ごろごろはっちゃん
Eiichi-san from Tsubameya. A restaurant I had been wanting to visit for a long time. I was lucky to arrive just as the first round of customers finished, so I didn't have to wait at all to enter. The lunch menu had two options: Yakitori Don (grilled chicken bowl) for 1,200 yen and Oyako Don (chicken and egg bowl) for 1,000 yen, with an extra 100 yen for a large portion. The first floor had a counter and a few tables. By chance, there was a seat available at the counter. The waitress took my order right away, and then instructed me to go downstairs. I didn't realize there was a basement too, it's not visible from outside. As soon as I entered the basement, I felt relieved as the air conditioning was working better than on the first floor. I was served warm tea (roasted green tea, I think) and pickles. In less than 10 minutes, the eagerly awaited Yakitori Don arrived. It had tsukune (chicken meatballs), chicken gizzard, liver, chicken thigh meat, and three quail eggs. Oh, there's chicken gizzard in it! The sauce was not overly sweet, but had a strong soy sauce flavor. The aroma was delightful. I immediately sprinkled some sansho pepper on it. The tsukune had a nice contrast between the surface and the inside. The liver and chicken thigh meat were cooked perfectly. The chicken thigh meat was moist and delicious. It was different from the grilled chicken you buy at department stores or train stations. The rice was just about right in terms of being moist. Personally, I prefer it this way. If it had been more, I would have been unhappy. I once got angry with my mother at a famous tempura restaurant's branch in Ikebukuro Seibu for having too much sauce at the bottom of the tempura bowl. Since then, I've been cautious. Compared to that incident, this was totally acceptable, and as I ate, the deliciousness of the sauce became more pronounced. It wasn't overly sweet, so it didn't get boring or heavy. It was quite flavorful, but not overpowering. This was good. Although I didn't do it because I was outside, I think it would be delicious to put a lot of pickles on top of the bowl (like red pickled ginger on a beef bowl) and eat it with the grilled chicken and rice. In any case, I definitely want to finish the last bite with the chicken gizzard. I accidentally ate a few pieces of liver first, but I managed to save the gizzard for last. Good job. They also brought me a chicken soup, which was scalding hot! I had it after finishing the bowl. I recommend getting a large portion if you're a man. It took about 15 minutes from sitting down to leaving. I was surprised that I finished in 5-6 minutes. I paid on the first floor. The waitress was still unfriendly. Maybe it's just her nature or maybe something happened. When I went outside, there were 5-6 people waiting in line. Everyone appreciates being able to eat something delicious at this price in this area. That's why they line up. There's a very famous yakitori restaurant nearby, but I wonder if there's a noticeable difference in price. I think I'll go there for comparison, but I'll probably end up coming back here.