Kyobashi Isehiro, Teigeki Branch: Yakitori in Hibiya

Salut! It's Yoko, the food blogger.

Today I felt like eating something a bit different from usual...

After searching around, I found that the yakitori don (chicken skewer rice bowl) at a long-established yakitori restaurant called "Isehiro" is popular, so I went to try it!

Lunch at Isehiro

Isehiro is in the underground arcade (first basement level) of the building where the Kabukiza theater is.

I'd heard that lunchtime gets very crowded,
so I arrived a bit early, around 11:40!

Whoa, there's already quite a line~!!

While I was in line, a staff member came out of the shop and handed me a menu.

There's a yakitori jubako (lacquered box) and a soboro jubako (minced chicken), and you can add items a la carte, so it was hard to choose...
After going back and forth, I picked the soboro jubako.

When I ordered, they handed me a mysterious blue slip of paper! What's this? (The answer comes later!)

After waiting about 10 minutes, I got into the restaurant. Quicker than expected, which was nice!
Inside, it has a lovely atmosphere like a small Japanese eatery.

There's a tatami room on the right.
Enjoying a play in a kimono and then having yakitori and hot sake afterward sounds so chic.

It was nearly full this time, so I was shown to a counter seat.
At the grill you can see from the counter, piles of negima (chicken and leek) skewers were stacked up,
and the cook picks them up one by one, sprinkles salt from up high, and grills them over binchotan charcoal.

Maybe from the heat of the binchotan, the back of the cook's hand was a bit red, but he grilled away with a smile, which left an impression.

Isehiro's Yakitori

The first things that came out after I sat down were tea and pickles!

While I sipped the tea, it arrived... the soboro jubako!
The box looks like it could hold eel.

Next to it is a chicken broth soup.
Have you noticed that at yakitori restaurants, a chicken broth soup often comes at the end of the meal? That's this.
Even without drinking alcohol, it warms a body chilled by the cold outside and is perfect as a first dish.

When I opened the lid, there were negima, sasami (chicken tenderloin, topped with wasabi) and soboro!

First, a bite of the soboro. I feel like the sake hadn't completely cooked off, but there's no gaminess. The seasoning is light and you can taste the chicken.

It has a slightly crunchy texture, so there may be cartilage in it too. It's also delicious eaten together with the rice, which has nori underneath.

Next, the sasami. It's fully cooked but grilled tender~.

Personally I prefer it rare with the inside half raw, but this is delicious too.

I forgot to take a photo, but the negima was with tare (sweet soy glaze). Shishito pepper, long green onion and thigh meat were skewered alternately.
The tare isn't very sweet, so you enjoy the savory umami of the soy sauce.

Both the sasami and negima pieces were a normal size, so I think a man could eat two boxes.

I always eat the same amount as a man, so I finished it in no time.

Okay, time to pay.

By the way, where's the bill...? It turned out the blue paper they gave me when I ordered was the bill. lol

I'd like to go back at night. Thank you for the meal!

Kyobashi Isehiro, Teigeki Branch

Kyobashi Isehiro, Teigeki Branch
Teigeki Building B1F, 3-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005
03-3211-1647
11:30-13:30, 17:00-21:00
Closed Saturdays and Sundays