No doubt you've often wondered what a takoyaki plate is. I myself discovered the answer to this common query when working at a catering company and my head chef requested I hunt one down. Turns out it's an unusual panhandled griddle fitted with twelve semi-circular recesses in which to cook off, specifically, little balls of batter laden with chunks of octopus meat. It also turns out Tokyo Mart is the only place the sells them retail in Sydney.
In the heart of the Anglo-Saxon dense lower North Shore, this specialty grocer is like stepping straight into a Japanese supermarket. Stocked with all manner of imported goods, you'd be hard pressed not to find exactly what your authentic recipe demands - there's everything from "saisho" sauce (a condiment especially for roasted eel) to various flavours of instant miso paste, frozen crab croquettes, dried salted sardines, cooked sweet chestnuts in a jar, and pre-sliced seaweed strips for soups and salads.
On the left hand side of the store, they also have a range of cheap Japanese porcelain available - including soy sauce containers and tea pots - as well as ingredients for Thai and Vietnamese cooking, like dried shrimps and rice paper sheets. read more