Every country has some form of dumpling and meat on a stick shows up all over the world too, from Indonesian satay to American county fair corndogs. Why? Because somewhere along the line we discovered that skewering a piece of meat was a handy way of cooking and eating our protein. And also because it tastes good.
Yesterday saw us sampling souvlaki from Greece, today’s protein on a pike is Japanese yakitori.
Walking into Zakkushi, I did a double-take. Servers and kitchen staff hollered out a loud welcome in Japanese, soft candle-light reflected off warm wood walls and ceilings and rows of sake bottles lined the rafters. I felt like I had fallen through some kind of wormhole into a roadside inn somewhere in Japan. A crowded inn. Stunned, we left our names with the hostess went back outside to Kitsilano.
The second entry was no less lovely for being somewhat expected and we settled in to order some meat.
They call themselves Zakkushi Charcoal Grill Diner, because their speciality is yakitori – meat (usually chicken) grilled on bamboo skewers. The flavour is smokey without being saucy, although as with the souvlaki, sauces are provided. At Zakkushi, the idea of limiting themselves to chicken is laughable, although they do have 7 different kinds of skewered chicken. They also have pork, beef and chicken “meat balls”, pressed chicken with toppings. My friend and I ordered the kushi set, which includes Momo (chicken thigh), Memaki (garlic stubs wrapped with slices of pork), P*toro (pork belly), Shiso Maki (chicken thigh wrapped in shiso leaf), and Harami (beef with Japanese radish and ponzu sauce). Skewers are available individually.
The idea is simple. Who doesn’t like grilled meat? But the execution is sublime. Harami was the best of the five, the beef getting a sweet-salty taste from the ponzu sauce, but the variety was welcome and had I not been stuffed to the gills from an enormous lunch, I would have tried many more.
We also ordered some ahi tuna sashimi, ahi tuna poke and edamame and it was decent, but next time I’m going to keep it simple and just order one of everything from the grill. A couple of those bottles of sake off the rafters too.
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Zakkushi Charcoal Grill Diner
1833 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
(+ 2 other locations)
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5 responses so far ↓
Nancy Wu // September 2, 2009 at 7:03 PM |
LOVE their simple but big flavors! It’s all about process and doing it right like the traditional eateries in Japan. Instead of huge mega-menus, it’s about focusing on one food item (eg. chicken) and preparing it to the best of your abilities. There is a chicken yakitori place in Tokyo where every part of a fresh chicken is well-seasoned and cooked on a charcoal grill. Each part of the meat–whether it be the fatty skin, succulent oyster or cartilage–is grilled to perfection and best enjoyed seconds after it’s taken off the grill. That’s what Zakkushi is attempting to bring to Vancouver! Sugoi!
gigi // September 2, 2009 at 9:38 PM |
I went to the Zakkushi on Main St and thoroughly enjoyed it although I did find it to be a bit pricey. My favourite was the Mochi Maki, which was pork and mochi. The mochi went really well with the pork and gave it a nice and chewy texture.
sarah // September 3, 2009 at 6:49 PM |
really enjoying meat on a stick week. xoxo
Mel @ bouchonfor2.com // October 15, 2009 at 11:35 AM |
I’ve read all of the meat on a stick series
What a great idea. Love Zakkushi, always a good time. I esp. enjoy sitting right by the grill at the Main St. location.
Adventures in Dining: Natto « Ethnic Eats – Sampling the World’s Cuisine Without Leaving Vancouver // January 6, 2010 at 12:09 AM |
[...] (c’mon, eating meat on a stick is always fun) but not overly adventurous. I’ve been to Zakkushi before and have a couple of favorites (garlic stubs wrapped with pork, please!) but wasn’t [...]