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Kohnotori, a closer look
Aloha!
5/13/09 - I know lots of people out there who can't get enough of Kohnotori. But to tell you the truth, Wifey and I have been there but once before, and just weren't impressed much. Since they're located right next to Imanas Tei, which has sushi (Kohnotori doesn't) and a whole bunch of other quality Izakaya fare, we've just always found it more tempting next-door. This time, however, we decided to give Kohnotori another chance. And this time, actually, we were glad we did...
The entire bottom floor of this small, two-story building consists of these two restaurants, and is a bit of a stretch to see from the main road of S. King St., due to the fact that it's nestled slightly behind both 7-Eleven on one side and the Pucks Alley parking lot on the other. A small, short road threads the needle and leads you to the also-tiny parking lot directly fronting the stores, but good luck - with only a couple of handfuls of stalls available, you may have to find something on the road.
Though the crowds have tamed quite a bit in these tough times, those benches aren't there for nothing! Don't be surprised to see the whole sidewalk filled with people waiting to get-in on both sides, on any given night, if you ever happen to stop by during peak dinner-time hours.
Once inside, you'll find some reasonably nice furnishings, with a jet-black roof, dark floor tiles, cool wooden benches and tables, walls two-toned in wood and yellow, and a general ambience similiar to many izakaya-like restaurants on the island.
When it's slow like this, however, it's probably a better bet to get up-close and personal with a seat right there at the counter, where you can watch Chef cook all the items this place is known for...
And what this place is known for, are grilled items on a stick, put quite simply. You may have heard a few Japanese terms associated with this style of cooking, of which yakitori, kushiyaki, robatayaki, and tsukune are all used, and even more besides, but I won't bore you with endless terms and details right now. Simplicity rules here, in everything from the cooking style to seasonings and presentation, but, as you know, simplicity is sometimes the best option!
Check out this line-up of different meats, veggies, and musubi balls in the next shot. Though there are traditional, non-grilled items like takoyaki, agedashi tofu, ramen, watercress salad, daikon salad, and mixed tsukemono, as well as many fried choices like garlic, oyster, squid, and more, most people opt for the numbers cooked-up right here over this small metal box, where they don't use gas, but real wood coals - always a plus. Seasonings are either from a slathering of teri sauce (when the Japanese are speaking to eachother, they'll say tare, pronounced tah-de, but let's say teri because that's the term they use on the English menu), or a sprinkling of shio, or salt/pepper - that's about it! And truthfully, with this type of quick-cook grilling, you really don't need anything more, yes?
When seated at the tables, sheets are given so you can pencil-in orders, but here at the counter, just let the Chef herself know, or perhaps one of the waitresses, and items are handed to you straight off the grill.
After a few sips (I lie, wuz' actually chugs!) of Kirin draft, what came next was a long line of small plates ordered one or two at a time, between sips (and chugs!), just as is customary in these types of restaurants - no wonder they're becoming so popular! First up, two of the dishes that don't come grilled over a fire, roasted ginko nuts and okra.
The ginko nuts were fabulous, coming warm, pre-split, and sporting that slightly bitter, oily, and chewy consistency that I've come to love, both for taste as well as the obvious health benefits. The okra, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as appetizing, coming unexpectedly either quickly-blanched or completely raw. The soy/dashi broth and katsuo-boshi flakes helped out a bit, but not quite enough, as I finished this entire bowl not for taste's sake, but strictly for the body. Hope it did some good!
But alas, it was time to get into the good stuff, already!
The item on the left is called negima, a staple of any yakitori house, which is a simple mix of chicken thigh, along with slices of giant Japanese green onion. Actually, lots of places just call it negitori, which simply means Japanese green onion with chicken - it's usually from the thigh, anyway, even when they don't use the term negima. Did I say I wouldn't bore you with useless terms...?
On the right is a stick of tsukune, or ground chicken meatball, which is mixed with yamaimo (mountain yam), onion, and a variety of other items, then grilled. Both are extremely popular, with the latter dish even serving as inspiration to the relatively new and very cool restaurant across from the University called Tsukune-ya, which means tsukune eatery, store, etc. Both ran at $1.80 a piece, and were worth every bite.
We almost went right down the line as far as chicken orders go, grabbing two more pieces, one of the skin, and the other of heart - that's right!
Heart, liver, intestine - aaah, they're all sections of any animal that I only consume on a dare, or when wifey calls me chicken. Other than that, I'll leave it to her and have a little bite just to taste and conquer, and say that I've done it, then move on... Quickly. These things are just too gamey and wild for me, and I can't quite seem to acquire the taste.
