People labelled me a foodie but i am unworthy if that title as i don't follow current trends and hence, am not even aware that this particular shop at JCube, Gindaco, is famous in Japan (500 branches in over 40 countries) and ever had presence in Singapore a few years ago.
Nevertheless, my curiousity was piqued when i saw a snaking long queue at its newly opened outlet (for its re-entry into Singapore's highly competitive food industry). As it's also our inaugural food trail in Jurong, i thought takoyaki would be great for sharing as the ball-shaped snacks wouldn't be too heavy.
Reading the differences between Osaka and Hiroshima style okonomiyaki; can't remember how long i waited but it was definitely more than 30 minutes; maybe even closer to an hour. Thank god for the invention of smartphones as i happily cleared my Homescapes' levels while queuing.
After ordering and payment at the counter, take your pager and wait for it to vibrate / ring. Yes, another wait although it's more manageable at less than 10 minutes in my case.
I couldn't resist ordering more as i have waited for so long! Hence, it's an 8-piece original takoyaki and okonomiyaki! I would have paid for yakisoba too if it wasn't already sold out that day.
Okonomiyaki - as mentioned above, this is osaka style where dough and ingredients were mixed first before pan-frying. Filled with more shredded cabbage than batter; each mouthful was a moment of satisfaction with the taste of refreshing vegetables enhanced by the crisp batter, the sauce and mayonnaise.
Takoyaki - high hopes beckoned as this is literally the signature for Gindaco! Compared to the cheaper ones sold in many pasar malams in Singapore, the balls here were larger. When queuing up, you would actually see the cooking in action and the usual manual ball-shaping is fully automated at Gindaco.
I wanted to slowly savour the takoyaki and took a bite instead of popping one into my mouth; the outside was sufficiently crisp while insides remained deliciously soft, albeit a bit hollow (like the batter didn't fill up). You can also see from the above photo that they don't sting on the octopus; which was a substantially big piece! Addictive sia!
=====
Address
2 Jurong East Central 1,
JCube Basement 1,
Within Don Don Donki Food Court,
Singapore 609731
Map
As above.
Menu
As above.
Note that some items might be sold out.
Pricing
Okonomiyaki - S$6.50
Original Takoyaki (8-piece) - S$7.90
[NETT]