Okonomiyaki Dinner And Ice Cream

In the past, okonomiyaki was a popular Japanese dish and it has been memorialized long into the future. Even now, recipes from the history books are passed down as heirlooms to families who run okonomiyaki restaurants. As such, okonomiyaki became a classic fast food, and it was slowly gaining traction in the First Outerlayer.

Of course, Yulie and the others had never tasted them before since they weren't that interested in trying out new foods. It was thanks to Sheila and Theresa that the group would be able to try the dish for the first time.

Albrecht wasn't new to the dish so he wasn't at all that excited. Then again, it had been so long since he last ate an okonomiyaki, and the thought of tasting it again made his mouth water.

The moment they seated themselves, Albrecht made a mental note that he'd be the one cooking the okonomiyaki since no one had had prior experience with them. He wasn't the best of cooks, but he was fairly certain that he'd do a good job at it.

Besides, there were the other Albrechts in other dimensions backing him up. There was no way he'd fail in the simple process of making an okonomiyaki. Who would've thought that such a convenient skill would be readily available thanks to Albrecht's connection with his counterparts?

"We'd get this, this, and this," Albrecht instantly said before all of them sat around one table. He didn't bother asking them for their opinion since they had the menu in their hands as well, which meant that they could also order anything they wanted to try.

In the end, they decided to put off their orders so they could try Albrecht's recommendations. After finishing those, that's when they'd order if they weren't full at that point.

"Whoa.... why are the ingredients separate? Don't we just heat it up?" Yulie asked. This was the first time she saw the process of cooking okonomiyaki. Although she knew about it, she had no idea that it was served per ingredient.

"You mix them all up, and then sort of sautee or stir-fry it on this iron plate." While Albrecht spoke, he began mixing the ingredients together. It's as if he was teaching the ladies how to properly cook okonomiyaki, and in a way, that's what he was doing since he was curious as to how they'd do it after this.

"Ooh~" Sheila let out as the savory scent of the okonomiyaki permeated the air. It was a mouth-watering smell of the delicious batter and the other ingredients that blended nicely with it. (Author's note: I'm not hungry, you are) Compared to the other tables that were cooking okonomiyaki, this one had the most delightful scent, probably because it was being cooked right in front of them.

"Now we add the sauce, the spring onions, bonito flakes, and a nice layer of mayo... then we add more spring onions and bonito flakes," Albrecht said.

And the okonomiyaki was pretty much done. The ladies gulped as they watched Albrecht grab a slicer, evenly dividing the okonomiyaki into five sections.

"Those things just moved... are they alive?" Theresa asked with curiosity. She could've sworn that the bonito flakes started wriggling the moment they were put on top of the okonomiyaki.

"No, it's just a normal reaction to the heat. Those are made out of dried bonito fish." Albrecht then said. Somehow, their dinner became an appreciative tutorial for okonomiyaki. In any case, cooking the first regular okonomiyaki was done.

It was time to eat.

Although this was their first time eating okonomiyaki, they didn't hesitate to take in a mouthful since it was Albrecht who cooked it. They didn't worry about anything, and they expected the taste to be as good as its fragrance.

As they had expected, it tasted heavenly. Even though it was hot, straight out of the iron grill, they blew with their mouths open and chewed on the okonomiyaki with pleasure. It was their first time tasting something so comforting. It was the very definition of comfort food— light, and puffy, with different textures that blended perfectly together and with the hint of bonito flakes that enhanced everything in between.

Seeing their satisfied faces, Albrecht started making another batch. It didn't take long before that was eaten as well, and he had to make the third batch while the ladies ordered the okonomiyaki they wanted to try. In a way, Albrecht was also curious as to how the other okonomiyaki tasted. Besides, he had gold coins to burn so money was not an issue.

"If you eat more than you could, you might not have the space for ice cream, you know." Albrecht softly reminded them after the seventh batch of okonomiyaki. This time, the okonomiyaki they cooked had salmon. It was a weird combination, quite frankly, but Albrecht was surprised that it tasted good, especially with the nori on the side.

"Don't worry, I have a different tank for dessert." Yulie puffed her chest. Honestly, she was feeling rather full, but she just couldn't stop eating. The same could be said for the others including Albrecht.

In the end, they managed to eat ten servings of okonomiyaki. It should be mentioned that they ate cotton candies, candy apples, choco-bananas, and many other snacks before they arrived at the okonomiyaki stall.

In hindsight, they've burned a lot of their energy during the conquer attempt of the Seventh Outerlayer. The meals they ate didn't suffice to retrieve their Zecian Aura so although they were almost full, the meals weren't enough to fill them up.

Albrecht felt the same thing, and he figured that maybe a round or two of desserts would do the trick.

Even though Yulie and the others already ate a hefty amount, they were still looking forward to ice cream. Leading the way, it didn't take long before Albrecht arrived in front of an ice cream stall. From what he heard, this was one of the most popular ice cream stalls in the First Outerlayer.

"Good evening, ice cream? Coming right u— eh?!" An unfamiliar girl stared at Albrecht as she blinked twice. It's as if she couldn't believe that she was seeing Albrecht Stein in the flesh.

"Yes?" Albrecht asked confused.

"I'm... hmmm..." Shaking her head, the girl forced a smile on her face before bowing her head down. "Which flavors?" She asked, returning to her service mode although there was still an aura of uneasiness enveloping her.