I didn't care for the chicken skin, either, which was great, no, fabulous, in areas where the flame turned it golden-brown or even black, but within the folds, the pieces were soft and creamy, not exactly what I look forward to when splurging on chicken skin. If only they were deep-fried, instead, or laid-out flat in single sheets, I'd have triple-ordered these buggah's - On a purely taste level, no part of the chicken has a more delectable, juicy flavor than the skin itself, ey?
In fact, the skin is a large part of what made our next order so delicious!
Really, now - how can you possibly go wrong with wings? These were perfectly cooked, large, and bursting with fatty chicken juices, making them one of the best plates of the evening. Nothing fancy, nothing out of the ordinary, just the lovely goodness of flame-grilled chicken with a little salt and pepper - that's it! Works every time!
And, sticking with the chicken theme, the breast w/shiso leaf sounded interesting. I absolutely luv, luv, luuuv the exotic, slightly spicy, very refreshing taste of shiso with just about anything, so I had to try it.
With the shiso leaf wrapped right around the pieces and grilled together, and also with a squeeze of ume paste, it sure was an interesting dish. Taste-wise, however, I don't think it'll be on my list the next time around. Not that it was very bad, but I discovered on this very night that I prefer raw and fresh shiso leaf over grilled shiso leaf, and also, personally, I'm not the biggest fan of ume, either, whether it be ume candy, ume chazuke, ume paste, or ume-anything. Except for ume-shu, that is! Furthermore, it didn't come with thigh meat, but only breast, and it's tough going from juicy thighs and wings to boring, dry, flavor-challenged breast.
But anyways, and moving right along, we'll depart from the wonderful world of chicken and venture into the realm of sausage - Japanese arabiki sausage, that is. This slightly sweet, slightly smoky, super-clean, and very crisp mix of ground pork in a tube is getting more and more popular these days. They can be addicting, as they seem somehow lighter and much easier to eat than most other sausages around. For an interesting take on arabiki sausage, check out the Kitchen Forager's page, although you may not want to eat any after he dissects all the different ingredients used!
I guess if you're from Japan, the Mainland, or anywhere else outside Hawaii, when you see something on the menu that says Kahuku ebi (shrimp), it's always more interesting and eye-catching than just ebi, or shrimp, or even grilled shrimp. Flavor-wise, however, to tell you the truth, I'd rather have regular shrimp than those from Kahuku! Yeah, I know, kinda sounds shocking, with all the hype about North Shore shrimp and all. Actually, I can't very much find any difference when it comes to just the tails, especially when cooked with all that butter and garlic, but the guts of Kahuku shrimp are bright-orange to red, taste distinctly different, and are very much less palatable than the normal whole shrimp we find at the store. And did you know that not all the North Shore Shrimp trucks even use Kahuku shrimp?
But no worries - I just had a bite of tail, which tasted as good as, well - grilled shrimp... What else can I say? She still go...
Alongside was a row of negi, the same Japanese green onion found sandwiched between the chicken pieces ordered earlier. They come a little firmer, a lot more crunchy, and much milder and sweeter than regular green onion, but not nearly as much as round onion types like Maui or Vidalia.
Anyone wondering where the starch is? No, we're not doing the Atkinson. By now, I was indeed having an urge for good ol' white rice, in the form of a grilled musubi called yaki-onigiri, this time slathered with a layer of sweet miso paste.
Our final plate of the evening came from a dish popular not only in yakitori and kushiyaki restaurants, but in most drink-friendly izakaya-like spots, as well:
A bit over-cooked, but actually, the singed, blackened mushroom tips did kinda bring a certain appeal to itself, nonetheless. Whatever the case, these pork-wrapped enoki mushroom bundles tasted great, the crunchy, firm texture of the 'shrooms the perfect match for pork fat, along with a dip of spicy mustard for good measure. Hard to go wrong with this particular dish.
All in all, both wifey and I were glad we came. After four beers and 10 plates of 13 different items, the tab came to just over $60, without tip. Not bad at all. I can't say I was stuffed, as the sticks are not very large, but for the fun, the variety, the whole experience's sake, it was all well worth-it, for sure! There was no single dish I'd call extraordinary or superior in any way, but yet, the rustic, simple, smoky-grilled flavor of each one was satisfying and pleasing to the heart, soul, and palate, in a stylishly provincial sort of way.
You can't tell from the shots of the dining area I took above, but believe me, it does get a bit rowdy in here sometimes. I see why, though, as the whole set-up is just conduscive to fun, along with a whole lotta sake, shochu, and/or beer. So long as you don't go in comparing them to a fancy, sophisticated place like an Alan Wong's or 3660, you'll have a great time here, me thinks.
Hope you're all having a great week, and in parting, I'll leave you with one final shot of the counter where we sat, fronting our no-nonsense Chef and a whole slew of sake bottles we just put down. Ey, just joking.
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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