Stellar yakitori down in Gotanda
The idea of gourmet yakitori is nothing new. There are plenty of restaurants around town where the humble art of skewering and grilling chicken has been elevated to a degree of sophistication. But you don't expect to find it in the back streets of Gotanda, just north of Shinagawa.
More seedy than downright sleazy, the block immediately to the east of the Yamanote Line tracks is lined with cheap drinking dens and massage parlors. But there are also clear signs of gentrification — and none more so than the presence of Yoshicho.
The idea of gourmet yakitori is nothing new. There are plenty of restaurants around town where the humble art of skewering and grilling chicken has been elevated to a degree of sophistication. But you don't expect to find it in the back streets of Gotanda, just north of Shinagawa.
More seedy than downright sleazy, the block immediately to the east of the Yamanote Line tracks is lined with cheap drinking dens and massage parlors. But there are also clear signs of gentrification — and none more so than the presence of Yoshicho.
More seedy than downright sleazy, the block immediately to the east of the Yamanote Line tracks is lined with cheap drinking dens and massage parlors. But there are also clear signs of gentrification — and none more so than the presence of Yoshicho.
You'd never stumble on it by chance. Hidden from view on the second floor of a newish building just off Sakurada-Dori, there is little inside or out to suggest that this unpretentious restaurant, with its open kitchen, glass-enclosed grill, counter seats and three small tables, is anything out of the ordinary. It's the food and not the setting that makes it worth searching out.
Unlike many yakitori chefs whose skills are solely limited to grilling, owner-chef Kenji Yoshimoto is trained in the spectrum of traditional Japanese cuisine. He has a deftness of touch that is obvious from the outset, even in the otoshi(starter) that arrives with your first drink — perhaps a small serving of nanonhana greens with an aemonodressing lightly spiced with mustard.
Subtlety and finesse are not words usually used in describing yakitori, but this chicken is prepared and presented with the kind of artisan care it deserves. At the same time, Yoshicho has a warm, friendly feel. No doubt this is due to the fact that the young assistant is Yoshimoto's brother and the waitress serving your sake is likely to be his mother.
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Is Yoshicho the finest yakitori joint in the neighborhood? That's a very hard call, because over on the other side of Gotanda Station you will find Takahashi, another yakitoriya of rare quality.It, too, is a small place tucked away inconspicuously on the second floor of a modern building. And it also has that personal touch that comes from a hands-on owner-chef dedicated to detail. However, the style and approach are considerably different.
For more than two decades, Yuji Takahashi had his own upscale French restaurant, La Primeur, in Setagaya Ward. But it was always his dream to run a boutique-scale yakitori counter. When he realized that ambition three years ago with the opening of the eponymous Takahashi, he carried over with him both his expertise in French cuisine and his love of wine.
One corner of the small dining room — a stripped-back space, just an L-shaped counter seating 10 around an open kitchen, plus a small table with high bar stools for six more — is occupied by a large wine refrigerator and an impressive array of stemware. The wine list is compact but well selected to match the cuisine...
read more here...
Yoshicho
Il Viare Gotanda 2F, 1-12-9 Higashi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku; (03) 5793-5050; www.yoshichou.info/
Open: 5-10:30 p.m. (last order); closed Sunday and holidays
Smoking: No restrictions
Price per head: figure around ¥3,500 plus drinks
Drinks: Beer ¥600; umeshu from ¥650; sake from ¥700; shochu from ¥650
Cards: Major cards accepted
Language: Japanese/English menu; little English spoken
map here
Takahashi
Pragma G-Tower 2F, 1-7-1 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku; (03) 5436-9677
Open: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; 5-8 p.m. & 8:15-10:30; closed Sunday and 1st & 3rd Monday
Smoking: No restrictions
Price per head: figure around ¥3,500 plus drinks
Drinks: Beer ¥800; wine from ¥1,000/glass, from ¥5,500/bottle; sake ¥700; shochu ¥700; spirits from ¥800
Credit cards: Not accepted (cash only)
Language: Japanese menu; little English spoken
map here
You'd never stumble on it by chance. Hidden from view on the second floor of a newish building just off Sakurada-Dori, there is little inside or out to suggest that this unpretentious restaurant, with its open kitchen, glass-enclosed grill, counter seats and three small tables, is anything out of the ordinary. It's the food and not the setting that makes it worth searching out.
Unlike many yakitori chefs whose skills are solely limited to grilling, owner-chef Kenji Yoshimoto is trained in the spectrum of traditional Japanese cuisine. He has a deftness of touch that is obvious from the outset, even in the otoshi(starter) that arrives with your first drink — perhaps a small serving of nanonhana greens with an aemonodressing lightly spiced with mustard.
