Kuribou

Rating: OK
Meal: Lunch for 2
Price: 1450 yen
Payment: Cash only
Dishes:  Okonomiyaki and horumon yasai yakiudon
English Menu: No
Smoking: No

When we first arrived in Japan, we lived in Kurihama for 2 years.  This was about 30 minutes further south from Yokosuka, and eventually we decided we'd rather live in Yokosuka proper and save the commute time.  I didn't begin this blog until after we moved to Yokosuka, so all those restaurants I had eaten at prior haven't been on this blog.  Yesterday, my wife and I were in Kurihama at a hardware store looking for some items, and after we were done we walked over to a nearby Okonomiyaki restaurant called Kuribou that was new since we had been in town last.

Okonomiyaki

What makes Kuribou a bit unique is that it serves Hiroshima style okonomiyaki.  The Osaka style is more popular in the Tokyo area, but we tried Hiroshima style when we were there and actually kind of like it better.  Personally, I'm not a big okonomiyaki fan, mainly because I find the ingredients unappetizing and the sauce repugnant.  But occasionally I've had okonomiyaki I liked.  But my wife loves it, so we go now and then.

Yakiudon

Kuribou is a very small restaurant, with a single large teppan and lots of seats around it.  The owner is an older guy, clearly doing something he likes.  The heat inside was pretty intense, due to the hot teppan, and we were both glad to escape at the end.  My wife ordered a typical Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, while I opted for stir fried vegetables, internal organs and udon noodles.  There were no low carb options obviously.  He made my wife's okonomiyaki first, and then my dish, so it's very much a one at a time deal.  If there are lots of people, I assume it could take some time.  But I think the idea is to drink while you wait, so no big deal if you have the time.  Luckily it was just the two of us there.

My wife enjoyed her dish well enough, but afterwards she said it wasn't particularly great.  My dish was just meh as well.  I did notice the guy seemed to use a lot of off the shelf ingredients.  I guess if you are really hankering for Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, that would be a reason to go visit, but otherwise I probably wouldn't head back.