20 Courses of Chicken (and Sake)

“Take one sip after eating and swallowing. The best time is 5s after the food is gone from your mouth. Do not drink in 2 sips”

We have seen chefs being super particular about timing, portions and steps – for example, Chef David Chang’s recipe for his signature Soy Sauce Egg at Momofuku calls for the eggs to boil for exactly 6 minutes 50 seconds – but this is perhaps the first time we have seen chef being THIS particular about how his dishes are to be consumed. 

Friends Meet-up

Not planning for anything in particular, but I ended up meeting with a few friends from Hong Kong during my week in Shanghai. 

Yakitori in the hood

One evening we decided to check out a new izakaya in our neighborhood with a heavy shade of doubts. Decent dining establishments have been few and far between near our home, let alone a Japanese restaurant, but turned out the place was far better than we expected.

The Chicken Specialist

We are always on the lookout for new Japanese restaurants but this one caught my eyes in particular, promising an omakase experience with a chicken tasting menu ("Tori-kappo" is the term they used to describe the concept)

First Night Out

"So, where are you going for dinner on April 21?" became a common question to ask as we were finally allowed back into restaurants for dinner after a long 3-month ban. For us, the choice was Torisho, the yakitori specialist in Central which opened its door about a year ago but we have never been. 

Chicken Lunch

I have not been back to Yardbird for years – not since they moved from their original location up near Soho to their much expanded space in Sheung Wan. Not that we didn’t like their food but waiting for 60 minutes plus for a table have never been our thing and there’s always choices elsewhere, but with them now accepting reservations in advance, we didn’t hesitate to make one to eat there this past weekend. 

Back to an old favorite joint

My crave for yakitori dishes brought us back to this joint in Causeway Bay, a place that we used to come regularly but haven’t been for quite some time. And glad to see their old chef Ben back working behind the open kitchen with all the familiar staff working in the front of the house at this small, hole-in-the-wall place in the building with the entrance inside a quiet dark alley. 

Late Night Yakitori

I almost forgot my booking at Toritama until a few days ago before the meal when I received their message reminder. With they still going strong when business got tough elsewhere, I made a reservation for one of the nights in July almost a month ago and it has since slipped through my mind. My craving for yakitori has somewhat satisfied by another meal I had in late June, but of course I didn’t mind another yakitori meal at arguably one of the best specialist restaurant in town. 

Yakitori by the pier

Despite many restaurants fully-booked during the Father's Day weekend, we found that this small yakitori place near our neighborhood which managed to squeeze us two of their remaining seats at the counter at last minute. 

Yakitori in Tai Hang

We came across this izakaya while wandering in this Tai Hang neighborhood looking for a place to eat. What caught our eyes first was this place seems to be relatively packed while most other places looked like half deserted, so we figured that's a good indication of the food quality.

Birdie

I have been itching to check out this new yakitori place named Birdie at a new building that seemed to have sprout up out of nowhere in the middle of Central. A few friends have eaten there and liked the food, so we finally managed to get a booking to go one late evening on a weeknight.

Chicken Two Ways

If Ramen and Motsunabe were the Top 2 dishes best representative of Fukuoka, Yakitori is perhaps a close third. There’s no lack of choices for top Yakitori, or chicken skewers, restaurant in the city, my only problem was the lack of time to try them all. This time I happened to stumble across one near to my ryokan specializing in grilled chicken skin.

Post Concert Yakitori and Cheese

We were desperate for food the moment we stepped out of the Cultural Centre after a classical concert on a Friday night, and I remembered there's this new bistro/bar which just opened in TST East just a few weeks ago. So after a quick phone call to make sure their kitchen is still open this late  (we wanted some hot food), we hopped on the bus and made a quick ride over for a late night supper.

50 Hours in Tokyo: Izakaya at 1am

What sounded like a crazy idea of spending the weekend in Tokyo was made possible by the attractive "Fanfare" offer by Cathay Pacific plus a favorable flight schedule, allowing me to fly out early Friday evening and returning on a red-eye flight early Monday morning, giving me a full 50 hours on the ground. I have been joking about doing this for a while but it's only the first time I actually made this into reality.

Yakitori at a Sake Brewery

The neighborhood of Fushimi (伏見), about 15 minutes away by local train from Kyoto, was known as one of the oldest sake-brewing region in the country, partly because of the proximity to the former capital and also because of the great quality of water that flow through the area, providing the perfect key ingredient for brewing. And I was here one evening not only for some sake tasting, and for a serious chicken feast at an izakaya which was actually part of the brewery.

Toritama - Finally, a legit yakitori joint

We have been longing to go to this new yakitori restaurant on Glenealy but their waiting list just grew longer and longer since it opened last October. So when my friend managed to make a booking on a Tuesday night and asked who's available to join him, we immediate raised our hands.

Exploring Arakicho at Yakitori Ogawa

Arakicho is an interesting neighborhood in Tokyo that I fell in love with during my recent trips there. It could be a little off-track for some, but it's only a few stops away from Shinjuku and a short walk from either Yotsuya-sanchome or Akabonobashi metro stations. It's characterized by narrow and quiet streets with twist and turns, and small bars and restaurants in between, which I found it lovely just to stroll around in the evening, something for a change then the often busy Tokyo streets.

Chicken Omakase at Gallus

I couldn't believe when I asked the hotel concierge to help book a seat at Torishiki, a Michelin one-starred Yakitori restaurant in Meguro, they came back and told me the place's fully booked until the end of the year (note it's only early November at that time). As an alternative, they suggested Gallus, a new restaurant opened late last year by the same owner, located just across the street.