This yakitori restaurant is located at Manning House, serving dishes featuring kurosatsumadori, the special chicken bred in Kagoshima. There were two seating for dinner, and we had booked the early one starting at 6pm. On the same location was Ushidoki, a sister restaurant offering wagyu menu.
Right in the middle was a grilling station, surrounded by a wood counter able to accommodate 15 guests. There were two Japanese chefs in action, one responsible behind the grill while the other helped to prepare the final touches and service each dish to customers.
The course started with Minced Chicken Ball in Chicken Stock Soup. The soup had rich and intense flavours, with the minced chicken ball nicely seasoned, soft in texture. There was also a piece of Japanese radish and baby asparagus in a nice presentation. The only issue for me was that the soup was not hot enough after pouring from the pot into the bowl.
Next came the first yakitori, Furisode. This is the shoulder meat, with a firmer texture yet still juicy. We tried to taste the original flavours and then adding the yuzu pepper as condiment. Both were great and I found having the pepper brought the taste to an extra level.
Then the chef put a few slices of Charcoal Seared Breast Meat Tataki on the serving plate, adding Tosu Vinegar jelly, then sprinkled with Karasumi, or dried mullet roes, on top. The refreshing sour and sweet note from the tosu vinegar jelly was delicate and not overpowering, with the half-raw chicken breast an interesting experience worth trying.
The second yakitori was Sasami, the chicken tender from the inner breast. After grilling briefly with the middle still raw, the chef put it inside a toasted nori sheet, added with salmon roes on top. An interesting mouthfeel with the salmon roes popping in the mouth. The chicken was not as prominently highlighted as in other dishes though in terms of flavour.
Coming to the fifth course was the Liver Patty Monaka. The chef added the chicken liver patty inside the crisp mochi wafers, with pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top to give a crunchy contrast with the soft liver paste. The fig helped to balance the richness with a bit of sweetness too.
The third yakitori featured Seseri, the meat from the neck of the chicken. My favourite in the evening, it was tender and juicy, having rich flavours from the fat. The chef also added a bit of mustard to add complexity in the taste and it was surprisingly harmonized. A must try.
Next was Slow-cooked Tosaka in Crab Meat Sauce. It was new to me to hear that the comb, or crown, of the chicken could be made to a dish. It had been slow-cooked so that it was soft and infused with the broth’s flavours, then added with the crab meat sauce which had delicate taste. Rather special, but not particularly impressive from a taste perspective.
Continuing with the fourth yakitori, this time it was Sunagimo. The chicken gizzard had a great bite and not rubbery, moist and seasoned perfectly with salt. Another of my favourite in the evening which I would encore if available.
The ninth course was Fu with Chicken Miso. Fu is a sort of dried wheat gluten and quite similar in texture to seitan. As it did not have any taste on its own, the chef had paired with the intense-flavoured chicken miso. Not sure exactly how the miso had the chicken included, but overall, this one was good.
To transition, the next was Palate Cleanser, with the chef putting a yuzu and peach sorbet in a nice mandarin duck container. The fruity sorbet was light and refreshing, able to wipe out the aftertaste in the mouth to prepare us for the upcoming courses.
Seeing an assistant busy separating the egg yolk we knew the next one must be Tsukune. The beautifully grilled minced chicken meat-stick had been brushed with the homemade yakitori tare sauce. Mixing with the egg yolk gave a creamy texture, and together with the fragrance of the egg, added a nice sweetness and umami taste. Another great yakitori worth to order for a repeat.
The staff also reminded us to retain the egg yolk for this next yakitori. But instead of chicken, the chef served us a Beef Skewer to our surprise. The wagyu fillet was tender, with great aromas and taste, and with the egg yolk was wonderfully matched. A nice twist in the course and perhaps also helped to market its sister restaurant?
From the kitchen the staff brought out the Zucchini and then the Japanese chef shaved some Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese on top. The texture of the zucchini was crunchy and the cheese lightly melted on the heat to give a runny mouthfeel which was appealing.
The last two pieces of yakitori included Teba, or chicken wing. After skillfully grilling the whole wing, the chef cut it into three pieces, with the meat and skin having a firm texture. Chewing it through with the bones was nice, though it was a bit bland on flavours without the shichimi or yuzu pepper as condiments.
The final piece of yakitori was Momo, not the peach but the chicken thigh. Meaty and juicy, the chef added a bit of yuzu kosho, with a bit of chili spiciness supplemented with the yuzu freshness. A good finale of the grill.
Instead of the noodle, we opted for Truffle Soboro Don ($100 additional). The rice bowl had some minced chicken, with an egg yolk, truffle shaves and some black truffle paste. Intense in flavours from the truffle paste, the minced chicken was also tasty with nice sweetness and umami. I overheard the soup was also very delicious so perhaps next time we should try out the noodle.
For dessert, there was the Soy Sauce Ice Cream & Homemade Pudding. The ice cream was very interesting with the salty and savoury taste of the soy sauce matching with sweetness of the milk ice cream bringing forth a nice chemistry. The egg pudding was not too sweet as well. Satisfied.
The service was good with the staff friendly and attentive, but perhaps because the restaurant was still quite new the organization and flow were sometimes a bit chaotic. With two slots in the evening the second seating could easily be a bit rush as a result, so if possible, I would suggest choosing the first seating. The bill on the night was $3,168 and overall, a good value for money yakitori restaurant.
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