This Tokyo-hailing charcoal grilled chicken specialist is the affordable, authentic, produce-driven izakaya (Japanese tavern) you hope to stumble upon when navigating Silom’s Japanese restaurant-saturated back streets. The open kitchen dominating half the space is as lively as the Japanese office workers who pack out every table.

Last time we went there, at 8pm, it was jammed. But the professional front-of-house team took a break from conversing with other customers in fluent Japanese to show us to an adjacent shop-house space—far calmer than the restaurant proper but spacious and with its own private staff.

The menu highlights yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) and nabe (hot pot), with a dizzying variety of different chicken parts offered at low prices (B45-75). Don’t be afraid of ordering from the scarier parts of the menu. The chochin (chicken’s ovary, B65) might take some courage to plop in your mouth, but is one of the restaurant’s absolute high points. The two glistening orbs of yolk, too young to have formed into proper eggs, explode in the mouth with creamy intensity, while the flesh (chewy, much like pork intestine) is imparted with a fragrant smokiness and elevated by a sweet glaze. The aida (blood vessels) are just as decadent, like tucking into meaty, salty crisps.

Whatever you order, from the momo (thigh, B55) to the goro (minced chicken balls, B75), it all comes perfectly charred—a touch of burnt crust, flavors of deep smokiness—despite the flesh inside remaining so moist you don’t even need the miso paste. You’ll find the same minced chicken balls in the nabe, the soft, diced chicken mixed with the occasional piece of cartilage for added bite. If you visit with friends, don’t miss the Torihada nabe (B300 per person, minimum of two people). Its collagen rich broth—mellow, comforting—is intensified with a spike of yuzu kocho, a spicy, salty, citrusy paste.

We’ve made our way through most of the menu, and nothing—from the beautifully moist pate (B140) to the fresh chicken sashimi—has ever disappointed. Our only advice would be to avoid the raw chicken breast salad (B200), which, though fresh, is a bit tasteless.

Another branch on Sukhumvit Soi 33 focuses on pork and one in Udomsuk also has fish. Corkage B300. 

This review took place in September 2017 and is based on a visit to the restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge. For more on BK's review policy, click here.