Remember when I said I would try okonomiyaki again? Well, who knew it would be so soon? My church small group and I convened at a Japanese restaurant called Waraku in Heeren Square for a dinner of sharing and testimonies. I was quite anxious about this gathering, because we would be having dinner earlier than my usual dinner time, and I’m used to eating rather light for dinner (because my stupid OCD demands that I need to have a large midnight snack or else!)…But I tried to remind myself that this gathering was not about food and I should focus my attention on the great company and conversations we’re going to share, not the amount of calories/fat/carbs is in a dish.

I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t freak out about the calories at all, but the anxiety was lessened as I really got in tune with the amazing conversations we shared together. Each of us shared our thanksgiving for 2008, and also our prayer topics for 2009. I really got to know and understand each and every one of them better, and marveled at how much God loves us and how He is always working in our lives no matter what our circumstances and problems.

That said, the food was awesome, too! I am totally in love with this restaurant! Why can’t Japanese restaurants in America be this cool? There were so many things, not just the usual sushi or sashimi dishes. There were different kinds of ramen, udon, soba, tempura, dons (rice bowls), steamboats, hot sizzling plates, side dishes, salads, curries, even Japanese-style pasta and pizzas!

I didn’t want a steamboat, because I knew that was just what ED wanted, something safe and easy to fill up on with all that soup. I don’t really care for sushi or sashimi because I can get that anywhere in America. I wasn’t really craving noodles. But what caught my eye was a tantalizing picture of okonomiyaki! I just had to get this dish again…And this time it would be a greater challenge because this is a full-size portion, not just an appetizer portion like the one I had at Sakae.

So I ordered the okonomiyaki, but without the sauce (too sweet) or mayo (ED won on this one)…

The really cool thing is that it comes on a sizzling hot plate with a flame underneath to keep it hot!

Check out the insides! It was perfectly crisp and crunchy like chips on the outside, while quite delightfully chewy and gooey on the inside with that creaminess of the egg and the starchiness from the flour and yam…

Also with lots of little bits of shrimps and octopus! How cute!

I was lacking vegetables so I also ordered a gobo salad…

Basically ice-burg lettuce, sliced gobo (some kind of crunchy root vegetable), and sliced almonds…It came drenched in some kind of wasabi-mayonnaise dressing, which worried me for a bit but I just ate it anyway…It was quite good! The hit from the wasabi was right on spot and made my nostrils flare! In a good way, of course.

Oh and I also had a bite out of my friend’s baked mayonnaise scallops…

What mayonnaise? It was just a lot of mozarrella cheese on top of sauteed scallops! Quite nice, though…

So ultimately we had a wonderful time, and I received a lot of grace from our meeting… We ended close to 12 am!!! Despite the higher calorific dinner, I still had my huge midnight oatmeal “binge” when I got home. Hee! Just love oats too much.

Oh, and a quick post on my lunch yesterday:

The leftover twice-baked potato, an egg-white omelette with green onions, and OTAH!! That orangey thingy you see there? It actually came like this…

It’s this absolutely delicious BBQ concoction I find only in SE Asia…It’s fish paste, grinded with some coconut milk and lots of fresh-ground spices, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over an open flame! So freaking delicious!

So had a minor victory yesterday…It makes me so happy, even though it’s just simple baby steps…But as long as I’m headed towards the right direction of recovery, I know things will get better!

Related posts:

1. Dine out fresh, dine in leftovers
2. Don't mess with the classics
3. Say Chee~se!
4. Eggs all styles
5. You say potato I say pizza~

Tagged as: eggs, fear food, fish, oatmeal, okonomiyaki, potatoes, salad