Japan Boat Takoyaki Tawau

I admit that I was the last person in my household to try out the ever popular Japanese snack takoyaki, due to my dislike over seafood. My initial impression of the snack was that it might have some sort of seafood smell and after taste that I’m so not fond of. But when my curiosity got the best of me one day as my mom presented me with a chicken version of said snack, I was instantly hooked! So ever since then, I’ve tasted a couple of locally produced takoyaki and so far everything was good but nothing too memorable. But unlike the others, I have eluded this particular stand for awhile now (even though they can be considered as the pioneer here) due to its singular flavouring.

This well known franchise has been making its rounds here in Sabah (as I’ve noticed several of them during my trips to KK) and Tawau is no exception. They’re previously located at a prime spot on the ground floor of Eastern Plaza (facing the main open stage) but had since moved a few lots away, to a more secluded area (possibly due to the increasing rent?) near to Servay Parkwell Hypermarket. As they did not offer any other choice other than ‘octopus’, I’d held out from stopping by their place on several occasions. But my eager partner had bought two sets of those yummy looking munchies recently so I figure that I should at least give them a chance. And I was surprise that I found myself not hating them at all. Granted, I’m still not a fan of seafood but the main ingredient pretty much got lost within the thick ball shaped flour and generous amount of toppings. Man, I never thought that I would be happy to taste the overwhelming sauces and tempura scraps before, as I found everything acceptable and to my preferences.  

** Current status – Still in operation (as of May 2018)