When I heard there was takoyaki available in town, I felt the magnet pull immediately.
Buki is part of the new food cart pot on Division and SE 28th called Tidbit… as if Division Street wasn’t already kicking it in high gear with lots of delicious eats along those 10 or so blocks. The food cart just opened maybe a month ago, but it feels like a neighborhood center already. On my visit on a Friday, I saw many people arriving pushing a baby stroller or with some toddlers or with a dog, with several people greeting each other with hugs as they ran into each other. There is lots of seating, live music, and quite a lot of options with the the more than dozen carts situated here.
I resisted temptation when I saw the offerings of the other carts to focus on Buki and their takoyaki as a snack before dinner. So unfortunately I also restrained myself from their dessert offerings. Gee, I’ll just have to go back. I also noticed that Buki has the most ADORABLE DOG. He’s perfect.
I haven’t had takoyaki in 2 years, after all! Takoyaki are basically a flour ball made in a special takoyaki pan which is very remiscent of a aebleskiver pan (Aebelskivers are Danish filled round pancakes) in that the pan is full of round wells that the batter is poured in, followed by the filling, and then the rest of the batter to form the ball.
A traditional Original Takoyaki is filled with pieces of steamed octopus (Tako), and topped with lots of takoyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, ao-nori seaweed and bonito flakes.
The food cart Buki does offer alternates such as a Western Blend that has sausage and cheese on the inside with the same toppings as the Original. Or, there is the Bomber, with jalapenos on the inside and nacho cheese sauce and bacon bits on top. To up the spiciness, you might consider the Volcano version that has kimchee inside and a house special mayo sauce on top.
So it seems either way, there will be a lot of toppings. You will notice they serve the little hot balls in a little boat, and there will be a little stick that is used to poke the takoyaki and carry it to your mouth. DO NOT EAT THEM RIGHT AWAY IF THEY ARE FRESH as they will be SUPER HOT. You don’t want to burn your tongue and not be able to taste these!
Each order has a generous 8 pieces, but it is made fresh so may take 10-15 minutes so place your order then wander over to get your beer and perhaps a dish or two from other food carts to make it a “progressive” food cart dinner, with Takoyaki as your appetizer.
In addition, also from their menu Buki also offers bubble tea and Taiyaki, a waffle that is shaped like a fish and which inside is filled with sweet red bean paste (Original) or chocolate or nutella, your choice. So perhaps you might consider Buki for dessert as well.
The Takoyaki are crispy on the outside and meltingly soft and a bit gooey on the inside.
Buki is open for lunch and dinner, with hours Wednesday and Thursday of 12-3 PM and 5-9 PM, and weekend hours of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of 12-3 PM and 5-10 PM. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
