Day in the Life of a Hungry Food Explorer: Yummy Yakitori in Osaka

Monday, March 30, 2015

Yummy Yakitori in Osaka

There's something very special with how Japanese people "bbq" their meats. Not only are they so keen to detail/treat cooking as a very sophisticated yet delicate art; they also go that extra mile by grilling with domestic Japanese chicken and using binchotan! Binchotan is a kind of charcoal made from oak which burns without smoke and is considered the most favored charcoal in Japan. It's also known as the highest quality activated charcoal for purifying water! Once you've gone Binchotan, you can't go back!

I somehow got a seat without a reservation in a very packed house. After struggling with the language barrier; I was just told (via some other local eater that spoke some English) that if I could finish after 1 hour I could dine right now. If you don't speak much/any Japanese then prepare to write in Japanese what you want using your smartphone as they don't have an English menu and not much pictures to point at. With all these obstacles I had to face, it was still one of the best Yakitori spots I have encountered yet so far. Everything was cooked to perfection with the right seasonings. For those daredevils, I tried their raw chicken and although I wouldn't say I loved it, it was not bad. Don't worry there's a much higher quality standard in Japan when it comes to Chicken that you don't need to worry about getting "Salmonella" from consuming raw chicken. Each item I ordered were all highlights to me but if I had to get really picky, their Karage (Japanese fried chicken) was one of the best I ever had. Highly recommend this place to eat authentic Yakitori if you are in Osaka. I was the only foreigner in the building. Share if you like this post! =)