Makitori Shin-Kobe (薪鳥 新神戸)
🐓 Yakitori / 📍 Akasaka
⭐⭐⭐⭐📓 Visits: 2 (2024, 2021)
Unlike every other yakitori restaurant the meat is grilled over a wood fire rather than charcoal. This really enhances the flavour of the chicken and it's a wonder that no-one has done this before. On visit #2, most dishes, skewers and non-skewers, I rated 10/10. The rillettes on firewood toast did not disappoint and (no exaggeration) it remains one of the best things I've ever eaten, up there with the artichoke and truffle soup at Guy Savoy and the carabinieros at Asador Etxebarri. Seasonings are spot-on: small touches like adding yuzu kosho to an otherwise same same daikon oroshii make all the difference. Just about everything had me reeling back in my seat. The shumai was much better than last time and even the desserts are decent. There were two skewers that weren't quite perfection. The restaurant uses the fabled Takasaka Dori chicken but also the quality (but less exclusive) Akita Kogen Hinai and there was a definite taste of phosphate in two out of three of these pieces. Note that one item contained raw chicken liver and two raw chicken breast. If that's not for you, ask them to omit those dishes but raw chicken is occasionally served in Japan and this is probably the freshest raw chicken you'll ever have. The raw Takasadori tsukune was 10/10 for me.
Most of the food is served by serving staff rather than the chef now, who has to concentrate on the grill. But he did introduce a couple of items, talked to customers at the end of the meal and is quite personable. Service from other staff was fine. Yakitori course menus are never quick but with 18+ plates and all killer and no filler it doesn't feel long and you'll probably want it to go on for longer. Palate cleansing daikon amazu-zuke is refilled and gives you something to munch on between courses. There's zero smoke and zero smell from the grill, that is until the the obligatory presentation of the rice dish when you and your phone will get blast. (Unlike at Kasahara, photos are allowed.) You can have up to three bowls of rice, the last two with different toppings, so I recommend you eat fast at this point so you don't miss out.
As I mentioned in my original review there's little in the way of seasonality and there aren't going to be big differences in the menu from visit to visit so for me it's like going to an unagi restaurant: something I don't really need to do much more than once a year. The other main reason why I won't be going here regularly is due to the booking policy. All Suetomi restaurants work pretty much the same way: you can only book through Omakase, new booking periods open up irregularly (maybe once a year for Shinkobe) for dates way into the future, you can only make a reservation for exactly two people, cancellations aren't released to Omakase but via Suetomi-san's Instagram Story, you can't change the date once you've made a booking and 50% of the course fee will automatically be taken from your credit card if you cancel at any time. In effect, a booking at Makitori Shin-Kobe is equivalent to sending a cheque in the post to the restaurant for JPY 20,000, except that if you actually had to do that a year in advance of your booking not very many people would. I have no problem paying cancellation fees if the restaurant would actually lose out. If I could transfer my reservation then I'd be happy to make an advance booking. But you can be sure that any cancellation here gets filled and transfers are prohibited. It feels like the whole thing is engineered to maximise the chances of cancellations, with the restaurant pocketing the fees. For reference, all the top restaurants I know of that take bookings other than via Omakase generally allow you to cancel within seven to three days penalty-free. Credit though for providing a drinks menu (online, Japanese only) and an itemized receipt on visit #2. There were no surprises with the bill, the exact opposite of Kasahara.
If you're willing to suck up the booking policy, or you can get an invite from someone who's sucked that up for you, then I recommend a visit. As I've said before I don't really care for yakitori. I've only ever had three yakitori course meals: once at Kasahara and twice here, but Shin-Kobe is next level and after my second meal here there is no other yakitori restaurant I want to go to. If it hadn't been for those two soapy bits of chicken on visit #2 I would have scored Makitori Shin-Kobe 5.0. My most recent meal here was one of the best meals of my life. I'll come again but it won't be on a booking a year out that I can't cancel penalty-free.
📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1308/A130801/13291292/
❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.99
📱 Booking: 🟥 See above. Possibly slightly easier than Kasahara now as Kasahara does 20 covers per day whereas Shin-kobe does up to 24-36 and there are more regular cancellations but either way, the #1 or #2 most difficult yakitori reservation in Tokyo. The person (and only that person) who made the booking can make another booking for an equal number of seats after her meal.
📍 Location:
B1F, 3-9-2 Akasaka. 1 min from Akasaka Mitsuke station Exit 10 (Bic Camera). Note that the address is the same as Jigendo and Atami but the entrance is on the other side of the block (i.e. not the same street as the station) and often hidden by parked vehicles in the parking lot in the building forecourt. Use my map and you won't get lost :D
Map data ©2024 Google
📅 Visit July 2024
Akita Kogen Hinai momo niku
Takasakadori mune niku, liver
Choshudori liver
Mushroom, dried chicken flakes
Niwatori shumai, owan
Nagoya Cochin tsunagi
Akita Kogen Hinai furisode, harissa
Takasakadori nama tsukune
Takasakadori momo, fukura hagi, yuzu kosho daikon
Kamo nasu, cheddar cheese
Makiyaki toast, niwatori mune niku rilette
Tomokoroshi kakiage, makitori ohajiki
Akita Kogen Hinai momo niku
Akita Kogen Hinai teba negima
Fruit tomato
Niwatori soboro gohan
Niwatori soboro gohan, rannou
Niwatori soboro gohan, kanzuri
Oriental Beauty tea
Candied American cherry, grape
Caramel
💴 Damage: 23,694 (20k + 1 drink @ 1540 + 10%)
⏱️ Time taken: 2h25m (course: 2h10m)
📅 Visit September 2021
Momo/leg
Sasami/tenders
Liver
Shiitake
Owan, shumai
Hatsu/heart
Bonjiri/parson's nose with harissa
Chawanmushi
Sunagimo/gizzard
Maru nasu, cheddar cheese
Rillette, smoked toast
Matsutake somen
Sasami/tenders
Teba/wing
Hakusai
Soboro-don in 3 servings
Miso soup
Candied Shine Muscat
Tea
Smoked sweet potato
💴 Damage: 17,500 (13,200? + 2 drinks at 2700 + 10%)
⏱️ Time taken: 2h10m
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