Yakitori Yatagarasu: Smoky skewers worth breaking our usual dinner routine for

I’m such a yakitori lover, but I also have a habit of sticking to what I know. For years, we’ve been heading back to the same yakitori place. It’s familiar, we know what to order, and we rarely think twice about going elsewhere.

Then I thought, surely it’s time to try some of the places we haven’t visited? Yakitori Yatagarasu came highly recommended, so we finally gave it a chance. And I’m so glad we did.

The place is cosy, especially when you’re sitting at the counter with the grill right in front of you. Behind it, Chef Keyaki works in his beanie, looking completely absorbed in the skewers. Watching him turn and tend to each stick is quite a performance. Yet the atmosphere is relaxed enough that I almost felt like I’d gone over to his house for dinner.

The yakitori arrives stick by stick, so settle in and leave the pacing to the chef. Have a drink, chat with your friends or the staff, and enjoy each skewer as it comes. That rhythm is a big part of the izakaya experience here.

Ordering, however, can take a little figuring out on your first visit. There was a menu of the day on our table, a whole stack of other menus to look through, and a digital menu to place our orders. I found myself going back and forth before deciding what to eat.

My suggestion? Start with the starter set, which included a salad, four yakitori skewers and a drink when we visited. Then add whichever à la carte dishes catch your eye. It gives you somewhere to begin without having to work through every option at once.

Before the food arrived, we were given frozen hand towels. Such a cute touch, and very welcome after coming in from the heat!

The coriander salad surprised me right from the start. I hadn’t expected a salad to make much of an impression at a yakitori restaurant, but this was fragrant, refreshing and very appetising. The coriander’s distinctive flavour came through clearly, giving us something fresh to return to between the richer skewers. If you love coriander, this is an easy addition to your order.

Then came the yakitori, and this was where dinner really got going. The smoky charcoal fragrance was what I loved most. You could taste it in the charred edges, but the meat still held its juices. The seasoning was a little heavy-handed, so these were bold, savoury skewers with flavours that came through strongly. Personally, I enjoyed that, especially with a drink and the salad alongside.

The mid-wings were a particular favourite. The skin had a lovely char, with that delicious smoky aroma, while the meat underneath stayed juicy and tender. There’s something very satisfying about eating wings this way, picking the meat off the bones and getting a little of the grilled skin with each bite. I happily worked through every last bit.

I also loved the grilled chicken tail. Rich and fatty, with lightly crisp edges, it had a juicy bite that carried the charcoal flavour beautifully. The contrast between the browned exterior and the soft, succulent fat made it especially enjoyable. This was one I would order again.

There’s plenty to explore on the yakitori menu, from fillet, thigh and wings to gizzard, heart, liver, skin, soft bone, tail and chicken meatballs. The fillet can be served medium rare with yuzu kosho, giving diners another option beyond the richer cuts.

They also have makimono, with pork belly wrapped around ingredients such as asparagus, enoki mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, green pepper with cheese, king oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms. Between those and the different chicken cuts, there’s enough variety to keep you adding to your order.

The oyakodon was a comforting dish. Once I lifted the lid, that lovely eggy fragrance came through immediately. The chicken and egg looked inviting together, and I enjoyed the savoury flavour of the chicken against the softer egg and rice.
It was a little too wet and eggy for my preference, though. I would have liked slightly less moisture, but it was still enjoyable, especially if you like your oyakodon soft and generously coated in egg.

I also ordered the chicken soup because it smelled so good. A warm bowl of soup was a comforting accompaniment to all those grilled skewers. My friend recommended the chicken ramen too, but I’m saving that for my next visit.

For the quality of the yakitori, I found the skewers reasonably priced. Do factor in the drinks, however. Every guest was required to order at least one drink, and even non-alcoholic options such as tea started at $10 during our visit. That’s steep for tea, although it wasn’t an issue for us that evening.

Another thing I appreciated was that we didn’t leave smelling like smoke, despite sitting near the grill. I will definitely be back for their yakitori. Next time, I’m making room for that chicken ramen.