This time, I visited "Torikizoku" in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, and I recently noticed a new branch opened in Taiwan as well. On that Sunday evening, it was almost full. We used a tablet for ordering, and as is customary in Japan, we started by ordering drinks. Here's what we ordered, each dish priced at 370 yen:

• Blackcurrant with Lemon
• Suntory Draft Beer
• Grilled Chicken Back Meat with Butter Sauce
• Spicy Grilled Chicken Leg
• Grilled Mentaiko Mayo Chicken Breast
• Secret Sauce Grilled Chicken Leg
• Cabbage with Sesame Oil
• Fried Knee Cartilage
• Salt-Flavored Grilled Chicken Leg
• Sauced Boneless Chicken Wing Sticks
• Cheese Grilled Chicken Meatballs
• Secret Sauce Grilled Chicken Skin
• Cucumber with Salt Sauce Dressing

The total came to 4,810 yen.

Many skewers were over-grilled, and eating too much chicken became a bit overwhelming. The flavor was quite ordinary, though the cabbage helped cut through the richness a bit. The chicken skin and draft beer were pretty good; the grilled chicken back meat with the butter tasted fine even without dipping it in anything. It was worth trying once, but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit again.

🔅 Actual dining date: 2024/10/13
*Please do not repost & commercial use the photos without permission

The first time I ate at this place was in Osaka, and I remember thinking it was very delicious and cheap with my friends!! I've been thinking about it ever since, and this time coming to Japan I felt I must try it again (also I didn't want to line up at a new store in Taiwan, haha).

Even though the staff knew you were a foreigner, they didn't want to speak English, which my friends who have been to Tokyo in the past few months have mentioned, so I was already prepared for it. I believe as foreigners, we should respect the language of the host country, but it can feel a bit lacking in warmth, especially because the guy at the counter that day was a bit shocking.

Upon seating, you need to order drinks with the staff first, but due to language barriers, the lady who seated us allowed us to order by ourselves. Fortunately, ordering was done using a tablet, which was easy to understand at a glance.

I went overboard with ordering, only realizing afterward that everything was chicken skewers in various flavors. I actually forgot exactly what I ordered, so didn't note down each item.

Basically, the skewers are uniformly priced at ¥370, approximately $82 NT (at an exchange rate of 0.22). Except for the limited-time smaller ones, the soy and salt-grilled ones were quite large (roughly twice the size of Taiwanese skewers) and a serving comes with two skewers. The flavors were average and not particularly strong, but towards the end, it all felt the same. Honestly, by the end, I was a bit scared 😂 as it's all protein and quite filling. Luckily, I ordered a non-alcoholic blackcurrant soda, which was delicious! The free cabbage was a good palate cleanser, the pickled cucumbers were normal, and the chicken cartilage was quite tasty.

Overall, next time I come to Japan I probably won't eat here again, as I'd prefer a place with more variety, although the place had a very Japanese style with some semi-private seating which had a nice atmosphere.