The team behind Lucky Tortoise have returned to Aungier Street in a bold new move that sees them dedicate an entire restaurant to the most popular dish at their Temple Bar haunt. Owner John Ennis tells us that, having lived in Japan and Korea for three years, his favourite savoury food by far was Okonomiyaki, a Japanese-style pancake made from cabbage, then cooked to perfection.
Transporting the culinary thinking behind the popular Asian street dish to Dublin proved surprisingly straightforward, accelerated by the fact that the base ingredient is not the most difficult vegetable to source here. Ennis then discovered that diners here loved the dish too, prompting the wry observation that, “Our most popular dish at Lucky Tortoise over the years has been Okonomiyaki, so it made sense to give it its own restaurant.”
At the helm in Okky’s open kitchen at Aungier Street is head chef Leslie Haru Kohatsu, who takes great pride in preparing much-loved Japanese dishes such as Tamagoyaki, a traditional Japanese rolled omelette famed for its golden layers and delicate flavours. In addition to rice and a tasty selection of Japanese salads, Kohatsu’s family recipe for delicious Gyozo can also be found on the menu.
Keep an eye out for their lunch time Bento Boxes, offering Okky and three sides for €12, while on the drinks front, the menu is nicely complemented by wine on tap from Winelab.
Open 12pm until late, seven days a week. No bookings necessary.
8 Aungier St, Dublin 2.
