おおはら
Tonight, I was taken to Shinjuku Kabukicho "Michishirube". It is known as one of the top 100 yakitori restaurants on Tabelog, so I had tried to go there myself before the pandemic, but I remember feeling intimidated by the run-down appearance of the restaurant in Gotanda, which resembled a village of Heian-era refugees. This time, after searching again, I realized that I had mistaken the location, so I felt relieved and decided to give it a try. However, upon arriving, I was shocked by the even more dilapidated appearance of the restaurant. I felt a bit anxious that the place might collapse when I opened the door. The food was mainly recommended by the regular customers, and we left it up to the chef to keep bringing dishes until we said stop. In addition to yakitori, we ordered dishes like grilled silver cod in sweet miso, delicious shiitake mushrooms sautéed in black soy sauce and garlic, char siu fried rice, and sashimi without wasabi. The skill in grilling that I felt from the sweet miso dish was also evident in the yakitori, which was incredibly delicious. The shiitake mushrooms had a nice garlic flavor and were a tasty appetizer. It was easy to see why everyone was ordering them. The fried rice had a unique seasoning, apparently based on Toyama black vinegar. Although Toyama black vinegar is now famous in Tokyo, back when I used to spend time in Toyama during my early marriage almost 30 years ago, I had never heard of it. The yakitori used a JAS-certified brand of chicken called Chiba Kinshosan Dori. While the skill of the chef in grilling meat is crucial for both yakiniku and yakitori, the quality of the ingredients cannot be ignored. Despite the attention given to meats like Matsusaka beef and Omi beef, the importance of the ingredients in yakitori is often overlooked. Personally, I only go to restaurants that use JAS-certified local chicken or branded chicken. The "secret yakitori restaurant" that I have been going to since the end of the Heisei era also uses JAS-certified local chicken, and the Ebisu restaurant "Kisuzu" and the Michelin-starred "Ranshima" used Hinai-jidori chicken. This restaurant serves yakitori with large pieces of meat and perfectly grilled, enhancing the flavor of the meat with just the right amount of fat melting. After enjoying about three skewers, I understood why this shabby (wordy!) restaurant was chosen as one of the top 100 on Tabelog. I am a light eater, so I could only eat 12 skewers of heart meat, neck, gizzard, obi-toro, chicken breast, chicken wings with wasabi, chicken liver, shin meat, wing tip, minced chicken, and meatball, but especially the chicken liver, chicken wings with wasabi, and chicken breast with wasabi were exquisitely delicious. Thanks to the recommendation from the regulars, I was able to make a reservation by phone for my next visit. It's also wallet-friendly, which is nice. I definitely want to visit again.