Chicken Lunch @ Yakitori Toriyasu, Toranomon, Tokyo

 

It is always amazing to see that even after all this while, there are still parts of Tokyo that I have yet to explore. And during one of those weekday lunches, an impromptu exploration excursion led me to a rather historic yakitori place and eventually a very satisfying meal. 

Rustic.

Starting its operations in 1959, I was somewhat surprised as to how I have not found Yakitori Toriyasu after all this while. I know I am based in Fukuoka but I do visit Tokyo often for work and play. It is always nice to find such special haunts like this, especially deep in the office block districts. Once you open the sliding door, you can really feel as though you have been teleported back in time. The entire premise has a very old fashion wooden interior, with a great but calming nostalgic vibe. 

Hefty!

Being in the midday, it will only be natural to check out what they have as their lunch specials. Almost immediately, I set my sights on the chicken box lunch or きじ焼重. A combination of egg and chicken, it seems pretty identical to the oyakodon. And soon enough my lunch arrived relatively quickly. Standing at just 900 yen, this modest meal was a real steal. 

Combining all the elements together really brought about delicious results. 

Despite its simple appearance, it was packed with flavour and was quite satisfying. The teriyaki glaze coating the grilled chicken was simple but had so much personality. A great combination of sweet, salty, and savoury, it really matched well with the chicken. The egg portion was pretty good too. It is simple scrambled eggs with the excessive scrambling. But it added more texture to the overall meal and has deeper undertones to the rice at the bottom. 

Deceptively tasty

It is quite special to see something so simple taste so good. And speaking of simple, the soup accompanying it was just a classic clear chicken broth. It was crisp, gentle, and yet had great flavours too. You feel like you had the pure extract of chicken in a bowl. However, the strength was not intrusive and was pleasant to the palate.

Classic vibes

Once again, it is always amazing to find simple eating spots right in the midtown area of this intense city. With such a good experience for just a simple lunch,, I really look forward to a proper yakitori meal with sake and friends in this great establishment. If you intend to try this lunch set like I did, or hit the barbecue and drinks at night before I do, then the address is as follows:

 1 Chome-5-13 Toranomon, Minato City, Tokyo 105-0001