Tako Deli and Cupcakes by Athina - A Beautiful Combination to Make You Ask for More

 

As you may have guessed by the headline, today’s food review is about Takoyaki and cupcakes. But before anything else, here’s a bit of trivia for you. We all know that Takoyaki originated in Japan, in Osaka, to be exact, by a street food vendor named Tomekichi Endo. Did you know that it’s just a prototype of another street food called Choboyaki? It has similar ingredients with Takoyaki except that it’s flat-rectangle instead of balls. 

But wait, there’s more! The ball shape of Takoyaki actually got from yet another Japanese street food, rajioyaki, which has beef fillings instead of octopus cuts. Takoyaki was born when Endo replaced the beef fillings with octopus cuts and retained the ball shape. Interesting, huh? Takoyaki was first adapted to the Philippines by Sweet Corner Food Kiosks in 2014, and it has been all over the country since.

Now, on to the review. A friend of mine knows how much I love Takoyaki, and since we have minimal interactions these days, she sent me some from a budding Takoyaki brand – Tako Deli by Athina (thank you!).  To my surprise, it came with a box of beautiful chocolate-moist cupcakes. It appears that it’s part of the promotion they have right now. If you order a party tray of Takoyaki, you’ll get a box of cupcakes. Fantastic deal, huh? By the way, it’s another line of products Athina offers – Athina’s Sweets and Treats.

Just look how gorgeous those babies are.

So, the presentation passed my test with flying colors. Now, for the taste review. I got to try all four flavors they have available - Cheesy bacon, Hawaiian, Crab and corn, and Classic. Here are the individual reviews:

Cheesy bacon – As the name suggests, it’s loaded with cheddar cheese and bacon bits in and out of the Takoyaki balls. Unlike other brands with very few ingredients, this one did not disappoint. You can easily tell what flavor it is just by looking at it, so sinking your teeth into it won’t come as a surprise anymore. I liked it!

Hawaiian – It’s not your favorite pizza flavor, but with the same ingredients of ham and pineapple except that this Takoyaki has pork floss toppings. This variant actually surprised me because of the toppings. I’m used to having pork floss on bread, but never in Takoyaki. So, it’s kind of a breath of fresh air for me. It combined pretty well with the ham and pineapple. It’s sweet and salty with a hint of sourness from the pineapple. It’s awesome!

Crab and corn – This one is my favorite. You’ll immediately feel the chunk of crabstick and corn bit as soon as you bite it. Of course, you won’t expect real crab meat on the fillings, but the crabstick flavor combined well with the corn, and yes, that cheddar cheese overload on top you can’t resist!

Classic - If you’re not adventurous enough to try other Takoyaki flavors, the classic one is your comfort zone. But what sets Tako Deli by Athina is that the octopus is not in bits but chunks. It means that they are bigger than the usual Takoyaki you might have tried somewhere else. Of course, it’s even perfect with the dried shrimps, bonito flakes, and aonori. Seafood lovers like me would love this flavor!

Verdict

Overall, Athina’s Tayoyakis are delicious and generous with ingredients. There’s a lot of potentials that it may be able to compete in the market someday soon. The best part? The sauce is heavenly!

Now, the cupcakes. Here I am again with the sweet temptation. But who am I to resist such a beautiful creation? It’s pure chocolate goodness in every bite. The icing is equally delicious. I don’t know how Athina does it, but it’s just marvelous by the taste and looks. The only thing I would want a bit of improvement on is the consistency of the cake. It’s a bit crumbly for me, so I would prefer it to be a little denser. Otherwise, it can easily give other cupcake brands a threat in the future.

There you have it! The next time you crave some Takoyakis and cupcakes, contact Athina directly on her pages.

Tako Deli by Athina

Athina's Sweets and Treats

Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement. My reviews are unbiased and based on my own experience. If I didn’t find anything negative about the product, it’s because there wasn’t any.