Octopus Balls: A Lunchtime Anatomy Lesson

"I had octopus balls for lunch" sounds pretty badass--and as it turns out, tastes pretty good. Takoyaki aren't actually octopus balls, of course. (I don't know much about the anatomy of cephalopods but I'm pretty sure they don't have 'em!) Takoyaki are bite-sized Japanese pancake balls, traditionally made with octopus. Maru Global claims to be the only takoyaki restaurant in town and given the special molded grill required to make these little savory balls, I don't doubt it.

I ordered the Seafood Sampler ($9), which included three of each: original octopus, spicy shrimp and crab cake. All three were delicious although two were a bit similar. The original octopus and spicy shrimp were stuffed with savory scallion and aromatic pickled red ginger, the octopus served with a rich Tonkatsu sauce and the shrimp with a spicy mayo. (FYI: Red ginger, beni shoga, is not the same as the gari, the pickled ginger served with sushi.) The crab cake balls were actually made with lump crab meat, not crab stick, and were quite good if not especially Japanese--less the ubiquitous Japanese spicy mayo. The homemade green tea, served unsweetened for lame people like me who like it that way, was perfect for washing it all down...

Although I don't usually judge restaurants of the Philly Bites genre (i.e. cheap) on their decor and presentation, takoyaki strikes me as too delicate and refined, honestly, to be served on paper plates and ordered at the counter. And I mean that as a compliment.

Maru Global

255 S 10th Street