Dinner. Very excited to try. Yakitori outpost of Michelin chef revered as the 燒鳥之神. First of the 16 counter seats to arrive, so was bombarded by the booming “いらっしゃいませ!” greeting too many times.Binchotan from 和歌山.House made sancho powder and 7 spice powder.Mostly 3 yellow chicken used to ensure freshness. Unlimited refills of fresh diced turnip.Solid wine list- went for Chablis by the glass. Only 1 menu- $780 tasting menu (changes daily) with various a la carte add-on items.Here’s what we had. -Charcoal-Grilled Grape & Persimmon with Shiraae (mashed tofu salad), Spinach and Walnut-Chicken Liver seaweed Roll with Ginger, Cucumber, Shiso, Sesame and tart Plum Sauce.- Oyster- Gizzard- Large cut- Shoulder-Tsukune- made with pure chicken, no cartilage, marinated in a 17-year-old tare. Not given any egg yolk, as there was no need. Best tsukune I have ever tasted. - Skin (smoky but not crispy) & Yellow Leek with Sesame Vinegar Sauce, which was extremely acidic.- Breast with Skin. Slightly chewy, though accurately cooked. A fillet version was available as add-on.- Neck- again a generous portion and charred beautifully.- Wing- small but packed with flavor- definitely one of the best I’ve tasted.- Okra from Kagoshima- Tomato- not as sweet as I hoped.- Zucchini from Nagano; Served piping hot, with a great sear.- Ginkgo & Yunnan Matsutake Mushroom Rice- fragrant and textural, with the earthiness of 松茸. Seconds were offered but I was too full. - Chicken Soup simmered from bones left from lunch; dense, gelatinous, and deeply savory — like liquid marrow.-Pumpkin Ice Cream with Seeds- Nutty, creamy, and subtly sweet.The Add-Ons:--Thigh-Tail, fatty and juicy-Cartilage, -Diaphragm- snatched the only piece of left, savory gold indeed.-Sweet Potato from Miyazaki- Roasted, then grilled. Waited till it had cooled a bit so it would be super crispy outside.- Tofu- bonito flakes were a bit over marinated. In summary: an evening of purist yakitori pilgrimage. Grilling was excellent technically, adhering to Chef’s “One skewer, one lifetime” philosophy and beautifully paced. Some found the seasoning a bit muted at times but was perfect for me. Normally wouldn’t go for restaurants with 2 seatings (6pm and 8:30pm) but this one is definitely worth a re-visit.…查看更多
