Takoyaki Street Food, Osaka

Takoyaki — golf ball-sized dumplings of wheat flour batter filled with octopus chunks and cooked in a specialised copper pan — is Osaka's defining street food and an experience that every family visiting Japan should have at least once. Dotonbori's Kukuru chain serves eight balls for 600 JPY (approx. 30 HKD) with a choice of toppings: traditional okonomiyaki sauce and mayo, ponzu and ginger, or plain with salt. The best takoyaki should be molten inside and crispy outside; the theatrical flipping technique using two copper picks is something vendors often allow children to attempt at tourist-friendly Dotonbori stalls. Japan National Tourism Organization data shows takoyaki is the most widely recognised Japanese food among first-time visitors from Hong Kong, ahead of sushi and ramen.