Choking smoky sticks

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I had a pretty good first experience at Torikaze (鳥かぜ) - the local outpost of famed Tokyo joint Torishiki (鳥しき). That was, of course, by invitation from B Bestie. After that meal, I thought maybe, just maybe, there is finally a yakitori (焼き鳥) joint that Foursheets could enjoy. In addition to the 3 sticks of veggies - which were watched over by Chef Matsui Ryo (松井亮) himself - there were another 9 different vegetables offered as add-ons. It wouldn't have to be an all-chicken evening.

We managed to rope the Zhongmeister and Winnie the Chew, as they have been a few times and are fans. As our friends have always sat in the private rooms, I thought they should get a different experience by sitting at the counter - like a proper yakitori joint. This would turn out very badly for me tonight...

Appetizer : edamame egg tofu with shiso sauce (前菜：枝豆玉子豆腐、しそソース) - the perilla sauce was not bad, but it wasn't as strong and fragrant as hoped.

Kamo eggplant (賀茂茄子そばろあん) - with three yellow chicken (三黃雞).

Thigh (かしわ)

Shoulder (肩)

Fillet (ささみ) - always the most boring stick, still meh even at just 85% doneness.

Heart (ハツ) - very nice texture and flavors here.

Zucchini (ズッキーニ) - from Nagano. This was pretty nice with the miso.

Okinawa bitter melon, sesame vinegar (沖縄ゴーヤ、胡麻酢和え) - served chilled with chicken breast confit, katsuobushi (鰹節).

Meatball (つくね)

New ginkgo (新銀杏)

Asparagus (アスパラガス)

Oyster (ソリレス) - always very, very juicy and tender. It's no surprise that sot-l'y-laisse is one of the most popular sticks in yakitori.

Back skin (ペタ) - very thick and fatty. So bouncy!

Wing (手羽先)

Main : ginger chicken rice with chicken thick soup (土鍋悟飯、新生姜のあんかけ悟飯) - tons of young ginger here.

The sauce was made with chicken feet and wing tips for the collagen. Pretty nice.

Dessert : homemade plum sauce milk ice cream (自家製梅シロップアイス) - with Nanko plum (南高梅).

We just ordered 1 bottle from the restaurant list:

2020 Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits-Saint-Georges La Charmotte - nice fruit on the nose, which was not quite floral but almost, and kinda elegant.

Unfortunately for me, the restaurant chose to seat us on the side... in the four seats closest to the grill. As the person who is second-closest to the grill, and given how the ventilation tonight was much weaker than on my first visit, the smoke was just everywhere around me. Coincidentally, I had developed a cough during my trip to China over the weekend, so the smoke just triggered my cough pretty much the whole meal. I don't know if it's because the junior cooks can't handle the grilling properly in Matsui-san's absence tonight, but the smoke was pretty bad. I couldn't wait to finish the meal so I could escape the smoke. Oh well.