Expect to be treated to a satiating course of one or two vegetables, around twelve chicken dishes, a filling bowl of yakitori-don and soup when dining at Goichi Higobashi. Daily deliveries determine the precise composition, but the course features dishes using the whole chicken. It includes seared thigh meat, chicken meatballs and shiso-flavored meatballs, breast, heart, neck, breastbone cartilage (yagen nankotsu), tenderloin with pickled plum, charred duck, parson’s nose, kinkan immature eggs, and shishimaru – a sumptuous, salty, grilled bite of the precious portion from the chicken’s inner thigh. Takeda decides the order of service based on the depth of flavor, texture, and moisture content.

Goichi’s signature dish is called kimoni to tamahimo. It contains soft-braised fatty liver that melts in the mouth and the rich flavors of soft-boiled chicken oviduct with the immature egg. The barely cooked, seared thigh meat is local Tamba-dori chicken cooked over charcoals for crispy skin and juicy meat. It is served with green onions, salt, and grated ginger. Several dishes like skewered grilled thigh meat and the meatballs infused with shiso perilla leaves are served with hot Japanese mustard and wasabi to season to your liking. These are interspersed with delectable vegetable dishes, like a thick round of Senshyu onion full of tender sweetness and charred flavor. And then there is the fluffy, melt-in-the-mouth goodness of Fuwatoro Naganasu eggplant: grilled whole with the skin peeled just before serving, the texture and flavor experience is an incredibly pleasurable first for most guests.

The course comes to a close with a satisfying deep bowl of rice topped with grilled Tamba-dori thigh meat, a bright orange egg yolk, and lots of green onions, and served with soup whose flavor tells you the chef has used every chicken bone steeped for hours to extract this rich broth. The course can be enjoyed with free-flowing beer, sake, and whisky highballs. And for those who prefer wine, the chef invites you to venture into the cellar to make your own selection.

INGREDIENTS
The chicken used at Goichi is only wakadori young chicken ready for consumption after around eight weeks from hatching. Takeda’s is the freshest and best to be found through trusted suppliers. While jidori pedigree chicken is prized as a luxury ingredient, the choice of wakadori means Takeda can serve a delicious range of chicken parts at an affordable price, allowing guests to eat to their hearts’ content. Beer, sake, shochu, and highballs are all free flowing, meaning no surprises for guests when the bill arrives. It also makes it easier to split bills, which is very common these days. Takeda’s style choices are all about comfort and enjoyment for his guests.