Tsukune Ichigo

I lived by Tsukune Ichigo for years and always passed by it because it never looked open. I took a chance one day and pulled on the giant wooden doors at the entrance and lo and behold the place was packed to the brim with Japanese salarymen seeking post workday consolation with friends and colleagues. The menu is very simple, the focus is as much on the sochu and sake as on the food and as with any izakaya, the stars of the menu are the simple appetizers and small portion hot dishes. I can't get enough of the pork with kimchee, the sesame coated chicken wings and the hot sauteed mushrooms with herbs and hot garlic butter sauce. Perfect place for a drink and food to share after work. It's made for the simple, daily celebrations at the end of a long workday.

When I went in to Ichigo, it was super noisy! There were a pack of people and I saw 2 of them racing, drinking beer! Anyway, the food there was good and I ordered the soba with leek and chicken and a yakitori set. But I'll prefer a more quiet place to eat in.

I wouldn't call this strictly a yakitori-ya, though if you are a huge fan of chicken skewers, these little gems are almost to-die-for. At $3 per stick, the price is reasonable, and if it were any cheaper, I probably would have eaten an entire meal based on their wide range on the menu.

Apart from that, the rest of the menu becomes a little hazy. They still have their usual staple of rice or noodles, but a careful look at the menu will tell you that their focus is on the yakitori, some decent dessert, and plenty of drinks.

This is truly an after-work hangout place, but still a great place to bring someone you want to have a nice chat with. The service is friendly and non-intrusive, though you have to be a little more patient with the more native Japanese speakers if you are ordering in English.

Tsukune is one of famous Japanese yakitori.

It is like satay made of minced chicken meat with soy sause or salt.

That grilled checken has really nice flavor.

This place specialises in grilled chicken meatballs, but they have other types of Yakitori items. (Note, this is Yakitori, NOT Kushiyaki. As such, they only serve Chicken as the main meat item.)

Try the fried chicken wings. It comes slightly drenched in some kind of nice sauce.