HIGASHI NAKANO: Yakiton Teruteru... Cozy counter seating with unhappy staff and watery motsu-nikomi (Sony RX100)

Its Golden Week in Japan! 10 days off for most everyone!  So I had to explore a rather busy Yakiton spot in Higashi Nakanno. 

This looks like their lunch set menu. 

Yakiton menu. Yaki is grill and Ton is pork. Most are familiar with Yakitori (Tori is Chicken).

Drink Menu.

Very unusual to see such a huge bottle of Red Star Sapporo Beer!  Usually its one step smaller.

Anyways I sat down directly in front of 2 chefs that looked like zombies... nobody was happy here. Waited over 5 minutes to see if they would ask me what I`d like to order... nope.  Not very customer friendly. 

Huge fan of Motsu-Nikomi and its the house specialty here! 

Quite the volume for 450 yen (100 yen extra for additional boiled egg).

After one bite this was sooo watery and incredibly flavorless.  Wow... never had it this bad. 

Lots of great Japanese oldies on the BGM. 

The main Yakiton chef. 

OK! Took the risk to order the Omakase 3 piece set for 291 yen

Yup! I knew it! The sauce was sooo tasty! But as for these parts there are very rubbery... kind of like chewing a piece of rubber so you either have to swallow it or just keep on chomping. 

Seasonings.

As I paid the waiter gave me a little plastic bag with this note.  It reads "Thank you very much for coming to our shop. Hope you have an enjoyable time here. We would be so happy if you could use our home made carrot dressing. From Yakiton TeruTeru Higashi Nakano branch.. smiley face." What the first and only smile is this!

How many drops of carrot juice is this?  Gonna have to buy a super tiny salad.

Overall its a cozy restaurant that seems to have a great variety of izakaya foods but the unhappy staff made the experience rather bleak.  Maybe a great place to go with friends or on a date if you don`t mind the staff.  

Restaurant: Yakiton Teruteru Higashi Nakano Branch

Tabelog Foodie: https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1319/A131901/13187784/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/east_teruteru/

Address J: 東京都中野区東中野3-6-18

Address E: Tokyo, Nakano-ku, Higashi Nakano 3-6-18

MAP: https://g.page/yakitonteruteru2?share

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KICHIJOJI: Kappa Yakiton... all 100yen... friendly counter only seating with view of the chef!

This tiny place has been around for years... walked by and it was packed with a nice balance of men and women.  Headed back at 9:45pm and got a friendly welcome from the staff.

All items are 100yen and all pig parts

Just a few salarymen left just before they closed.

Only 1 kind of bottled beer... think it was Kirin.

The sticks are quite tiny and just average... but don't think people stay here very long.  Oh the more popular items sell out so best to go a little early.

My pilot friend pointed out that he makes all the yakitori on this single tiny grill... must have a great turnover at this amazing location near the station.

Pic of a post that heats up sake called "atsukan."

When closing time comes around they bring this long noren into the restaurant.

Waitress kept asking us how to pronounce words in English like tomato, Lady Gaga, McDonalds... nice folks.

Restaurant: Kappa Yakitori

Tabelog Foodie: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1320/A132001/13010009/

Address J: 東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺南町1-5-9

Address E: Tokyo, Musashino-shi, Kichijoji, Minamicho 1-5--9

MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/xBQgnYTKFDm

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KOENJI: Yakiton Ton-Kichi for some great Chicken Butt and Liver!!

So where to randomly hit up to kill 30 minutes?  Best idea is to look for a spot filled with old people that look like regulars... and this spot fit the description.  Lots of older salarymen and retired looking folks.

Otoshi

Ice cold bottle of Sapporo

This was on tonights menu.  Friend (http://ameblo.jp/aikaokame/) was performing in this somewhat oddly titled Play in Koenji.  About how Sh*t and Lobster (an intimate sexual position) evolved out of Japanese history... wacky?  Hell ya... wacky and very very weird.  Who combines these two unrelated words? Jumbled Jinglish.

I'm a huge huge fan of Bonjiri (Chicken Butt) thanks to Mari... crispy on the outside and a nice light chewiness on the inside.  Its not gross so give it a try! You'll definitely like it and its soooo something foreigners rarely get to try.  Oh, the liver was tasty creamy... 

Nankotsu... Cartilage... not a fan.  Just too hard and flavorlessly crunchy for me.

A really nice little local spot but be aware... if there were fire alarms in this place they'd be going off left and right as the ventilation system for the yakitori was non-existent and we were consumed in white smelly smoke! 

I'd probably go back here... had a nice old rustic feel with a big older clientele following.

Shop: Yakiton Tonnkichi - Koenji Branch

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1319/A131904/13073185/

Address J: 東京都杉並区高円寺南3-58-17

Address E: Tokyo, Suginami-ku, Koenji Minami 3-58-17

MAP:

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