南青山七鳥目 (Nanachome in Hiro, Tokyo)

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南青山七鳥目

Nanachome isn’t a ramen shop. It’s yakitori. Skewers of chicken roasted over Japanese bincho charcoal. Yakitori in Japan comes in all shapes and sizes, from 50-yen-a-skewer street stalls to high-end restaurants. Nanachome is of the latter. Well, this isn’t yakitori adventures (maybe if I hire some staff I could expand), but ramen was on the menu. Lucky us. Actually, most high-end yakitori course meals end with carbs. Oyakodon is the norm, a rice bowl topped with, as the name (親子) suggests, mother and child. Meat and eggs. In recent years some shops have been using their left over bones (these places all source the best-of-the-best chickens) to make soup. Toss in some tare and noodles and you’ll have ramen.

The ramen at nanachome is tasty. Here’s a rare glimpse into the world of high-end yakitori.

I won’t lie, I’ve forgotten what most of these parts are. Yakitori courses are often a beak-to-tail experience. The non-standard innards are all textural and, in my opinion, tasty. Was the above ぼんじり tail?

Uzura (うずら) quail eggs are barely cooked and still runny on the inside.

Chicken liver mouse, made in house.

Tsukune (つくね) chicken meatballs usually have a little cartilage inside for texture. These ones were topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese before serving.

Fatty chicken thigh with some spicy yuzu kosho on the side.

Shittake mushroom.

More pieces I can’t identify on sight. Do you call yourself a foodie?

Crispy skin. The collagen and fat under the skin make for a nice contrast.

And lastly the ramen.

Yakitori courses are surprisingly affordable. While other high-end restaurants in Tokyo are charging 30,000 yen or so for a course (sushi, I’m looking at you), yakitori is rarely over 10,000 yen.

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