Okonomiyaki would have to be in the top three of my favourite Japanese foods of all time. On our first night in Tokyo, we walked past a traditional style restaurant serving Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and that was it, dinner decided. The staff at Benbee were very understanding and managed to accommodate our 10+ group without any trouble in the larger upstairs seating area. The teppans were turned on, but our food was cooked downstairs, where the chef was manning the main teppan, so unfortunately we didn’t get to cook it ourselves. Our Hiroshimayaki came out looking beautiful – it was slathered in okonomiyaki sauce (as it should be) and you could add bonito flakes to suit your taste. There was also a vegetarian option, which I was told was delicious too. After the okonomiyaki we ordered a range of other meats, including calamari, which was a particular highlight. But by the end of the trip everyone looked back and thought that the best thing about Benbee was the beer – it was served incredibly cold, which was exactly what we needed after a long overnight flight.
Benbee Teppan, 5 Chome-1-11 Shiba, Minato, Tokyo 108-0014, Japan , no website
