Takochu
Near Navigli, at Via Casale 3/A, in 2019 opened the first Milanese premise specializing only in the preparation of the Osaka takoyaki. The place is called Takochu which literally means “kiss of the octopus”.
Takoyaki are octopus meatballs typical of the city of Osaka, world famous for Japanese street food. They were invented in 1935 in Osaka by street vendor Tomekichi Endo, who was inspired by the akashiyaki recipe from the city of Akashi in Hyogo prefecture.
The idea for this project is the owners of Sakeya, the entrepreneurs Lorenzo Ferraboschi and Maiko Takashima. The recipe, on the other hand, is interpreted by the chef Masaki Inoguchi (former chef of the famous Sakeya) is very faithful to the original (varies only the size, here they are a little smaller): the batter is made with wheat flour, eggs, dashi broth; the whole thing is poured into a special hot cast-iron pan and, halfway through cooking, the chopped octopus, marinated ginger and spring onion are combined. Once ready, the takoyaki are garnished with aonori seaweed powder, katsobushi, Japanese mayonnaise and Otafuku sauce. Before eating them it is good to let them cool for a few minutes, as the inside is boiling. Once you enter the small room you order your portion from a totem and you pay directly there (as in Japan in the ramen premises, so to speak). You can also get a drink by choosing from water, Asahi beer, green tea and junmai-style sake.
Takochu also offers variants in addition to the original recipe. The takoyaki “Masa” are garnished with sweet and sour sauce, tartare sauce, temakasu and spring onion; the “Wasabi” have wasabi and yuzu sauce, a base of soya, mayonnaise and wasabi chips; Finally, the “Takotacos” are topping with spicy mexican sauce, salad, cheese sauce and tortilla chips.
🌎 https://www.takochu.it 📍 Via Casale 3/A, Milan 📞 02 8347 8497 💰 $