Subtlety and finesse are not words usually used in describing yakitori, but this chicken is prepared and presented with the kind of artisan care it deserves. At the same time, Yoshicho has a warm, friendly feel. No doubt this is due to the fact that the young assistant is Yoshimoto's brother and the waitress serving your sake is likely to be his mother.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Is Yoshicho the finest yakitori joint in the neighborhood? That's a very hard call, because over on the other side of Gotanda Station you will find Takahashi, another yakitoriya of rare quality.It, too, is a small place tucked away inconspicuously on the second floor of a modern building. And it also has that personal touch that comes from a hands-on owner-chef dedicated to detail. However, the style and approach are considerably different.
For more than two decades, Yuji Takahashi had his own upscale French restaurant, La Primeur, in Setagaya Ward. But it was always his dream to run a boutique-scale yakitori counter. When he realized that ambition three years ago with the opening of the eponymous Takahashi, he carried over with him both his expertise in French cuisine and his love of wine.
One corner of the small dining room — a stripped-back space, just an L-shaped counter seating 10 around an open kitchen, plus a small table with high bar stools for six more — is occupied by a large wine refrigerator and an impressive array of stemware. The wine list is compact but well selected to match the cuisine...
read more here...
Yoshicho
Il Viare Gotanda 2F, 1-12-9 Higashi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku; (03) 5793-5050; www.yoshichou.info/
Open: 5-10:30 p.m. (last order); closed Sunday and holidays
Smoking: No restrictions
Price per head: figure around ¥3,500 plus drinks
Drinks: Beer ¥600; umeshu from ¥650; sake from ¥700; shochu from ¥650
Cards: Major cards accepted
Language: Japanese/English menu; little English spoken
map here
Takahashi
Pragma G-Tower 2F, 1-7-1 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku; (03) 5436-9677
Open: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; 5-8 p.m. & 8:15-10:30; closed Sunday and 1st & 3rd Monday
Smoking: No restrictions
Price per head: figure around ¥3,500 plus drinks
Drinks: Beer ¥800; wine from ¥1,000/glass, from ¥5,500/bottle; sake ¥700; shochu ¥700; spirits from ¥800
Credit cards: Not accepted (cash only)
Language: Japanese menu; little English spoken
map here
Unlike many yakitori chefs whose skills are solely limited to grilling, owner-chef Kenji Yoshimoto is trained in the spectrum of traditional Japanese cuisine. He has a deftness of touch that is obvious from the outset, even in the otoshi(starter) that arrives with your first drink — perhaps a small serving of nanonhana greens with an aemonodressing lightly spiced with mustard.
Subtlety and finesse are not words usually used in describing yakitori, but this chicken is prepared and presented with the kind of artisan care it deserves. At the same time, Yoshicho has a warm, friendly feel. No doubt this is due to the fact that the young assistant is Yoshimoto's brother and the waitress serving your sake is likely to be his mother.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Is Yoshicho the finest yakitori joint in the neighborhood? That's a very hard call, because over on the other side of Gotanda Station you will find Takahashi, another yakitoriya of rare quality.It, too, is a small place tucked away inconspicuously on the second floor of a modern building. And it also has that personal touch that comes from a hands-on owner-chef dedicated to detail. However, the style and approach are considerably different.
For more than two decades, Yuji Takahashi had his own upscale French restaurant, La Primeur, in Setagaya Ward. But it was always his dream to run a boutique-scale yakitori counter. When he realized that ambition three years ago with the opening of the eponymous Takahashi, he carried over with him both his expertise in French cuisine and his love of wine.
One corner of the small dining room — a stripped-back space, just an L-shaped counter seating 10 around an open kitchen, plus a small table with high bar stools for six more — is occupied by a large wine refrigerator and an impressive array of stemware. The wine list is compact but well selected to match the cuisine...
read more here...
Yoshicho
Il Viare Gotanda 2F, 1-12-9 Higashi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku; (03) 5793-5050; www.yoshichou.info/
Open: 5-10:30 p.m. (last order); closed Sunday and holidays
Smoking: No restrictions
Price per head: figure around ¥3,500 plus drinks
Drinks: Beer ¥600; umeshu from ¥650; sake from ¥700; shochu from ¥650
Cards: Major cards accepted
Language: Japanese/English menu; little English spoken
map here
Takahashi
Pragma G-Tower 2F, 1-7-1 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku; (03) 5436-9677
Open: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; 5-8 p.m. & 8:15-10:30; closed Sunday and 1st & 3rd Monday
Smoking: No restrictions
Price per head: figure around ¥3,500 plus drinks
Drinks: Beer ¥800; wine from ¥1,000/glass, from ¥5,500/bottle; sake ¥700; shochu ¥700; spirits from ¥800
Credit cards: Not accepted (cash only)
Language: Japanese menu; little English spoken
map here
