Tokyo Food Page
★Toriyoshi Dining/
Shibuya: Yakitori
▼5784-3373
▽Data
Yakitori pubs evoke
an image of troops
of white-shirted
salarymen assembling
after work in smoke-
filled surroundings
to drink beer and
eat chicken on
sticks. Toriyoshi -
the Kichijoji-based
yakitori chain fa-
mous for their spicy
chicken wings - has
done their part to
help upgrade the
image, providing
fancy interiors and
frou-frou cocktails
that attract a
younger demographic.
And with Toriyoshi
Dining, the Toriyo-
shi group has taken
another bold step:
yakitori for dating.
The staircase lead-
ing down to the
dining room looks
like an art gallery,
lined with sensual
large-scale black-
and-white photos of
food. Inside, the
decor is suitably
swank, with stain-
less steel counters,
frosted glass pan-
els, dramatic light-
ing and oversized
ikebana arrange-
ments. You'll notice
that nearly all the
tables are for two,
and even the seats
at the counter are
arranged in pairs.
(There are a few
private rooms for
parties hidden away
in the back, but
Shichimi-dori is
definitely designed
for couples.) The
drinks menu reveals
more clues to the
target market here -
not just beer and
sake but a couple
dozen wines, a page
or two of cocktails,
and even espresso!
The food menu will
be familiar to fans
of Toriyoshi - a mix
of skewered yakitori
variations and other
chicken dishes,
sashimi starters and
homemade tofu, plus
plenty of originals
like "deep-fried
crispy balls of crab
and rice cake." One
thing they don't
serve is Toriyoshi's
trademark chicken
wings - perhaps the
traditional hands-on
approach to eating
wings was deemed
incompatible with
the goal of impress-
ing a date. They do
feature excellent
grilled free-range
chicken from Miyaza-
ki - mostly very
tender, but with a
few chewy bits to
remind you of its
free-range upbring-
ing, paired with a
spicy miso sauce. A
wooden sign near the
grill proudly an-
nounces the use of
top-quality bincho
charcoal from Wakay-
ama Prefecture - the
first choice of
charcoal connois-
seurs.
If you've still got
room after your meal
there's a whole page
of "chef's recom-
mended desserts" -
stuff like baked
chocolate cake,
strawberry mousse
and creme brulee.
And if you don't
feel like negotiat-
ing the menu there
are respectably
well-balanced full-
course dinners
priced at Y3800 and
Y4500. Ordering a la
carte, an average
bill might be Y4000-
5000 per person
including drinks.
[There's also a
branch in Hachioji:
0426-45-2224.]
▼Photo (small)
▼Photo (large)
▼Map for AU phones
▼Map for DoCoMo
◎Dogenzaka 2-10-10,
Sekaido Bldg. B1F.
[Take the left fork
at 109 and continue
up the hill - it's
on the left about 30
sec. past the Prime
Bldg. and across the
street]
◎Open 5pm-4am
daily.
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