The Missus wanted Yakitori for our last meal in Kyoto and I had a place in mind.
But first, some shopping.
Teramachi Dori, one of the major shopping streets, was strangely quiet on this evening.
The Missus managed to do some damage at this location of Lupicia.
After which we took a nice leisurely stroll up to the Juingu-Marutamachi Station. On street level above the station was a rather discreet, but popular place named Torito. I was interested in the place because of the rather polarizing reviews, some folks declared it yakitori for tourists, yet other said it was amazing….the strange thing about that yakitori for tourists thing is….well, you'll see by what we ordered. 
It was out last evening in Kyoto, a place that makes us feel quite comfortable…we just feel relaxed and at home here and our trip to Japan was coming to an end.
The Missus decided to get a Hiball, I had a Suntory Draft.
We noticed that we noticed quickly was that the guy doing all the grilling seemed quite young….also, there were English menus.
But what was on those menus wasn't quite your tourist yakitori items….though the tourists we saw come in ordered stuff like breast and chicken rice bowls, we went full speed ahead and started with some very smokey chicken gizzards.
Which was fine….though a bit too dry for me.
The Nankotsu was very, very good….perfectly grilled, nice and crunchy, but really pleasant to eat.
And followed with Tori no Tataki, seared, basically rare chicken.
This was dark meat, very clean, but definite chicken flavor. A bit too chewy for my taste, I should have gotten the white meat, which I think is much more tender raw. Tourist food, huh?
The Missus absolutely loved the "Kimo" (chicken liver) and declared it the best She's ever eaten.
The Kawa-su, chicken skin salad was a nice refreshing change of pace.
Up next was more Chicken Skin….but not "just" chicken skin, but we chose "Chicken Buttock Skin".
Very interesting texture….a bit more chewy, but man, the flavor was so amazingly distinct……
Next up was our Tsukune….this is what I basically judge my yakitori places on. First thing we noticed was that the tsukune was made to order. That is, when the order is placed, the chef forms it by hand. Now watching this guy was amazing as he juggled both the grill and the deep fryer, never missing a beat. As you can easily see; this was the tsukune I've ever had.
From the light and crisp exterior, to the creamy interior….I'm wondering how much chicken fat is in this….a quick dip in the egg; more richness and flavor. This by far is the best I've had.
The Wing Tips were okay, though a bit too hard and chewy for us.
One thing we were noticing was the perfect amount of salt was being used.
I absolutely loved the Hatsu…the chicken hearts, which weren't grilled too heavily…..just the right amount of smoke and salt.
Surprisingly tender.
There's a part of the menu which features local, Kyoto bred chicken (the tsukune is on that part of the menu) and we tried the chicken thigh with quail egg.
There was a more distinct chicken flavor in this; something that's missing here in the States for the most part. Loved the little piece of cartilage left on the meat, it added a nice textural contrast, as did the quail egg, though I could have done without that. The Missus though, loves Her quail eggs.
The Chicken wings were just ok…..especially after having all the previous dishes.
The skin on these was a bit too rubbery for us.
The Missus loved Her "finishing" dish (Shime), going with the rich and velvety chicken bone broth with meatballs.
She still talks about how rich and lovely this soup was.
I went with my standard; a nice, nutty, smokey, yaki onigiri.
A perfect end to a wonderful meal for us.
As we were finishing dinner, the Missus declared this Her new favorite yakitori shop. So I'm guessing we'll be back whenever we're in Kyoto.
The shop is rather discrete. From what I understand….you know, I'm basically about the food…Torito is a species of bird. So the best thing is to find the carving of a bird outside the door of the restaurant.
Torito
9-5 Higashi Marutamachi
Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
As I mentioned earlier….Kyoto has a way of making us feel comfortable….in spite of all the tradition and sometimes, well, interesting stuffs…..
