OSAKA -- If asked to name Osaka's local specialties, most outsiders would say okonomiyaki (meat and vegetable pancakes) and takoyaki (octopus dumplings, or, as former Gov. "Knock" Yokoyama once introduced them to visiting world leaders, "samurai balls"). While it's true that these dishes originated in Osaka, locals will tell you that the tastiest treat in town is actually ikayaki -- but with a uniquely Osakan twist.
Traditional ikayaki is grilled squid dipped in soy sauce; it's often sold from street-side or beachfront stalls. A less common variety of the dish consists of chopped squid grilled in a pancake and topped with a special sauce. And then there's ikayaki as it's sold in the basement of Hanshin department store, in Osaka's Umeda district.
This shop, which has no official name, sells pancake-style ikayaki, but with a flavor that has customers coming back for more.