I guess this post was inevitable. Back in 2012, I did a series of posts comparing Yakyudori to Koubou. It was pretty much no contest. Now, over two years later, there's Yakitori Taisho. In spite of my impressions eating there, I just had to see. Which would I prefer, Yakyudori or Taisho. In spite of having the same owner, the two places are quite different. Taisho is rather quiet and sedate, if you have reservations, you'll have it basically for the whole night until you leave….Yakyudori is an elbow to elbow zoo, which starts serving yakitori at 530pm. They also do ramen an lunch.
That said, it's all protein on a stick, right? Not so as I recently did a couple of visits…..for research purposes of course, just to compare. Here's what we found……
So let's start with he Butashiso….pork rolled with shiso leaf.
Taisho on top, Yakyudori below. It's kind of easy to see; Taisho's version was more moist and nicely grilled over bincho. Yakyudori gave you more, but was drier, tougher, and more salty.
Taisho 1 Yakyudori 0
Up next, Tsukune, once one of Yakyudori's strong points. However, some time in the last year or two, the recipe seems to have changed and it's now rather tasteless and not as tender.
Good lord, the version at Yakyudori was almost incinerated, it was quite bitter. What happened here?
Taisho 2, Yakyudori 0
The teba, chicken wings are a Yakyudori signature item in my opinion. Here it's a wash.
The wings at Taisho are more moist. Both places have a nice crisp skin.
The wings at Yakyudori is more salty, which I really like with a nice cold Sapporo.
Taisho 2, Yakyudori 0, even 1
The Missus loves Her chicken livers.
It's gotten to the point where Taka-san just puts two on the grill when we arrive…..he doesn't need to ask. And yet, while the version at Taisho is more refined and meaty, what Yakyudori serves seems much more smoky, though dry.
So again it's a wash.
Taisho 2 Yakyudori 0 even 2
So let's move on to those Nagoya Wings…..I love them both, but the Missus has a preference.
She preferred the version at Yakyudori because it wasn't as sweet as Taisho and in spite of the looks, the black pepper flavor wasn't as prominent.
Taisho 2 Yakyudori 1, even 2
And then there's chicken karaage.
Here's where it's interesting again. The version at Taisho, on this visit, had a nice savory flavor.
The version we had at Yakyudori, was more crisp and light.
Taisho 2, Yakyudori 1, even 3
You can see, it pretty close….I will say that as a whole, the standard non-chicken proteins (other than the buta shiso) would probably be better at Yakyudori. Taisho is a bit more refined, less salty, but also not quite the busy scene of Yakyudori.
There are, of course the items that Yakyudori has that Taisho doesn't and the menu is larger.
The Kawasu – chicken skin salad is a favorite.
The natto gohan – natto rice bowl, used to be until it just became a ton of rice and just a bit of natto, which threw the ratio off.
At Tasiho, the kawa – chicken skin is grilled, it often takes a while and the tare gives it a nice sweetness. The texture is crisp around the edges and melt in your mouth in the exterior. We often call it our "dessert".
There's also some interesting specials. Though the Babylon Snails I had the last time weren't nearly as sweet as what I had on a previous visit. The menu is also more limited.
So there you go….I think it's all about what you prefer….the atmosphere and such. Still, it was fun to compare…..
Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
So maybe you should check them both out and see which suites you the best!