Daisuki Nippon, Naka-Itabashi だいすき日本、中板橋

After being turned away from the the local kaitenzushi place as it was full, and then taking a wrong turn and missing the raman shop, my dining partner and I almost ambled passed Daisuki Nippon (no points for the name) without noticing it. 

The fresh, spicy-sweet aroma caught our attention. Not much to look at from the outside save, perhaps, that kind of bare bones, “it might not be much but we love it” appearance, upon peering through the door the packed tables promised a decent Nepalese lunch. 

Clean, simple and cheerful, the tables were all covered in clear plastic, beneath which hand written notes and messages from visiting diners were carefully arranged. Turns out people have visited from Okinawa to Hokkaido. Again, this promised great things and further reading revealed that many had popped in due to a clearly successful - and far reaching - Twitter campaign.

The master of the house, a muscular, mild mannered looking gent named Bikasu, attended to our needs, proffering a menu outlining the lunch sets for the day as well as evening options and a la carte offerings. 

I did the Double Curry Naan, while my dining partner had the Double Curry Rice with Tandoori Chicken. Both were enjoyable and value for money, coming in at under ¥800 a piece. 

Although no at large as some, the naan was light and fluffy and not at all oily. The two small bowls of curry fine, but hardly divine. The chicken curry was a little too light tasting and the morsels of chicken small. The keema was the star of the show - less gritty feeling than some and flavoursome, the minced meat not overpowering the flavour of curry itself. All in all, these were curries cooked for Japanese taste buds. The less said about the salad the better. 

Decent enough for lunch, and probably worth a look for dinner while the 7-8 course meal for ¥2,000 coupon (available on Daisuki Nippon’s website) is in force, but not even close to usurping Manakamana’s Tobu-Tojo Line Napalese curry crown. 

03-3964-9775

Daisuki Nippon  

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Toritetsu, Tokiwadai とり鉄、常盤台

For some reason I’d got it into my head that Toritetsu was a local affair. Actually it’s a sprawling chain covering much of the archipelago. It seems somehow less formulaic than many of the better known, much reviled chains that spring to mind. 

On the night my dining partner and I ventured in, it was packed. “Must be good,” said I. Turns out that the crowd had gathered to take advantage of an “everything for ¥100 night,” the menu’s specials included.  

Truth be told, Toritestu does a lot of “special” nights. There’s ladies’ night, men’s night, pensioners’ night, Thursday night, Friday night, etc. You get the picture. 

Bubbly staff and a cozy atmosphere went a long way to making the evening an enjoyable one, despite the length of time between orders placed and orders served... 

The food - for the most part yakitori standards - isn’t going to win any awards, but it’s not going to put you off the stuff either. I should know. After a month or so of almost nothing but yakitori I should be sick of the stuff. 

The otoshi, a very soft, creamy dollop of tofu, was quite tasty but almost impossible to eat with chopsticks. On the verge of punching someone after five minutes with it, spoons seemed in order.  

Many of the skewered morsels were on the teeny side. The ginko nuts especially so. The liver was tender, but pretty tasteless, too.

As far as budget yakitori goes, the sasami - plum and wasabi-topped - wasn’t bad. The tsukune was reasonable, and the slices of raw chicken flesh safe but a little bland. 

Better than Watami, not a patch on Kappa-chan.

03-5917-6808

http://tori-tetsu.com/

Kushiyaki Bar Char-Co, Tokiwadai 常盤台

This pleasing little kushiyaki/ yakitori joint has only been in business for a few months, so it’s difficult to to see what lies in store for it and the young gentlemen running the place. It, and they, deserve to do well if for nothing more than opening one of the better looking, more considered establishments in this neighbourhood. 

Simple decor, mostly in a nice black-grey charcoal theme (kind of blackboard-like), and the warm, welcoming counter around the open kitchen provide, in combination with some energetic service, a relaxing setting. The young chef, in combination with his small charcoal brazier and mountain of refrigerated, skewered morsels, provides simple yakitori with some interesting kushi and other dishes available thrown into the mix for good measure.  

Not the best price to volume ratio, for either the food or drinks, but not bad. The beer list deserves mention, as Guinness and Hoegaarden, among others, are rarely seen in this neck of the woods.

The standout dishes were undoubtedly the sanma no hone sembei and the sanma shiso maki with leek, both of which were delicious. The Halloween parfait proved to be popular, too.

Sanma no hone sembei.

Chicken liver with tare sauce, and chicken and leek.

Bacon wrapped tomato. 

Tsukune and hearts.

Bacon wrapped cheese.

Sanma shiso maki.  

Spicy celery. 

Halloween parfait.

One of the go to places at this station.

03-5926-8721

Kappa-chan, Ebisu かっぱちゃん、恵比寿

After a week of Kushiwakamaru overkill, a visit to Ebisu Yokocho’s Kappa-chan came as a welcome change while offering the opportunity to try someone else’s yakitori. 

On the west side of Ebisu station, next to Seven-Eleven, Ebisu Yokocho remains popular after opening its doors to the public 3-4 years ago. Essentially just an alley - running through the ground floor of an old apartment building - lined with small, yatai-like stalls serving various staples such as yakiniku, oden, okonomiyaki, and yakitori, with a wine bar thrown in for good measure. 

Always busy, the atmosphere is in the faux-Showa vein, with hanging lanterns, Hoppy posters and beer crate-seating aplenty. Kappa-chan is the first establishment on the right as you come though the entrance. Not spacious, but we still managed a party of five without any discomfort. 

The food was pretty good. Not Kushiwaka good, but still delicious - the cherry tomatoes surprisingly so. Perhaps a little dainty, though.

