Behind the Counter at a Japanese Fire Chicken Restaurant

this is behind the counter at a local Japanese fire chicken [Music] restaurant so I've got an ultra special one for you today because we're no longer in Tokyo but rather in Fukuoka and I wanted to take you behind the counter at this local Japanese chicken shop that charcoal grills all of their chicken and this shop doesn't officially open until this evening so the owner should be here here this afternoon all we have to do is wait till he arrives today I'm taking you deep into the kitchen of momoyaki momochan a Japanese charcoal grilled chicken isaka restaurant with a truly authentic local Vibe tucked away in one of the back streets of the Sumi Yoshi area good morning he's the owner aisan and that's his 85-year-old mother with him so you always come in with your mother oh cool first thing in the morning aisan makes a quick run to the nearby supermarket to gather fresh ingredients for the day aisan started the shop 10 years ago after working separately as a restaurant manager with over 28 years of experience in the food industry he decided to challenge himself start his own business and follow his dreams [Music] now he prepares the vegetables so you do karate oh what kind how long have you been doing it so why do you like it so much nice next he prepares one of his popular menu items moani which is a Japanese intestine soup beef intestine is commonly used to make it but here he of course Uses Chicken intestines and he strictly uses only satuma chiori chicken raisin kagoshima a why do you choose this particular chicken these chickens undergo an extensive 450 Day free range rearing process which allows them to fully mature naturally and develop their uniquely rich flavor characteristic and exceptional plump texture what's that I see [Music] now he cuts different parts of the chicken to prepare for the grilling by the way what's the most important to you when working here oh really I couldn't agree more in his younger years he plainly ad to being rather wild and self-interested frequently quitting jobs whenever things got tough but as he got older and had time to reflect on his past he realized that he was simply running away from challenges thankfully he was invited to work at his friend's restaurant despite not having any experience allowing him to find his true path in the food industry could and his dedication to karate helped serve as a constant reminder of the importance of consistency in his journey of continued growth so you really didn't have any experience in cooking must have been hard when he first started he says that one thing he did to learn and improve was to eat at many different restaurants as possible makes sense what did you just add in the mo oh is this part not okay to use I guess we're still not showing what's exactly in it so what's your favorite food oh what kind of ramen yep you're defin they from [Music] Hakata oh that's his original pudding which he delivers to other shops during the pandemic he was forced to close down the shop but managed to find a way to keep his business Alive by crafting his own original rich and creamy pudding made from two types of eggs Chetan and one from osima blended with a rare Jersey milk from ASO Kumamoto the creamy dessert itself has become a favorite among many locals do you train a lot wow almost every day what do you [Music] do so we has several clients who purchases pudding directly and today he's delivering it to a restaurant his karate teacher runs oh are you going home already oh okay do you like helping your son I guess that's funny bye have a good day now back he continues to prepare the shop that's the chicken oil called Chu in Japanese used to grow the fire chicken which creates its distinctive Smoky and deep flavor damn the chicken broth smells incredible he simmers the chicken bones onions and garlic and a few other secret ingredients for at least 10 hours resulting in an irresistible Mammy Rich broth used in many of his dishes like chicken steamed rice and ramen and apparently many of the locals will dine at the shop just to have the ramen despite it not being a Ramen Shop so how did you come up with a shop name Moman huh okay so how long do you plan to continue working he says that at 56 six many of his own friends are about to retire and work is always a popular topic but he loves what he does so for now he has no plans on quitting what he loves to [Music] do okay before we fire up the grill let me tell you about the sponsor of this video sakuro who want to invite you to experience Japan from the comfort of your own home through their snack boxes it's a monthly Japanese art Artisan snack box that literally supports local Japanese snack makers each box coming with 20 traditional authentic and Artisan Japanese snacks including Japanese teas and even special Japanese table wear this month's theme is traditions of Tokyo celebrating Tokyo's Edo period when it was still a modest Village I love traveling through time to savor authentic flavors from the city which includes my snack hitters like hanatsumi gumis moochi Mona atsuki and custard baked dolls and much more all pairing perfectly with their kuday and this month's tableware item is a special Tokyo plate I also love how you get this dope book to learn about the snacks allergen info and even Japanese culture so get your own box today or even gift a loved one and experience Japan from the comfort of your own home check my links below and use my code poo and get $5 off your first order 1 hour before the shop opens he starts to repair the charcoal Ah that's his mom's kashiwa chicken rice since he runs the shop alone before the customers arrive he's also responsible for keeping up the shop such as cleaning the kitchen cleaning the toilet area and even stocking up drinks and Ice ay son what kind of beer is that in fact the water and soy sauce are also from kagoshima however if the customers want to drink something else he's completely fine for them bringing their own drinks not very common in Japanese restaurants Nice the charcoal is ready apparently he uses aatan a charcoal relatively inexpensive but produces a strong Flame which unlike more expensive charcoals helps create his signature blackened chicken with its richer and smokier flavor at 6:30 p.m. the shop finally opens for [Music] business oh the first customer is already [Music] here I guess she ordered the charcoal grilled fire chicken look look at that fire Japanese charcoal grill is known as Sumi byaki but his grilling technique is unique for most of Japan while mostly similar to the Miyazaki area he uses chiu a flavored chicken oil to ignite the fire which instantly envelops his kagoshima chicken marking it with its unmistakable Smoky signature resulting in an aromatic and beautiful darkened chicken it goes amazingly with green chili Yuzu Kos [Music] [Music] the ice delivery is here apparently he's an old friend it's cool to see that him and his local friends support each other's businesses I'm is both a strong Community where they often eat and drink together more customers are here another fascinating part about the shop is that the locals simply tell them what drinks they want and go to the fidge and get it themselves showing how much they truly appreciate his Onan operation is it tough to handle everything all on your own that's true [Music] nice that's the same chicken rice that his mom prepared sweet Savory and Rich with Umami from their chicken hi do you come here often oh how often wow that's a lot so how did you find this place and what's your favorite item great thank [Music] you so what's the key to firing the chicken [Music] well whatever you're doing is working because it smells amazing right now he's grilling the chicken zabuton the shoulder loin which is a rare part known to have fine marbling and a melty texture he also offers various parts of the chicken like thigh skin breast and my favorite neck known as cetti oh and he even serves the heart and what's available kind of depends on the day and that's another one in the books if you want to check out this place for yourself I'll be sure to leave a link in the [Music] description okay so that is behind the counter at a local Japanese fire chicken spot if you guys like this video like always help me out and hit that like button if you guys want to help support the channel then definitely check out my hot sauce check out the merch and if you guys want to see more videos like this or anything related to Japan hit the that subscribe button and that Bell button I'll catch you guys in the next one

Channel: Paolo fromTOKYO

Views: 570,525

Keywords: Paolo, Japan, Japan guide, Japan travel, tokyo guide, japan food, japanese food, japan behind the counter, japan food documentary, japanese food tour, food documentary, japanese restaurant, grilled chicken, japan bbq chicken, japan grilled chicken, fire chicken, grilled fire chicken, japanese fire chicken, jidori, hakata chicken, momochan, satsuma chiran dori, chiran dori, japan blackened chicken, chiyu, japanese food documentary, izakaya, what to eat in hakata, sumibiyaki

Id: Q-5xUd4wUJo

Length: 13min 33sec (813 seconds)

Published: Fri May 17 2024