Upon reading the bilingual menu at Gaja, you may not know where to begin. The restaurant’s specialty alone, the pancake-like okonomiyaki, comes with up to 24 fillings and toppings (which range from spam and cheese to scallops and squid), all of them presented in whatever combination and style you prefer. The folks at Gaja offer the two most popular forms of the dish, the thinly battered Osaka style and the thickly layered Hiroshima style. The most basic of Osaka-style okonomiyaki is made from egg, flour, grated yam, dashi (a fundamental Japanese soup stock) and shredded cabbage, eaten with a topping of okonomiyaki sauce (sweet, thick and vinegary), katsuobushi (dried and fermented bonito flakes) and mayonnaise. For the more substantial Hiroshima variety, the premise is similar, except the ingredients are layered and stuffed with noodles. You can try your hand at grilling your own pancakes, as the servers will kindly instruct you in the process, but if you’re not ready for the hands-on experience, the menu offers even more combination dishes with precooked okonomiyaki. In addition, the lunch menu boasts an udon and okonomiyaki set, served with a light spring salad topped with honey-mustard dressing. Arriving in wide, shallow bowls, the pastas, like the okonomiyaki, come in a wide variety. The Japanese-style shimeji carbonara is remarkably creamy with a nice pork broth, while the octopus and beef pastas simmer in their light, buttery soup bases. Gaja’s menu is extensive and ever-expanding, so experimentation is key, although do make sure to call ahead of time as their hours are irregular, and long lines are common during dinnertime.

GAJA JAPANESE RESTAURANT 2383 LOMITA BLVD | LOMITA 90717 310.534.0153

Tags: gaja, japanese, lomita, okonomiyaki