Imaiya’s extensive chicken menu.
On our last evening in Tokyo, we had arranged to meet for dinner with a friend of mine from high school and her husband, who also happened to be in Tokyo. Due to Golden Week the restaurant where we had planned to eat was closed, so with the rain streaming down our necks, we had to try to find somewhere else.
Delicious starters.
After randomly walking around Shinjuku’s streets for a while, we found a restaurant called Imaya, which was located one stair down and looked nice and very Japanese.
We were shown to a private booth where we sat down directly on the floor. Though, there was a hole for our legs under the table, so we did not have to go through any strenuous leg maneuvers during the meal.
We also ordered sake.
As we glanced through the menus, we discovered to our great surprise that the restaurant almost exclusively served Hinai-chicken, which is a special kind of chicken that is considered among the best in Japan. Apparently, all parts of the chicken that could be put on a skewer had also made it to the menu, which included both chicken cartilage, chicken feet and other “delicacies”.
A glance of Poul’s favorite in the middle of the picture.
We ordered a selection of side dishes, including raw cabbage that was served with a really tasty salty dip. To Poul’s great joy, there was also a greasy looking dish with battered egg on the top, which tasted a lot better than it looked. I am not exactly a big fan of chicken and we almost never eat chicken at home.
The cabbage.
In case you don’t like chicken…cod intestines, anyone?
During my years in the aviation industry, I’ve had one too many dry and iron-tasting chicken crew meals, which haven’t been conducive to any chicken cravings I might have had. However, the chicken we got at Imaiya was in an entirely different league and cannot be compared to anything I have previously eaten. The delicious yakitoris tasted great and the meat was juicy and perfectly seasoned. Thanks to Imaiya, I am therefore seriously reconsidering including chicken in my food pyramid again.
Tina and me.
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