As you peruse the menu, you may get carried away with the dishes you wish to try. The recommendation is to be sure your order includes the three Nakameguro Torimachi treasures: yakitori, the simmered chicken dish, and kamameshi – a small pot of rice with various toppings. The selection of yakitori grilled chicken skewers is cooked according to methods passed on from Torishiki and includes diverse chicken parts from thigh and neck to gizzard and yagen nankotsu cartilage from the breastbone area. In the simmered dish, chicken is cooked low and slow in a combination of specialty miso and nourishing chicken bone broth alongside carrot, burdock root and konnyaku, made from the starchy tuber called konjac or devil’s tongue. The dish is topped at the last minute with tofu and egg prepared in a separate pot. The rich chicken umami unfolds on the palate for a satisfying, long-lasting aftertaste.

The kamameshi pot rice begins with Milky Queen rice, famed for its springy texture, cooked in a special pot with a chicken soup recipe inherited from Torishiki. Several varieties are on offer, including Tandoori Chicken and Chicken-and-egg Rolled Omelet. But for your first visit, you must try the Soboro kamameshi topped with lashings of Torishiki’s signature seasoned minced chicken. The pot is served with the lid on and accompanied by an hourglass. Once the last grain of sand has fallen to the bottom, the steaming is done, and it’s time to reveal the delicious aromas and flavors inside.

The small plates menu includes a piled-high potato salad, a taste and texture sensation topped with Torishiki seasoned minced chicken and fried onions. Date-dori chicken, a highly sought-after breed raised in Fukushima Prefecture, is cured to make a richly flavored “chicken ham” served with a raw egg yolk in a dish called yukke on the menu. This word is the Japanese version of yukhoe, the name for a raw meat dish in Korean cuisine. Kushi-age is another type of skewered food, but unlike yakitori, which is grilled, these skewers are plunged into hot oil and deep fried and served with a silken salty-sweet sauce. The choices include skewered deep-fried chicken tenders, neck, and hinatoro (also called furisode) – a rare piece of flesh between the breast and wing. Vegetable skewers include lotus root and small onions.

INGREDIENTS
While Fukushima’s Date-dori is the brand of choice, the chef uses different brands as dictated by the desired flavor profile of a dish. In all cases, the meat comes from healthy chickens raised in a stress-free environment, conditions which yield tender flesh, rich umami, and a flavor guests never tire of. The Milky Queen rice varietal features in the kamameshi pot rice dishes. Loved for its springy texture, the rice stays delicious even after cooling.