Yadokari Kitchen: Home of savory Japanese pancakes

Yadokari Kitchen is located at stall No. 8 at Sugar King Park. (MARK RABAGO)

Yadokari Kitchen is the home of savory Japanese pancakes on Saipan as it is the only establishment on the island that sells okonomiyaki.
The Japanese bento and snack bar was opened by co-owners Gina Ignacio and Saho Moriwake in October 2021 and its claim to fame is the aforementioned okonomiyaki.

Also known as Japanese pizza, okonomiyaki is a Japanese teppanyaki savory pancake dish made up of wheat flour batter and other ingredients.

Okonomiyaki can be cooked with an assortment of ingredients like cabbage, meat, and seafood, and its toppings include okonomiyaki sauce, aonori (green laver), katsuobushi, Japanese mayonnaise, and pickled ginger. 

Yadokari Kitchen is known for their savory Japanese pancakes called okonomiyaki. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Ignacio said she partnered with Moriwake because both have been longtime cooks of Japanese restaurants and share a fondness of okonomiyaki and other savory snacks from the Land of the Rising Sun.

“We opened a snack bar here at Sugar King Park and since vendors sell mostly local and Filipino food here, we thought of making Japanese food. We got the slot here because it’s different from the others as I said we sell Japanese food,” said Ignacio.

Karaage or Japanese fried chicken is also a favorite at Yadokari Kitchen. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

As for the nomenclature, both said they chose Yadokari as not only the snack bar’s name but also its mascot because it’s Japanese for hermit crab and their business is the lone Japanese snack bar at Sugar King Park.

Aside from okonomiyaki, Yadokari Kitchen has also become known for its korokke (Japanese croquettes), karaage (Japanese fried chicken), gyoza (Japanese dumplings), gyudon (Japanese beef rice), and takoyaki (ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and usually pieces of octopus).

Those pining for a sample of Japanese snacks available at their stall, Ignacio and Moriwake recommend ordering the Yadokari bento, which is a combination of karaage, gyoza, korokke, and menchi katsu (Japanese burger cutlet).

What’s more, all food at Yadokari Kitchen is made fresh and it’s highly recommended to phone in your orders before dropping by. 

“We serve freshly made food, so you don’t have to wait if you make a reservation by phone,” said Ignacio.

While both co-owners are living their dream of propagating Japanese snacks on Saipan,  Ignacio and Moriwake admitted it’s been a challenging journey so far because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When
we opened we were already in the pandemic so we don’t have a lot of tourists on Saipan. We actually opened Yadokari Kitchen with catering to tourists in mind. We actually do have local and Filipino customers but not as much,” said Ignacio.

To supplement walk-in orders at the snack bar, Yadokari Kitchen also entertains bulk orders of party trays with okonomiyaki and karaage being the most popular. 

“It’s really hard to run a business during a pandemic, but it’s not only us experiencing this as most businesses on Saipan are experiencing this also,” added Ignacio, who also said she and Moriwake continue to work at Japanese restaurants in the evening. 

Future plans include offering delivery service for a nominal fee. 

Yadokari Kitchen is open every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 11am to 2pm. They, however, are planning to extend their operating hours to 7pm once tourists come back and the economy improves. 

Yadokari Kitchen is located at stall No. 8 at Sugar King Park and for more information, call (670) 284-7429 or go to their Instagram and Facebook accounts.