Light wisps of steam rose from the gray expanse of the grill table like the ghosts of an ancient battlefield. The cook evenly spreads the oil on top of it, making the dull metal glisten, reflecting the lamp above it like an autumn midday sun.

From a ceramic bowl, he spoons minced cabbage and pork strips coated in a light, creamy batter. Gingerly, the cook shapes the mixture with a pair of short dual-wielded spatula into a neat patty the size of a saucer, topping it with little squares of mozzarella cheese. He covers the patty with a shiny steel bowl as it sizzles on the grill table, the bowl resembling the back of a samurai helmet. Minutes later, he lifts the bowl and flips the patty, revealing a golden-brown brocade-like pattern. He does this a couple of times before covering it in a rich sauce akin to molasses, spreading it with a brush like a woodworker varnishing a handmade chair. The cook adds the final touch – Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise – from a short nozzle squeeze bottle and makes patterns you normally find in coffee latte art, dusting the whole thing with dried bonito powder and nori flakes.

This is how diners get to experience the savory Japanese pancake known as okonomiyaki in Dohtonbori UP Town Center – fresh, in-your-face and dynamic, unlike most dining experiences where the secrets of the kitchen remain in the kitchen. I found myself ready and raring to go sample their fare, both okonomiyaki and otherwise.

We began with an okonomiyaki trifecta – mouth-watering Cheesy Pork with pork and mozzarella cheese; the Hamburg Cheese Steak, a toothsome hamburger steak with sizzling cheese sauce and the Godzilla-sized Hiroshima Yaki, an okonomiyaki made in the Hiroshima style – the technique to make this is different (it is fried in layers) and has noodles in it. Okonomiyaki is the Japanese philosophy of utilitarian elegance personified – it’s a delicious low-carb, low fat, high-fiber meal packed with vegetables; it’s eaten slowly and fun to watch while it’s cooked; if you wish, you can cook it yourself on the teppanyaki grill and it’s great for sharing.

Had the okonomiyaki been the only thing served, I would’ve already been content, as these things are pretty filling as they are, but Dohtonbori wasn’t done with me yet.

The Radish and Seaweed Salad with yellow and red capsicum, lettuce and Japanese sesame dressing came next, to cleanse my palate and boost my fiber intake for the day. This vibrant salad was crisp and chipper, and I definitely recommend it for its taste as well as its health benefits.

Now normally, most Japanese restaurants straight out of the islands specialize in only one thing, and I was expecting that Dohtonbori was really just good at okonomiyaki, offering other dishes just to pad the menu. I was so happy to be proven wrong with the dishes that followed. Ajitama Ramen, ramen noodles with steaming tonkotsu (sauce for deep fried pork cutlets) or shoyu (soy sauce made from soy beans and wheat) soup with chashu pork, aonori (dried seaweed) and a soft-boiled egg was brought in for sampling. I would happily rank this among the top specialty ramen places in the city, even if their selection is purposefully limited.

Their Pork Gyoza and Ebi (Shrimp) Tempura is also up to par, the gyoza meaty and firm while the thick and crunchy nine-inch ebi is a must-try for all ages. This was followed by a simple grilled Pork Yakiniku, the same kind they use for the okonomiyaki so it’s just as juicy. These went smashingly well with the Salmon Fried Rice with Lettuce and Egg and the Steak Fried Rice with USDA Striploin Steak and shoyu or shio sauce. Without a doubt, this is the kind of spread you could happily and unabashedly satisfy several kaiju-level appetites with.

Another triumvirate followed, of the rice bowl variety – Katsu-Don (fried pork cutlet), Gyu-Don (thinly-sliced beef) and Butatama-Don (pork and eggs). The Katsu-Don and Butatama-Don each had a raw egg that was slowly being cooked by the heat of the rice and meat under it while the Katsu-Don had a more scrambled look to its egg. All three were sumptuous, with the Gyu-Don and Butatama-Don taking high marks from me for their heady flavors, with the same fat, round grains of Japanese rice used for the Salmon and Steak fried rice earlier.

However, the grilling wasn’t over yet, and we had a last hurrah of teppan-style cooking in the form of an Omelette Yakisoba, with pork and strands of red ginger, the noodles so scrumptious that it’s easy to see why Dohtonbori makes great ramen as well. However, we began with cheese so we ended with cheese – the euphoric Quattro Formaggi pizza drizzled with caramel sauce will send you into a state of ecstatic Zen.