Tasty Takoyaki Tummy Treats at Tamayaki

Wazzup Pilipinas!

These spherical tasty takoyaki tummy treats at Tamayaki may just be the "tama" (right) filling snack you can conveniently grab to eat while doing almost anything. They come in handy cardboard boxes along with a "spork" so you can easily eat it out while strolling in the mall or watching your favorite movie in the cinema houses.

Takoyaki is a ball-shaped Japanese street food snack made of a wheat flour-based batter cooked in a special  grill. Tamayaki is a lot more than just the traditional takoyaki balls containing bits of octopus. Its is actually a franchise from China with over 200 branches all over the world.

The family owned restaurant managed by four sisters has lots of other fillings so you are sure to find more than one favorite. Prices ranges from P95 (Chicken Teriyaki and Korean BBQ) to P125 (Mussels & Cheese). They have flavors like the Mussel & Cheese and Smoked Mackerel which are only available in the Philippines and uniquely made to suit the Filipino taste.

They also come with either spicy or sweet sauces, or a mixture of both. I would prefer both sauces on my Tamayaki as it somehow enhances the flavor into a more fulfilling dining experience.

To add to the treat are several choices of drinks from milk tea to juices that perfectly matches the food. You'll enjoy every bite and sip of the two combinations. What else can you ask for?

Their very first branch was at P. Guevarra in San Juan, one at SM North EDSA, another one at SM Fairview and the fourth at Fisher Mall in Quezon City. The biggest branch so far is the one at P. Guevarra which has two floors. All four are company owned but they are now starting to offer Tamayaki kiosk franchising for around 800K to 1M.

Our visit at the SM North EDSA branch allowed us to set foot on a very attractive restaurant that was very glamorous looking. The fancy signage and images all over the restaurant, plus the awesome looking counter makes it a really cool place to visit if you want to impress your friends with plenty of Instagrammable photos and selfies at every spot of the restaurant while dining on sumptuous snacks. The owner said the concept was entirely from Tamayaki international.

This could be a preferred hang-out with your friends after shopping at the department store or other boutiques of the mall. But since the food can be for to go, you can also bring home the Tamayaki treats to your families at home.                                   

A great place to hang-out and enjoy discussions about the current news, trends and gossips.

The totality of their restaurant will never fail to catch the attention of passersby

With a group or all by yourself, your visit at Tamayaki is bound to make a repeat

Circular menu signage adds a cooler ambiance

The Tamayaki logo

Wni a free takoyaki just by posting a photo and tagging tamayakiPH and adding the hashtag #ILoveTamayakiPH

Tamayaki for our tummy

Open up and discover what makes Tamayaki better

What makes Tamayaki different from the takoyakis found at the other food stalls and restaurants? The owner said Tamayaki is bigger, and has a crispier coating as compared to the rest which are usually soft and you can't see the ingredients. At Tamayaki, once you open up or slice their takoyaki, you'll see the actual ingredients inside, and you'll definitely be able to actually taste them in all their 12 flavors.

Food treats for the barkada

Takoyaki menu

I was able to taste around 5 flavors and all of them are basically the same wheat-flour batter base stuffed with different fillings. I actually enjoyed all of them but my preference would be to use the spicy sauce since it will add more kick to your takoyakis.

Milk Teas, Teas, and Juices menu

For the milk tea and juices, I tried the Match Milk with Adzuki Bean and I find it flavorful. For the juices, I liked the Passion Fruit Yogurt with Popball

Cheese Milk Tea with Pearl

They should call it Tama-Yami instead - "tama" for right and"yami" for yummy

Seasoned Octopus

The takoyaki special grill

This is the first time I realized that cooking the takoyaki could be a laborious effort. We've seen how it was prepared and it does take a considerable amount of time to shape that takoyaki into a perfect sphere. The crew was actually manually shaping the takoyaki balls into the most presentable form so it indeed takes some skills and patience to finish batches of these treats.

Tamayaki crew

Tamayaki owners

Thank you to the Tamayaki owners for a wonderful treat at their SM North EDSA branch, and congratulations for a splendid alternative to snacking. I hope there would be more branches even in the form of kiosks nearer in Pasig (Megamall please!) so we could easily get to try them again. The nearest branch for us will be at P. Guevarra in San Juan but that's still too difficult to reach. 

We are definitely looking forward to our return visits. More power to the sisters!