Naniwaya Taiyaki

Taiyaki, one of Japan's most beloved street foods, is a sort of pancake shaped like a fish that's filled with sweet red bean paste. Other versions of the same theme are shaped like dolls or are simply circle-shaped, and the fillings can range from the traditional lumpy red bean paste to smooth red bean paste, white bean paste, or even western-style custard, chocolate, or ice cream. The most common, however, remains the classic, and whenever there's a festival or street fair, there is almost certain to be a vendor stall grilling taiyaki in bulk, using long connected fish-shaped molds that can be filled with lightning speed and flipped all at one time. The pancake part, when perfectly cooked and fresh off the grill, gets crispy around the edges (the crisp, spilled-over batter is called the "ears" and especially coveted by certain aficionados) but remains pillowy-soft in the middle where it hugs the filling. If it's not so fresh (and at the street stalls they do tend to pile up before being sold), it may be soggy and lukewarm, and while still sweet and tasty, doesn't have that crunchy-smooth contrast that makes taiyaki so irresistable when they're piping hot.

Although they're frequently sold from temporary stalls, there are also a few permanent places that make selling taiyaki a full-time business. Some of these are in the food basement areas of department stores, and while I'm sure they're good, there's just something a bit too sanitary about them - taiyaki ought to be sold and eaten outdoors, not carried home in a fancy paper box like a French pastry. However, there are some shops that have managed to create a permanent home with old-fashioned atmosphere. In my neighborhood, Naniwaya is the most famous. It's been around for about 100 years, they stir up only a limited amount of batter and homemade bean paste a day, and all the taiyaki are made fresh on the spot by two or three cooks. There's often a line stretching down the street outside (which can be quite an annoyance when I'm riding my bike past the shop on my way home from work). Though there are a few simple tables indoors, the whole storefront is open to the air, and has the feel of a picnic shelter where people might eat on the sidelines of a festival. The taiyaki are sweet, hot, and crisp - perfect for the colder months ahead.

Naniwaya
1-8-14 Azabu-juban
http://jin3.jp/kameiten2-2/naniwaya.htm (Japanese)