The omakase menu at Toriyaki Ohana is a scrumptious feast of grilled dishes. Stepping outside the realm of traditional yakitori, Chef Shintaro Sato curates a unique menu that brings out the flavors of the chicken and other seasonal ingredients.

The chicken roll is a light and tasteful appetizer. Like a piece of sushi, the breast meat of Shingen chicken is wrapped in seaweed with pickled ginger and shiso leaves. The chicken is slow-cooked at low temperature, making it moist and tender.

A crispy karaage stimulates your appetite. Date chicken wings are well-flavored with spices and deep-fried until golden brown. The signature tsukune meatball is served on a palm-size monaka wafer. Sato adds some cartilages to the meat for texture, and serves it with some fresh mayonnaise. Enjoy the wonderful combination of different textures.

Chicken wonton soup is full of rich flavors. The chicken broth is blended with pureed onions. The torikawazu, a part of the breast cartilage, is grilled until golden and served with fluffy grated daikon radish. The name takes on the character for a frog because of its shape.

The main charcoal-grill dish is the thigh of Date chicken. Following the Torishiki method, the meat is cooked close over a strong heat, making the outside crisp while keeping the inside juicy. Enjoy it with the sweet and spicy “Torishiki” sauce, mustard and sansho peppers.

Yaki-onigiri, or grilled rice ball, is served with a teapot of chicken soup for you to make a bowl of chazuke. Pour the hot flavorful broth over the crispy rice ball, and let the warm umami seep through your soul. Enjoy it plain first and then add the seasoning for a change in flavor.

A fun finish to the tasteful meal is a bowl of shaved ice made in front of you using a swan-shaped ice-shaving machine. Topped with Unshu oranges, yogurt and dried fruit, the icy sweetness melts away on your tongue.

INGREDIENTS
All Torishiki restaurants use a selected brand of free-range Date chicken. The birds are raised in an ideal and open environment. Shipped directly from the farm to the restaurants, the fresh meat is tender and full of flavor. Sato also procures free-range Shingen chicken and Aigamo duck from Iwate Prefecture. He is also particular about selecting vegetables that are in season and works closely with a trusted greengrocer on his orders. For rice, he picks from a variety of brands including Tsuyahime from Yamagata Prefecture.