The sasami topped with wasabi was lethal. We like wasabi, but all but one of our party nearly had a funny turn after experiencing it here. My favourite of the night was the sasami with yuzu-kosho (citrus and pepper). 

Worthy of a second visit. 

03-3280-4199 

http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13050424/

Noroshi, Higashi 狼煙、東

Some dining venues are fun, even when the food isn’t up to much. Noroshi, a cheap and cheerful yakitori joint halfway between Shibuya and Ebisu just off Meiji Dori (near the bicycle shop), is just such a place.

Simple interior, vinyl (for the unaware – visit a museum or antique shop) spinning either reggae or Latino tunes, cheap beer and highballs, friendly, somewhat brusque, service and minuscule yakitori standards from ¥120.

Easy to find better yakitori elsewhere, but the atmosphere works, especially if you take a beer-crate table outside.

Ostumami.

Ostumami 2.

Chicken liver – little dry, and a little little.

Chicken – on a stick.

Cheese stuffed mushrooms.

Potato salad – infused with curry powder. Tasty, but way too small.

Chicken and leak. 

Baby corn and more liver. 

Tsukune with tare sauce.

Sasami topped with plum sauce and nori. 

French fries – better than expected.

Noroshi claims to be “cheap, delicious and good to your body.” They get the first part right.

03-3406-1455

http://norosi.net

Hacienda del Cielo, Daikanyama アシエンダデルシエロ、代官山

Most would agree that despite all the Michelin Stars and profusion of first rate foreign cuisine available to Tokyo diners Mexican food never fails to disappoint – the risible Salsa Cabana being a case in point. Whether it be the real deal or Tex-Mex, it’s always said to be better somewhere else. 

Confident in its lofty perch, providing stunning views of the city from Odaiba to Shinjuku and beyond, Daikanyama’s Hacienda del Cielo goes some way to redressing the Mexican dining deficit.

Great location, awesome rooftop views from the dining area and standing bar, along with a funky interior and incredibly helpful service provided in Japanese or English, smile free of charge, all help to make a visit an enjoyable experience.

The menu covers a range of Mexican standards, as well as Tex-Mex classics, supported by a good range of cocktails and utterly lethal Margaritas. These, especially when served by the pitcher can be enough to put even the most stalwart food blogger under the table – after, that is, spending some time touching clammy cheek to porcelain…

Food and drinks are well-sized and reasonably priced. Clientele suitably attractive, consisting of a nice sprinkling of old-timers and bright young things.

Food bloggers' bane – underestimate at your peril.

Chunky vegetable salad of broccoli, mushroom and peppers.

Rabbit food…

Sausages with chili con carne – better than the usual Japanese wiener at any rate. 

Guacamole Fresco – delicious, surprisingly filling. The fresh avocado, which you choose personally, adds a nice touch.

Cecina – semi-dried beef jerky. Delicious, reason enough to visit. Best to order twice.

Nachos – needlessly ordered.

Chicken Fajitas – the corn fajitas are popular, if a little small. Chicken good, but a little heavy on the fried onions.

Shrimp and Avocado salad – does what it says on the tin.

Good value, decent if unrefined food and fun surroundings. Rooftop dining area outside is the main attraction.

03-5457-1521

http://modern-mexicano.jp/hacienda/#

Katoriya, Jiyugaoka かとりや、自由が丘

Frothy, ice-cold beer; festivals; yukata; cockroaches and bikini-clad pertness on crowded Enoshima beaches – the ingredients that make for a Japanese summer. I tend to associate yakitori with summer, too. 

Thus engorged, I’ve recently been sating my summer appetites at Jiyugaoka’s Katoriya – a no nonsense proletarian yakitori-ya that’s been churning out lovingly charcoal-grilled morsels on skewers since 1963 – located just over the street from the surpisingly charming Bettako, just a minute or so from The north exit of the station.

@izakayasanpo assures me Katoriya was once much less attractive than is now the case. By all accounts it’s now a lot more hygienic than it used to be, too.

Not large, the simple vanilla counter is always – always – jam-packed. Usual form is to arrive and crowd around the edge of the room drinking and munching on eda-mame while waiting for a seat at the encounter to be vacated. Not recommended for large parties, generally, although we’ve managed to seat groups of 5-6 on occasion. Such rare occasions were thanks to the gracious attentions of the Mama of the house. 

Dishes are simple. No surprises should be expected. As well as the yakitori and associated grilled veggies, a handful of offal-based abominations are available to those so inclined. Budget prices, jovial company and relentlessly strong shochu-based drinks make for an enjoyable dining experience. Focusing on the food alone, this is not a patch on Kushiwakamaru, but that shouldn’t deter you from visiting. It’s all good.

Cucumber with beans.

Grilled mushrooms to be dipped in VERY hot mustard or spicy sauce.

Katoriya-zuke – pig stomach in spicy miso sauce.

Chicken liver – a little dry, not nearly big enough.

Chicken sasami with wasabi paste.

Tomato wrapped in bacon – delicious but a pale shadow of Kushiwakamaru’s take on the dish. 

Fried tofu topped with bonito flakes, accompanied by grated ginger and soy sauce.

Nankotsu – chicken cartilage, but actually not too bad.

Bacon wrapped asparagus (and the tomato-maki again). 

Sliced tomato and mayonnaise – this place is not big on salads.

Grilled green peppers – unsullied but salt or pepper.

Eda-mame.

Garlic and mushrooms – nice. 

Tebasaki – chicken wings.

Tofu – dull.

Get there early, secure a stool and enjoy. 

03-3718-5505