Gaijins In Tokyo

It was our 2nd day in Japan and it was a rainy day *sigh*
There was supposed to be a bazaar in Kawagoe today but it seems like not much stalls are around due to the heavy rain.

Kawagoe is famous for sweet potato and unagi, so I passed a unagi restaurant's address to K who printed this map. We walked in the rain for about 15mins trying to figure out NSEW -_-" and saw this 大 Yakitori place. K refused to believe that we can't find the unagi place cos its just supposed to be around the corner. But..its JUST NOT at the location indicated on the map!

Cold and hungry, we decided to eat at 大 Yakitori cos the red signage was simply enticing in this rainy weather and the smell of BBQ meat lingering in the air. K was reluctant as he felt the shop looked deserted lol~


As the doors opened, we saw the restaurant was at least 60% filled and we were offered the counter seats. Now..K was overwhelmed by the amount of Japanese words and Japanese(people) so much so that he got lost in confusion.

*Looking back, we understood why he was lost in that moment. Because it was just his 2nd day in Japan, he hadn't believe he was in Japan when we first landed.*


There is a charge of 260yen per person for sitting down and you will be offered this fantastic oden kind of stew as appetiser.


A cute waitress came along and asked for our orders but being gaijins, we CAN'T READ THAT FAST ~_~ So K told the waitress, "Chotto Matte.." and the waitress looked pissed LOL~ cos I think she was about to recommend us some items but there was simply no way to communicate the ideas across using simple gestures/Japanese.

As for me, I was still quite "sober"..although I can't read Japanese but I can always read chinese =D Later on, we went on to place our orders based our knowledge on chinese words and minimal Japanese.


Another sitting area in the restaurant.


The first dish to arrive, Horse Sashimi at 680yen(approx. S$10) . At first, K was thinking that the Horse Sashimi should be about 5pcs at most since its priced at 680yen. But hell no, it was freaking 10pcs.


Close-up on the Horse Sashimi. Before you think it must be bloody and chewy..let me tell you that this Horse Sashimi actually tastes like cooked meat. And the most surprising thing is that even someone like me who doesn't take sashimi, do not find this raw horse meat weird.

In fact, it was quite tasty when eaten togther with some grated ginger and spring onions.


Our drinks arrived shortly. Kyoho wine for K and Calpis for me.


Ordered Yakitori veggies as well. Shishito and Shitake Mushrooms. We were only expecting one stick per item but there were two!


Tsukune. These were the best meatballs we ever eaten NOM NOM! It was soft yet wholesome, full of flavour.


A yakitori meat set consisting of: Beef, Chicken Skin, Pork Belly, Chicken, Chicken Gizzard.



Hokke(fish) came after we finished our yakitori stuffs and gosh it was juicy *slurp*


[Price]
Kyoho wine - 320 yen
Calpis - 200 yen
Horse Sashimi - 680 yen
Tsukune - 120 yen x 2
Shishito - 115 yen x 2
Shitake Mushroom - 115 yen x 2
Hokke - 580 yen
Yakitori meat set - 580 yen
Misc Charge - 260 yen x 2

[Value]
As we sat thinking about the fantastic yakitori meal we just had, we realised how SG yakitori joints have been overcharging! And not to mention, how dry and salty the SGians made yakitori to be.

Please visit Yakitori Dai for a satisfying and well priced yakitori experience. Must order exotic sashimi ~

[Link]
Some gourmet link in Japanese:
http://gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/0000512783/

[Location]
About 10mins walk from Kawagoe JR Station, not located in main street but the red signage is sure to catch your attention.


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