Torishin

Torishin is a high end yakitori restaurant and is New York's only venue that serves omakase yakitori. There are two sections: one where you can order ala cart and the regular omakase for around $70, and a private bar area where all patrons must order the deluxe $140 omakase that requires reservations and a dining time of 2.5 hours. We were intrigued by the deluxe option and they were actually able to accommodate us on a short notice but the long dining time deterred us since we had plans afterwards. I would definitely be interested in returning to try that! I loved how the menu had all sorts of interesting parts of the chicken such as chicken artery and the crown. Everything was delicious and I was beyond stuffed at the end of the meal.

I really enjoyed my meal here and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves yakitori and especially for those who are adventurous in eating more unique parts of the chicken!

Yakitori Torishin

362 West 53rd Street

New York

NY 10019

Sumi Yakitori

I was supposed to visit Sumi Yakitori for a friend's birthday a few months ago but the venue was changed at the last minute. Since then, I have forgotten about Sumi but every once in a while the name would pop back into my mind and I would tell myself that I should check it out sometime if I was in the mood for yakitori. I finally got the chance to venture to this smokey den to taste its delicious skewers last week and Sumi is now one of my favorite places for yakitori! Sumi is located in a super sketchy building with hostess bars on all its other floors. The building is quite hard to find as it is located in a dingy dark alleyway nestled between skyscrapers. The atmosphere was very laid back and you were smothered in smoke the moment you stepped in. The food was great and our server was friendly, but I think they really should improve their ventilation system because it was so smokey that it made the dining experience less enjoyable.

Cheese mochi
This is by far the best cheese mochi I have ever had. I've previously raved about the cheese mochi at Sensyu but Sumi's mochi has knocked it off first place. The outer shell is extremely crispy and the mochi is light and chewy. Sumi's mochi was thinner and was very airy while still remaining the oh so satisfying chewiness. The amount of cheese was also very generous and it oozed out as we cut into these little pockets of heaven. 

Soft chicken bone
These were well seasoned and had a nice char. The pieces were very decently sized and were crunchy and delicious. These were done well but were nothing mind blowing.

Ox tongue
The ox tongue is to die for. Just look at those thick juicy slabs of meat! The texture was great and the flavors were strong. The flavoring was just right and brought out the meaty flavors of the ox tongue. I particularly liked how thick the tongue was cut as it really works with the texture of the meat. Best ox tongue yakitori ever. 

Eel
The skin had a great crunchy char and the eel was juicy and very meaty. I didn't really like the bones in the eel but that is my own personal issue has I am quite sensitive to small bones that most people can eat. Flavoring was again done well. 

Chicken wings
The chicken wings had a great ratio of skin and juicy meat, the skin was very crispy and delectable. This was done well but nothing special. 

Grilled corn with garlic butter 
The corn was roasted perfectly and was juicy and sweet. We were given large chunks of aromatic garlic butter to smother over the yummy kernels. This was very good but I got a bit lazy eating the corn and gave up half way. Next time I will just use a knife. The serving size was also very generous. 

We also ordered a "chicken paw", I thought that was rather disgusting and had a very funky texture but some of my friends really enjoyed it. We also got a short rib which looked very delicious but taste wise was only normal. It was good, but not something I would specifically order again. One thing we got that I loved was the foie gras rice with egg. I unfortunately was unable to get a picture because the server divided the portion for our party. The foie was very rich and fragrant and the egg enveloped the rice in a creamy sauce. Although it was very delicious, the rice was very heavy and a small bowl is quite sufficient especially with all the other dishes we ordered.

Sumi Yakitori

9/F

Evernew House

485 Lockhart Road

Causeway Bay 

Hong Kong