Hoddeok (Sweet Korean Pancakes) Vendor, Tokyo

After our latest Korean dinner in Tokyo's K-town, we went in search of a hoddeok vendor for something sweet. We had seen a couple of these vendors around the area on our first visit, but we had been too full from lunch to indulge in any of them. This time, we made sure to leave room in tums after dinner (well, Rob did anyway - I was pretty full from dinner). Apparently, hoddeok is a common winter street food in Korea, but these fried yeast pancakes are readily available all year round in Tokyo's K-town. The vendor we found sold three types of fillings: anko (red bean paste), cheese and hachimitsu (honey) - all for 200yen each. The vendor recommended the honey flavour as a good one to try on our first hoddeok experience. You have to buy a token from the vending machine first and then hand it to the vendor to place your order. I guess this system allows the vendor to avoid handling money and food at the same time, hence avoiding food contamination.

The system of ordering from this vendor - make your selection, buy a token from the vending machine, and hand the token to the vendor:


Converting balls of yeast dough into delicious fried pancakes:


The Honey-flavoured Hoddeok was delicious, and very hot as it was served fresh off the cooking plate.