Green Takoyaki!?

In my university days, I went on a summer exchange program from my university to Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University to study Japanese and Japanese culture. I lived in Kyoto during that time but I sometimes went to Osaka on the weekends. It was there I discovered the tasty Kansai cuisine known as takoyaki or octopus balls in English. I loved the takoyaki in Osaka and have loved takoyaki ever seen. Whenever I go to Osaka, I have to go to Dotonburi and get takoyaki.
Ibaraki is a different story. Not a lot of options when it comes to takoyaki. Sure, I could get takoyaki from the famous chain shop Gindako, but that is more of a quick lunch/ I got a movie to get to quick dinner. Tsuchiura has a takoyaki shop but it is...there. Where can I go in Ibaraki to get good takoyaki? Last month, I finally found a place! The takoyaki there is delicious, the owner a master at his craft, and the takoyaki is...green? Today I will be talking about Tsukuba's very own Oji-tako.

Oji-tako

Oji-tako is a new takoyaki place that opened in Tsukuba's Matsushiro area a few months ago. It is a take-out place only with many different takoyaki dishes to choose from.
The Ibaraki Eats Duo went there on a late Tuesday afternoon last month to get some takoyaki for dinner. Oji-tako is in the residential neighborhood of the Matsushiro area. There is nothing but houses and a park around it. Oh, and a laundromat. The first time we drove to Oji-tako, we had no idea where to park. So we decided to park at the laundromat next to Oji-tako which I am not suggesting but no one told us we couldn't do it, and walked inside.

Inside

As I wrote before, Oji-tako is a take-out-only place. When you walk inside, there is a counter area for ordering with the menu and a sitting area to wait for your takoyaki. The sitting area has a big TV playing BGM while you wait for your takoyaki.
My wife and I headed to the counter and were greeted by the owner. We looked at the menu and decided we would be getting two different takoyaki dishes.

The Menu

The menu has four different takoyaki dishes. Unfortunately, there is no English on this menu but I will translate.
The first one at the top is the original blue takoyaki. The menu says aotakoyaki which means blue takoyaki but really the takoyaki is green. Japanese has this thing where they say Ao but they mean midori, green. So this is green takoyaki. Why is it green? Because there is spinach in the takoyaki. I would have never thought of putting spinach in takoyaki but this skilled mad takoyaki chef did.
The second one is the fluffy egg. It is the same takoyaki but on top of it is a nice fried fluffy egg for added flavor.
The third one is basil cream takoyaki. A nice basil cream sauce coated on the green takoyaki.
The fourth one is mentaimayo takoyaki. Mentaiko, or pollock roe in English, is a kind of Japanese spicy caviar that is found in sauces, rice balls, and on takoyaki.
Also, there are special menu items at Oji-tako. One of those special items is further down this post.

The Original Aotakoyaki

The original aotakoyaki comes with everything that takoyaki should have. Takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise. There is also a lot of negi (spring onions) in this takoyaki. I don't mind since I like negi.
My wife grabbed one of the takoyaki balls with her chopsticks and said "Wow, it is green." I was mentally preparing myself to eat the takoyaki ball.
Here is the thing. I love takoyaki, but sometimes takoyaki brings pain. Eating takoyaki feels like you are going through a spartan trail with your mouth. They can be small balls of hot molten lava if they have just been freshly cooked. One time in Osaka, I had a takoyaki ball and burned the inside of my mouth pretty badly. The next day, the roof of my mouth was peeling.
I bit into this takoyaki ready for the heat. Instead, I got a nice warm feeling in my mouth. It wasn't cold nor hot but just about right. Like when you get into your bathtub and the water temperature is just right, you feel relaxed. I was perplexed. This ball was just made a few minutes ago, why is it so nice and warm? Could it be the spinach? I am still not sure. Another thing was, that this takoyaki tasted a little creamier than most takoyaki I have had. It felt like it had less oil than most takoyaki and maybe even a little healthier. I liked this original take on takoyaki and my wife was a fan as well.

Tacos Takoyaki (Special Menu)

This takoyaki is not on the original menu. This is the tacos takoyaki. It has the original green takoyaki but it is covered with salsa and tortilla chips.
First off, if you are going into this takoyaki thinking it will be Mexican level taste, that is not going to happen. But if you go into this takoyaki looking for a fun twist on the usual takoyaki, then give it a try. I rather enjoyed this takoyaki. The salsa wasn't spicy at all but it wasn't too bad. I did like the crunchy tortilla chips contrasting with the soft warm takoyaki. It felt like they were working together for a soft and crunchy fun experience.

Basil Cream Takoyaki

This was my wife's favorite of all the Oji-tako takoyaki we tried. I am a fan of it myself. Remember how I said eating the original aotakoyaki tasted creamier than other takoyaki I have had? No add that creaminess and multiply it by ten. Then add some tasty basil in there and you have the basil cream takoyaki.
This takoyaki coated my mouth in basil cream when I bit into it. I loved how I got all that soft creaminess of the takoyaki and then the octopus meat just pops up for a grand appearance like a celebrity showing up for a cameo. This is called takoyaki but there is so much going on outside the ball and around the octopus meat that it is a nice little surprise when you do taste that hard octopus. It was a great takoyaki dish and one that I am sure we are going to order again.

Oji-tako was a great and delicious takoyaki experience. It has become one of my favorite places to go grab takoyaki for dinner. The Ibaraki Eats Duo hopes we can go back there soon, talk to the kind owner, and order some tasty green takoyaki. Maybe we will grab some takoyaki for tonight's dinner.

So if you are in Tsukuba's Matsushiro area and are in the mood for some takoyaki, why not give Oji-tako a chance? Who knows, you might see us there, ordering takoyaki for our dinner while I ponder the question that has been bugging me since I moved to Japan. Why do they say Ao if it's green?
Enjoy!

For more information on Oji-tako, check out their Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/ojitako/

Update
At the beginning of this post, I wrote that Oji-tako was a take-out-only place. I have recently been informed that Oji-tako does have a small dine-in area where you can enjoy your aotakoyaki. A big thank you to Haruna Maria Rose Kaunang from the Tsukuba Food Report Facebook group for the info.