shinn679
First visit. I have low experience with yakitori. I was interested in this restaurant because the owner appeared on NHK's program "Maestro no Bansankai" in the yakitori episode. It's not one of those expensive yakitori places that are hard to make reservations for, and they welcome solo diners, so I decided to give it a try.
Access: About a 3-minute walk from Otsuka Station. It's located on a quiet street in a residential area after climbing up a hill lined with lively restaurants. The sign is not visible directly from the road, so I felt a bit unsure if I was at the right place.
Interior: The interior is long and narrow with a L-shaped counter seating for 10 people plus 4 more seats at the back with table seating. It feels like a large chain izakaya with beams resembling a traditional Japanese house, similar to "Katsukichi" in Suitengumae. There is the owner, a former Self-Defense Forces member, and two other men at the counter. The yakitori is prepared solely by the owner. The atmosphere is reminiscent of Ramen Jiro or Yoshimura-ya. I sat at the far end of the counter. Photography of the menu is prohibited. Generally, single skewers are around 500 yen each.
Impression: In short, it didn't quite hit the mark (laughs). The intense grilling of the meat, the way the salt is sprinkled, and the seasoning were good, but I couldn't quite taste the deliciousness of the chicken itself. The side dishes were quite ordinary, and even the minced chicken rice bowl, which was meant to be a highlight, had a bland taste and failed to impress me until the end. The operation seemed a bit rushed. The next dish often arrived while I was still eating. It felt a bit pushy and I couldn't relax. This is just my honest opinion as someone with low yakitori experience. Today, I also missed out on the fried chicken in Kayabacho, so it was an unlucky day for chicken dishes. I had planned to go to Kitaoji Ramen on the opposite side of Otsuka Station to make up for it, but my stomach was only half full, so it was tough. Without recovery, it was quite a disappointing night.
Today's Aoten Course, priced at 6,300 yen including tax, includes the following:
1. Two appetizers: Bitter melon and burdock root ohitashi, and fava beans.
2. Chicken meat wonton soup.
3. Smoked assorted plate or soy sauce koji grilled chicken, with the choice of koji grilled chicken.
4. Organic vegetable salad.
5. Omakase 8 skewers: Chicken tenderloin, chicken breast with shiso, prenoir gizzard, eggplant, chicken thigh meat, small potato with basil butter, prenoir chicken wing, tsukune.
6. Choice between white liver pate or chicken breast rillette, with cranberry and walnut bread.
7. Asparagus and cheese chawanmushi.
8. Choice of rice dish: Salt ramen, minced chicken rice, tamagoyaki rice, chicken soup ochazuke, with minced chicken rice.
9. Choice of dessert: Sake ice cream or yogurt ice cream, with yogurt ice cream chosen.