Imagawayakis in Little Tokyo:
Little buns of sweetness
Tuesday, December 20, 2005 16:30
Growing up in Los Angeles, my family and I would drive down to Little Tokyo pretty regularly as part of our usual routines. I took my first Odori dance lesson there, had my first round bowl haircut there, had Japanese bento lunches with my grandmother there, fed the koi fish there in the Pacific Square when they had a pond, and watched with delight and anticipation as the Imagawayakis were freshly made behind the store front window of Mitsuru Cafe.
Don’t mind the “B” rating on the window that’s in this picture taken with my Motorola camera phone. The little buns of sweetness make it all worth while!
So what exactly is an Imagawayaki? It’s a cross between a pancake and a waffle, but with a sweet filling of an inside. The dough is a bit chewy, tough enough to keep the red bean paste innards tucked nicely inside. Sold at carnivals, festivals, and other fun Japanese places, these treats are generally made with a set of cast iron or cast aluminum pans over direct heat until they are light golden brown. Sometimes it gets so hot in the front of this little restaurant, that steam from the cooking pans rise up and fog up all the windows.
The last time I went to Little Tokyo with my family, we picked up a foil lined bag of Imagawayakis. Kept warm, the beans were soft and moist. Mmm…mmm…what a treat!
Mitsuru Cafe
Street: 117 Japanese Village in Little Tokyo
T:1.213.613.1028 | closed on Mondays
By Kristy (see more of her posts). A native of the city, kristy loves to discover new sites, new eateries, new things to do in her online journal of finding the best of la.
SoCalorie says:
December 20th, 2005 at 5:36 pm
Kristy, looks so good. Is imagawayaki synonymous with taikoyaki? I need a key to understanding the differences between obanyaki, taiyaki (only fish shaped?), and taikoyaki.
Kristy says:
December 21st, 2005 at 9:50 am
Wow! Good question! Imagawayaki’s what I’ve always known it as, but I think others call it taikoyaki, oobanyaki or even tomoeyaki (round cakes usually filled with something like sweet red bean). Taiyaki is a cake that’s fish-shaped and filled with something too. I have a feeling that it has a lot to do with what part of Japan you’re in. Here’s a website that has it broken down to prefecture… unfortunately, my kanji skills aren’t up to par. ;P Also I found this other great website that explains some other traditional Japanese sweet foods. Hope that helps! Mmm…I’m already getting hungry! =)
Zteve says:
December 21st, 2005 at 4:06 pm
Is this the outside mall just across from the Japanese Museum and Geffen MOCA? If so, we ate there before going to the Ecstasy exhibit…as everyone should!
SoCalorie says:
December 22nd, 2005 at 6:32 am
The prefecture breakdown page is almost comprehensible with the Google translator! Waffles, crepes are “cripes.” Thanks for the great links.
Kristy says:
December 22nd, 2005 at 9:36 am
Ooo…there’s a Google translator? You know, I think I knew that but couldn’t find it this time around. Cripes! ;)
Kristy says:
December 22nd, 2005 at 9:40 am
Steve…Yes, this cafe is in the Japanese Village Plaza which is not too far from the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) and the MOCA’s Geffen. I still have to use my free MOCA tickets and go to the Ecstacy Exhibit. =)
Shelby says:
December 27th, 2005 at 2:56 pm
I used to go there as a kid also! I am no longer living in L.A., but wish I could find a recipe to make them. Do you know of any recipe?
Beopenguin says:
January 14th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
Get out of my head! I can’t stop thinking about those and now I must drive to downtown this very moment. Mrmph! How dare you force me to eat these before eating at the Shabu Shabu House.
Lisa says:
October 22nd, 2006 at 11:50 pm
These treats are soooo amazing. Just had one right before I wrote this. Anytime I go Downtown, this place is always a must stop!!!
WALT FRAZIER says:
August 12th, 2007 at 3:00 am
[deleted because the author is using multiple names to post derogatory comments from the same location]
MaxMillion says:
August 12th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
^ yeah, it was pretty obvious!!