I came to Fujiya Ramen in Middletown for Japanese street food. One was great, one was really great.
Takoyaki
Takoyaki are essentially the Japanese version of arancini.
Some minced meat in a creamy rice that are deep fried and drizzles with sauce.
Arancini, right?
Except here the meat is chunks of octopus.
The breading is tempura.
And the sauce is similar to the eel bbq sauce on eel rolls and mayo.
It sounds odd as hell. But it’s honestly pretty good.
There is a minor fishy taste to them from the fish flakes (replacing parsley in an arancini).
Sometimes there is too much mayo, which can be off putting.
Also, the octopus is extremely chewy, which can be odd.
I know that doesn’t sound like a great combo, but once you try them, you’ll realize they are solid Japanese arancini.
The Rating: Takoyaki
7/10
Duck Pancakes
Full disclosure, I don’t like duck.
Most everything that has duck in it just tastes like greasy fowl.
BUT, pancakes are classic Japanese street food.
So I figured, what the hell.
These. Are. Amazing.
They are not duck like at all.
The pancakes are like a gummy philo dough.
Inside is wonderful shreds of moist and tender duck, with a sticky sauce.
It is basically the most umami-forward egg roll you can get.
Wonderful.
The Rating: Duck Pancake
8.5/10
https://www.instagram.com/eatthisct/
Address: 425 Main St, Middletown, CT 06457
Open Everyday at 11am
Menu
Phone: (860) 852-5695