Osaka: Yakitori Stops and Some Torisashi

We'd had a really nice day visiting Nara and having lunch at Kuromon Market. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing after all that walking.

For dinner we headed back to the bright lights of Dotonburi.

This time around we were more accustomed to the area and spent a good amount of time checking out the back streets and arcades.

And while most were a lot more quiet than the main streets...there was still some major crazy storefronts....what the heck is this?

We had no destination planned for dinner and just wandered around until we came to this Yakitori shop.

Fairly non-descript and the yakitori wasn't anything to write home about, but the beer was cold.

The mimiga (pig ear) was decent. The menu was huge with everything from Chicken Tail to Camembert Cheese (?!?)

We ordered a selection and wasn't overly impressed.

Nothing really stood out, but the food was cheap.

Folks started arriving soon after we entered....folks in a good mood, ready for a beer and a nice time.

We headed back to the craziness of Shinsaibashi until the Missus got tired of all the window shopping.

Deciding to walk back to the apartment, we ran into this little shop near the beginning of Dotonburi.

A little older woman saw us peeking in the window and waved us in then sat us at one of the well worn tables.

The bar area seemed to be doing some nice business when we arrived.

Again, the place had a huge menu of grilled and fried items.

We made a few choices; quail eggs wrapped in bacon and chicken skin.

And while things seemed much better prepared than our previous stop, it was nothing special.

The kawa was pretty good, but very salty.

There was one item on the menu I wanted, I saw one of the guys on the bar eating it.... was the torisashi; chicken sashimi. At first the woman ignored my order. So I later went up to the bar and ordered it. I saw a look of apprehension on the face of the Missus when it arrived. The stigma of raw chicken had followed the Missus to Japan it seems. Personally, having had torisashi before, I had no such qualms.

It was pretty darn good, much more tender than you'd think, almost melting away in your mouth. The flavor is quite mild and it went well with the shoyu-wasabi and slightly sweet raw onion. The Missus was shocked at how tender the texture of the raw chicken was.

Now, I'm the last person in the world who is going to twist your arm and make you eat raw chicken (please don't start scarfing that package of Foster Farms raw) or raw horse. But if you enjoy it, why not? And like our good friend Kat says....."if you're going to eat it raw, eat it in Japan."

There is one last funny anecdote. We went back to the apartment and I had a beer. After turning in for the evening, I awoke and noticed the Missus sitting in the dark. I asked Her what was going on. Her answer, "I'm sitting here waiting to get sick....." Sheeesh. Old beliefs die hard. And no, She didn't get sick.....

Thanks for reading! 

Comments

[kat]

the Missus, too funny...and yes, anything raw is best eaten in Japan...that is not to say that there have never been food poisoning cases, but chances are a little higher not to get sick here :)

[Kirk]

Very funny, Kat......we still laugh about that all the time.

[Junichi]

When in Japan....eat raw! Need to make it out to Osaka one of these days just to experience the chaos.

[Kirk]

Hi Junichi - I actually think that Shinjuku Station at rush hour is much more chaotic...but Dotonburi and Shinsaibashi at prime time is right up there.

[janfrederick]

LOL...waiting to get sick. :)

[Kirk]

Quite funny Jan.....