Otafuku

Fancy some Japanese pancakes and octopus balls for a quick lunch? Just to clarify for the squeamish - they're not actual octopus genitals (I can't even fathom what those would look like), but more like boiled octopus rolled up in the shape of a ball.

A couple of classmates and I decided the weather was perfect for a quick stroll to East 9th St. and re-visit Otafuku, a small storefront selling basically three different Japanese street snack foods: takoyaki (the above-mentioned octopus balls), okonomiyaki (Japanese style cabbage pancakes), and probably the most mainstream among the three choices, yakisoba (fried noodles with veggies). For a closer look, check out the pic below.


Adventurous eaters and chronically indecisive people will probably want to try on of the combination platters to sample a couple of these somewhat unfamiliar dishes (and perhaps to hedge against a unsatisfying lunch). So this is basically what we did to ensure that we would taste all three, but since everyone was eager to try the takoyaki, we all wound up with box B or C as our lunch option.


The takoyaki and okonomiyaki are somewhere beneath all those bonito flakes, with the octopus balls also smothered with some kind of sweet sauce. When asked by the counter person which toppings we wanted, I simply indicated "everything", though not knowing what that term included. I did see specks of scallion and mayo among the things that he was suddenly putting on top of our food at blizzard speed.

We decided to sit and eat on the lone bench outside the storefront, somewhat amused at the curious stares we elicited from passers-by. They probably wondered what those strange-looking items were in our plastic take-out boxes. And why we were devouring them with gusto in public.

The octopus balls (six of them) were bigger than expected, piping hot fresh off the grill (don't stuff the entire thing in your mouth!), and were quite tasty. It took a while to finish the entire combination platter though, since it was more food than we thought - yet another nice find on the East Village for a reasonably-priced filling lunch.


As one of my friends says, "It's just like the tiny stalls in the small alleys of Tokyo". Ah, music to my ears - guess I'll find out in a few weeks' time how the New York octopus balls stack up to the original.

Porchetta

My all-day Saturday class at NYU is pretty grueling, however, the school's proximity to the East Village and its bountiful lunch spot choices provides at least some consolation.
My new friend V. and I excitedly plan our lunch escapades, and after having sampled ramen (Ramen Setagaya), pho (Pho 32), and okonomiyaki (Otafuku) the previous three weeks, I suggested we venture to Porchetta for a pork fix.

A big hit among New York City's foodies when it opened a couple of years ago, I had been dying to try Porchetta's pork sandwich after a oouple of friends gave it the thumbs up. So what exactly is Porchetta? Their website provides this mouth watering explanation: "Roasted pork with crispy skin, highly seasoned with aromatic herbs and spices, garlic, sage, rosemary and fennel pollen. Typical plate of the Roman cuisine. Slow cooked Italian fast food."

Got that? All I can say to the proprietors of Porchetta is, "You had me at 'crispy skin'". For those of you out there who need visuals, is the image below sufficient?

Occupying a tiny storefront on E7th St., Porchetta's menu options are pretty much limited pork on a bun or with veggies on the side. Inside a glass display sat an entire side of a pig, glistening so that I couldn't take my eyes off, and the smell wafting through the air making me even more aware of my growling stomach.

Seating is extremely limited, but it was a nice spring day so we opted to devour our sandwiches on the benches outside. The description did say "slow cooked", so an order of patience is necessary as well while your porchetta is being prepared. It doesn't help to see other diners savoring every morsel of their meals, that's for sure, like the guy in the first picture. (Pretty nifty reflections too, don't you think, a technique I learned on a photo walking tour in Boston).

Finally, about ten minutes of salivating, the counter person called my name and I rushed in to grab our plates. The meat is quite moist and flavorful, the crispy skin crackling when your tooth makes contact reminded me how much I missed eating "bad" fattening pork dishes, cholesterol be damned. V. and I agreed it was quite filling, each bite heavenly. Slowly we trudged back to the campus building, discussing next week's lunch options and wondering which one could possibly top Porchetta.