Satay At Fuku Yoyogi Uehara...

Yummy, yummy, I can just smell my tsukune cooking...

The intoxicating, sweet aroma of grilled meats envelops you in a welcoming embrace the moment you open the screen door to this little Yakitori haunt. The striped down walls and wooden seating lend an old world charm to this haunt and behind the modern coal grill and plexiglass hood, you can see the masters adeptly turning the skewers.

It is a formidable task not to overeat at Fuku as the ingredients are top notch and the prices are relatively low, much to our delight;) Only free range chicken is used here and all the various cuts of the chicken are equally mouth watering, though my favorites are the wings, juicy chunks of chicken thigh with leeks and the skin. The skin is grilled to a sizzling crisp and the wings and leeks have a slightly charred exterior with a to-die-for moist, juicy inner flesh. The tsukune served at Fuku is a dish that is not to be missed as well. The delectable sweetness of the teriyaki-like sauce coupled with the chicken balls are lip-smackingly oishii! In addition, the asparagus, the classic buttered potatoes, the mushrooms all served as perfect accompaniments to the meat skewers.

The only drawback to Fuku is in its reservations policy. They will take your reservations even though the place is already brimming with customers. However, they request that you "hang around" the vicinity and will give you a buzz once a table frees up. This system is seriously flawed as they do not control their dinner crowd. It is good if you are already in the restaurant as you can stay as long as you wish. But if you are waiting in the vicinity, the wait can be as long as an hour, without a definite time to an end! It had even made a good friend of mine who used to be a regular patron to swear off this place:(

I can only keep my fingers crossed for my next appointment with Fuku...

Fuku
Address: 3-23-4 Nishihara, Yoyogi-Uehara, Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: 03-3485-3234
Michelin: None