Toto-ya

At Toto-ya, a meal can move from yakitori to the house-special tsukune hot pot, then finish with noodles or rice porridge. One diner recalls enjoying yakitori before adding noodles to the hot pot. The pot combines chicken meatballs, chicken, vegetables and glass noodles, with a choice of rice porridge or ramen to finish. It works just as well for a solo evening of picking at yakitori as for sharing a hot pot with a group.

The skewers range from familiar choices such as negima, chicken thigh with spring onion, and tsukune, chicken meatballs, to chicken tenderloin with plum and shiso, tenderloin with salted spring onion, and cheese-topped tsukune. One visitor singled out the way the tenderloin was grilled; another mentioned enjoying a selection that included the plum-and-shiso skewer. You can vary the chicken cuts and seasonings one skewer at a time. Beyond the grill, there are dishes such as fried chicken, fried chicken wings and lightly seared liver, as well as grilled shiitake mushrooms and yam. One visitor also enjoyed mushrooms and yam alongside yakitori. For a more substantial meal, options include a yakitori rice bowl, chicken-meatball rice porridge and ochazuke, rice served with tea and toppings. Drinks include draft beer and chuhai, a shochu-based drink with a choice of flavours such as lemon or tomato.

Some diners settle in at the counter for a solo drink; others use the tables with family or a group. Start with a few skewers and small plates, and, if you order the hot pot, decide whether to finish it with rice porridge or ramen. That lets the meal unfold from the first bite to the last.