YAKITORI @ SHINJUKU

One of the 'must-do' things as a Tokyo first timer is that little smoky lane just off the Shinjuku Odakyu Department Store where one can find many small and old Yakitori 'bars' ... you cannot call these restaurants but I do not have a word for it either. Dinner trade was vibrant, luckily I found a stool spot, sandwiched between a young man who must had quite a few, and an old guy who might be Chinese (but spoke fluent Japanese) as he was playing non stop an er-hu VCD on his I-Pad. The screen showed old China, accompanied by that melancholy sound only an er-hu can produce. A rather strange mix of emotions brought together by a half drunk lad, an older man who missed his past, and another older man who also missed his past, but was too hungry to care.

I ordered the Tei-Shoku or Set Meal of Chicken : wings, meatballs, nuggets, skin and leek. The appetizer was a pickled Renkon or lotus root salad that opened up my appetite. While waiting my street foods curiosity took the better of me and next thing I knew the Motsunikomi, translated as 'intestines - simmer' appeared. A dish of Korean origins it was pieces of tasty pig innards, with tofu, Konnyaku in a Kimchi soup, splashed with Wakegi ... wonderful for a chilly evening by a smoky charcoal pit. With a tall glass of Oolong Tea - I decided to stop drinking altogether for no reason - the damage was Y2900 or HK$223. Not bad, but this is the same price as a plate of mid-price Sushi in the Tsukiji neighborhood. The ingredients could only be 50% of the bill, if that, but the 'ambiance' was priceless, especially the er-hu tunes.