ボーダーを着て、お好み焼きを食べよう！@お好みたまちゃん

Awesomesauce elite event or to put it 楽しいで (good food and good company).

The best part was that I happened to be in town for it (perks of being Yelp elite is you can go to any events in any city if they are on), and it was an Okonomiyaki restaurant (one of my favorites) so why not.

Especially with the ¥2000 vouchers to use.

This was one of the more fun Yelp events I've been to. I think I just really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant and the staff was really entertaining. Especially the Wild Beast of Aoyama!
They provided enough dishes to try so even tho we got bite sizes it was still enough to fill up on. And the food was gorgeous. I must say however for an okononiyaki restaurant I liked the steamed pork better. But I did like all the food they served. I also found their tomato-hi interesting. I don't usually like things that taste too much like pepper but it wasn't overwhelming the tomato or alcohol taste.
I was very excited to be voted best dressed at the event even though I wasn't really wearing stripes but it was fun.

All in all, I think the Tama-chan team set up a really great event and we all got ¥2000 coupons to use at a different occasion. I definitely will!

Thanks Tama-chan!

Ten years ago, if you would have asked my what my favorite food was, I would probably have answered "okonomiyaki" without missing a beat. A lot has changed in these ten years. My love for a mixture of veggies, batter, and whatever the hell else is lying around mashed together and thrown onto a hot plate? No, that's definitely still the same. Did this event speak to my love of hot gooey things? Yes. Was the food delicious? Yes. Was the atmosphere delicious? Oh, definitely.

Tamachan came all the way out from Osaka to give us the deets on all of what goes down and into his food. His Korean roots and mother's recipes bring the flash and flair to the flavor wave. Magic.

There was a quiz and a best dressed competition, but the real joy was the warmth that flooded through that shop in nakameguro. It was like being with friends. I'm definitely going back again to bask in the glow and glory again soon.

Also, holy hell I want to eat all the foods in regular portion sizes because omg so yum.

(4/5 stars)

Beyond Yelp 100 Challenge 2015 - 38/?

This last Elite event for 2015 was on par with others this year in terms of fun, interesting experience and lively interactions with other Yelpers. Today's venue was two stops out of Shibuya on the Toyoko line, about a five-minute walk from Nakameguro station.

Program (overall 3.5/5)
+ Self Intros: 3/5 (done in groups determined by months of birth and named after the four seasons; basically name and birthdate/month - an activity to get connected with new Yelp friends on the spot might have made it more interesting although I was already connected with almost everyone in attendance; after all, nearly all of us are Elites, right?)
+ Border Theme: 4/5 (great to see everyone dressed in striped T-shirts, although it was also an interesting social study. About 75% of the people wore navy blue stripes on white, a handful wore navy blue on Yelp red, and the rest was a mix of other colors. BY THE WAY, "Border T-shirt" is only known by Japanese (和製英語)! I was a bit confused at first but after looking it up on the Internet, I realized what kind of shirt or article was desired (Think "Where's Wally?")
+ Game #1: 4/5 (choose a best dressed per group, post their photo on the event spot and add a caption to get Likes. Guess what? The team I was on WON! (see my photo for the winner - big thanks to all you Yelpers around the world who voted, bigger thanks to the Winter (Soldier) Team, and biggest thanks to Maria P., who was our glamorous star - woot!)
+ Game #2: 3.5/5 (Tamachan Trivia quiz - several multiple choice questions about the Tamachan business. It was a tough battle going to a semi-final disqualifier round and then the final round of Jan-Ken-Po (rock-paper-scissors). Guess what? The winner was also from the Winter (Soldier) Team! Double woot!)
+ Closing: 4/5 (spot questionnaire for all attendees, future visit coupons, group photo and final words)

Restaurant (overall 4.5/5)
+ Food: 4.5/5 stars (selection of several dishes in single sample sizes; okonomiyaki is the highlight and Tamachan's style of this famous Kansai (Western Japan) dish is unique, tasty and full of ingredients not always found in such a dish)
+ Drinks: 4/5 (original cocktails (great!), soft drinks and water - would have loved to try the okonomiyaki with draft or craft beer, but none was served)
+ Atmosphere: 5/5 (Elite Yelpers, mixed Japanese and foreigners, made for a lively group with a fairly high buzz of multiple, simultaneous conversations from beginning until end)

Other specifics about the restaurant were either covered in other Reviews or on the restaurant's normal Yelp spot, so I'll avoid repeating those here.

Improvement Points:
+ For the Yelp Team:
- Event Announcement: Some improvements need to be made in reaching people in a direct, timely manner about upcoming events. Perhaps a section added to The Weekly Yelp email newsletter would help? The main reason for this is I'm sure not everyone is constantly checking the mobile app and website for changes. Most updates suddenly appear on the website, which is a counter-intuitive for a user like me who spends 95% of Yelp time on my phone or iPad
- Connecting: Mentioning getting connected was good; please make it easier for users to do so via the mobile app, e.g., add a QR code reader/scanner like in the Facebook app
- Event Checkin: Please bring back the Checkin Deal = Yelp Swag coupon - it's easier to track and more straightforward, plus it encourages use of the mobile app

+ For the restaurant:
- Consider reusing chopsticks/plates instead of discarding after each food sample;
- Add beer (tap and/or craft greatly appreciated by thirsty Yelpers!); I'd be happy to PAY for beer, like if there was a special Yelp Elite event price!
- Provide over-quantity of foods as some people got left out of tasting some dishes - this would avoid the food rush and congestion too.

Overall, it was lively and fun, and this time it was Plus +1, so there were also a few who came as guests and/or were attending their first Elite event. Meeting Elite Yelpers is always a step above other meetups as everyone has their Yelp game face on (lights, cameras, action!); serious and extra sensory Yelpiness aside, it's always good to catch up with those you haven't seen in person for a while.

Final words: Thanks to Tamachan and the great staff, Yelp team and YELPERS for another great event. Guest appearance by the founder himself was fun and lively! Even without the coupons, I'm seriously interested in reigniting my love for okonomiyaki - see you again for sure!