurant, which is operated by the same owner.
Even though both restaurant names grace the door, they essentially operate as one with guests getting one large menu with not only Fugetsu’s okonomiyaki specialties but also Rokko’s broader selection of Japanese dishes.
It’s a no-frills dining room sporting an industrial ceiling with exposed pipes overhead, and plenty of framed motorcycle photos in the hallway leading to the restrooms.
If you’re a first-timer, the staff is more than happy to assist with recommendations. When I was torn between a couple of different sochu drinks, a server steered me to the Yuzu Sour ($12) after hearing that I didn’t want something too sweet. It definitely satisfied with a floral, citrus tang that wasn’t overly puckery despite the name. Light and refreshing, it was just what you’d want on a warm summer evening.
Since my husband and I were each ordering an okonomiyaki, we limited ourselves to one appetizer to share. The white tuna tataki ($15.50) brought seared slices of the fish arrayed around a ball of grated daikon and a shower of thinly sliced onion. A spicy dressing, similar to Kewpie mixed with sriracha, was drizzled all over, along with a wasabi dressing. If you are more a fish purist, this might not be for you, as it’s a pretty saucy dish. It’s big on texture and flavor, though, with a nice hit of moderate heat.
There are various styles of okonomiyaki, the two main ones being Hiroshima style, where the ingredients are assembled in layers; and Osaka style, where everything is mixed into the flour-egg-dashi batter.
Fugetsu leans into the Osaka style. You can even order a sampler ($20.50), which consists of four different okonomiyaki (beef, cheese, shrimp, and green onion) on one platter, much like a pizza with each quadrant topped distinctly.
You can also opt to get your okonomiyaki done modanyaki style, which adds a big layer of noodles for even more heft. However, this option isn’t available for the sampler.
Gung ho to go big before we go home, my husband and I, of course, went all in for the added noodles.
His choice? The Gyusuki Tsukimi Okonomiyaki Mondan ($24.95) with beef and egg. Mine? The Negi Tsukimi Pork Okonomiyaki Modan ($23.50) with egg, pork, and Japanese green onions.
Measuring about 7-inches in diameter and more than 2-inches high, each arrived on its own hot cast-iron plate with a knife and tongs for serving.
The Gyusuki one was blanketed with thin slices of very tender beef that tasted a little sweet, much like the soy sauce-mirin marinade for sukiyaki. A runny yolk peeked out of the very top while the straggler noodles poking out the sides yielded wonderfully crispy edges. There was a garnish of red pickled ginger slivers that went so well that I wished my okonomiyaki came with it, too.
Mine resembled a field of green, with thin slices of negi showering the entire top. Underneath, a glossy brown okonomiyaki sauce similar in taste to what glazes unagi covered a mound of noodles with bits of pork and lots of cabbage. It was saucy, savory, a little sweet, and with loads of umami.
I can’t say it surpassed what I enjoyed in Japan. But that’s a tall order.
We dug in heartily and happily — and still ended up taking half of each okonomiyaki home.
Because with the Everything Pancake, it definitely comes with everything — except a second stomach.
Make Okonomiyaki at Home: Buckwheat Okonomiyaki with Eggs and Bacon