Flour Power: The History of Osaka-Style Ikayaki

More than 70 years ago, a mechanic unwittingly created one of Western Japan’s most iconic dishes. Today, next-generation chefs (and hotels) are rethinking a classic.

Ikayaki is everywhere in Japan. You’ll find it at izakayas, at seafood restaurants and at festivals courtesy of streetside vendors that grill whole squid over charcoal for appreciative eaters. Unless, of course, you’re talking about Osaka-style ikayaki, a regional variant that sees the fried squid bound with egg and served in a crisp and soft pancake. 

Ikayaki is one of Osaka’s long-standing, classical dishes and part of the city’s kona-mono, or “powder culture”, a category of dishes that include other Osaka favourites such as okonomiyaki (cabbage pancake) and takoyaki (octopus balls). Powder culture has its roots in the 17th Century when Osaka became Japan’s centre of commerce and attracted merchants from around the country. As cooks throughout Osaka adapted their cooking style to appease these “impatient” newcomers who sought cheap, quick, and delicious food, a new cuisine was born. 

The birthplace of ikayaki is widely believed to be Yakiya Kaiyukan, a quaint, four-seat store in the narrow streets of Osaka’s Momodani district. According to Saitou Tarou, the restaurant’s second-generation owner, the dish’s discovery was a happy accident.

“Following the Second World War, there were few resources left,” says Saitou. “My father, Saitou Yoshiko, was a mechanic at the time and was in love with squid. He wanted to create something similar to okonomiyaki using squid. At that time, there happened to be some eggs nearby so he decided to cook them together.”

According to Saitou, fresh squid from Iwate and a deeply savoury dashi are the keys to Yakiya Kaiyukan version. Equally important is the double-sided iron grill his father built that allowed him to cook the ikayaki from both sides. (Saitou’s father, meanwhile, remains actively involved in the business, despite being 93 years old). The dish’s popularity led to the opening of a second store in Naniwa Kushibono Yokocho, a traditional and vibrant food court, as well as the development of different variations. One of Saitou’s favourite versions is the momo ikayaki special that features spicy pollock roe and is served with a ponzu dipping sauce.

Although Yakiya Kaiyukan started serving ikayaki in 1950, the dish became more commercialised in 1957 with the opening of a restaurant in the popular Hanshin Department store that served the dish with additional toppings. Commonly used in okonomiyaki and takoyaki, ingredients such as green onions and mayonnaise have now become ikayaki staples. 

Today, Osaka is home to dozens of specialist izakaya shops. At Kaiten Ikayaki Tenrokuya, the humble dish is topped with spicy Korean gochujang. At the popular Ikayaki Pabo, ikayaki is served with cheese and okonomiyaki-style toppings such as okonomi sauce, nori and mayonnaise. For some chefs however, reimagining ikayaki is about more than playing with toppings: it’s about playing with the dish itself. One of the city’s more imaginative versions of ikayai can be found at The Living Room, the new-wave bar and lobby at the newly opened W Osaka. Here, the Osaka comfort staple is reimagined as ikasu tacos with the squid cradled in tacos made with squid ink.

“Ikayaki and tacos share the same cooking method of wrapping ingredients in the dough,” says Shigeru Murayama, culinary director of W Osaka. “The combination of Mexican tacos and Osaka’s soul food is a fusion of international and Japanese tastes, making it a truly W Osaka item.”

For those that equate Japanese food with tradition, this atypical east-meets-west dish might be a surprise, but chimes with Osaka’s reputation as Japan’s tenka no daidokoro (“kitchen of the nation”) that effortlessly incorporates ingredients and flavours from around the nation into the city’s cuisine. In addition to the rethinking ikayaki, the menu at The Living Room also includes a kushikatsu dog that features a deep-fried skewer of meat and vegetables served in a hot-dog-style bun, and fried curry omurice. 

Discover more restaurants and bars at W Osaka here