As Malaysians, it’s in our blood to love grilled skewered meat. That’s why we never fail to feast on some good ol’ satay when we hit the night market. Recently, another kind of grilled skewered meat has been gaining much attention — yakitori! The increasing amount of izakaya establishments has led yakitori to be under the spotlight numerous times. What’s better than chowing down on some grilled skewered meat alongside a cup of alcohol, really?
Without further ado, let us take a look at some of the best places to get the tastiest yakitori in town!
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One of the most highly praised yakitori restaurants has graced Malaysian shores. Chicken is the prime focus of Toritama’s skewers and they graciously most body parts, from chicken tail to heart, oesophagus to liver; even unripe egg with oviducts and chicken combs! Vegetable skewers are also available for those who would like to keep an eye on their diet, and they have some pretty good stuff that ranges from asparagus to mushrooms. Soy sauce ice-cream is their only dessert, but it’s a good way to end a hearty meal!
Likewise, chicken is the predominant focus at Sumi-ka but with a considerably wider option that covers meat balls, blood vessels, gizzard (and skin), neck and quail eggs. If you order the breast meat, you can have it topped with wasabi, ume, mentai or yuzu. A significant selection for beef and pork is also available along with limited seafood. For vegetables, we particularly loved the sweet potato, ginkgo nuts and baked eggplants!
Seiji Fujimoto, the man behind Sanuki Udon, Taishu Yakiniku and Lao Jiu Lou, strikes again with Maruhi Sakaba, taking Taman Desa by storm with their amazing yakitori. The chicken is a must here as the meat is sourced from the highest of quality to ensure a premium experience for their customers. Pork lovers will find true love with the pork bellies here; nicely marinated, seasoned with salt and smoky in flavour.
Torii is actually a restaurant specializing in everything Japanese, but we’re going exclusively yakitori today. Their selection of yakitori is diverse in meat, offering not only the standard chicken, but also wagyu beef, duck, lambs, lobsters and escargots. Premium wagyu beef that are seasoned with sea salt and black pepper will satisfy thousands of rumbling tummies, while the lobsters that are garnishedwith scallions and garlic chili sauce will convert even the most hesitant person into a loyal follower.
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Minato Yakitori is one joint that will go easy on those on a tight budget. Not only will you find chicken here, you will also find tiger prawns and bacon paired with cherry tomatoes! The Yaki Onigiri is a good example as to how even onigiri can be broiled to deliciousness. A small selection of set meals is also on the menu if you’re not full from the grilled skewers.
You’ve heard of chicken skewers; now get ready for… chicken mix skewers! Basically, they’re skewers consisting of different body parts, so you can savour different kinds of flavours all at once. The signature Toridoki sees chicken thigh and breast wrapped in crispy skin and it’s our highest recommendation at Toridoki. The menu even points out which skewers are served with salt, which with sauce, making it convenient for customers who would like to know what to expect.
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What happens when you combine Spanish food with yakitori? At Palillos, they make that possibility come true and study in the depth the creations. The result: A fusion in various forms, of which include the pork belly, served with dates and blue cheese; the Spanish octopus, served with pimento paprika; and the Spanish christorra chorizo, Spanished cured pork sausages served with toast. The owner himself hails all the way from Spain as well, so he definitely knows what he’s doing!
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Koike Shoten reigns with classic chicken skewers, with everything from liver to tenderloins. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they even have green peppers skewers! Good news for all your capsicum lovers out there! Unagi is so present on the menu, so if you have a bit more of cash to spare, do go ahead and splurge as they’re particularly savoury and smoky. Hey, come on, it’s unagi we’re talking about! Where can you go wrong with unagi?
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Yakitori Dining Fukuda reflects the passion of yakitori and the menu has all the classic kinds that we love. The homemade chicken meatballs are some of the most commendable from the menu, along with the baked potatoes with butter and chicken breast with pickled plum. Those who would like a simple meal of yakitori may head over to Yakitori Dining Fukuda for a quick fix.
A classic izakaya setting that serves everything of classic yakitori; with chicken, you can enjoy the classic breast meat with wasabi, mentai or sauce, or you can opt for the porky ones. There’s the usual pork belly, but there are also the options of bacon-wrapped enoki mushrooms, rice, asparaguses or leeks. Feel free to come over for the sake of unwinding after a long day at work!