Torijin 鳥陣 @ Beijing

After my first yakitori-ya in Beijing, my well-learned friend recommended me to another one that he felt would be better suited to my tastes and my liking for rare parts. He was absolutely right about the choice.

Torijin 鳥陣 moved to this current location recently, but they were a popular yakitori-ya in the Sanyuan Bridge 三元桥 area.

生 Sashimi 刺身

A limited selection sashimi, but this was not what we came for.

当日鮮色 Special Sashimi 本日の鮮魚

Today’s special was Norwegian salmon belly, and the chef paired a couple of pieces with Hokkaido Bafun uni. Cool start.

肴 Hors d’Oeuvre おつまみ

Besides the yakitori menu, there were a good selection of appetisers to go with your drinks.

番茄低温慢煮牛舌 Sous Vide Gyutan in Tomato 低温調理した牛タン

The gyutan was slow cooked by itself and the cooked with a tomato braise. Very delicious.

鮟𩾌魚肝 Monkfish Liver あん肝

A favourite of mine for drinks, ankimo was better foie gras IMHO. Served on a bed of seaweed and dressed with ponzu sauce.

汁浸海白螺 Braised Sea Whelk つぶ貝の汁付け

This was not as good as I hoped as the sea whelks were quite small and the flavours have not been incorporated into the molluscs.

串 Yakitori 焼き鳥

My friend reminded me to ask the chef to serve the yakitori skewer by skewer. First up, the common yakitori sticks, which were competently done and delicious.

鶏肝 Liver レバー

鶏心 Heart ハツ

鶏腿肉 Thigh もも

鶏圆子 Tsukune つくね団子

杏鮑菇 King Mushroom エリンギ、秋葵 Okra オクラ、芦笋 Asparagus アスパラガス

Rare Parts 稀有

What is special about Torijin is their availability of rare parts.

鶏生蚝 Oyster ソリレス

The chicken oyster or soriresu ソリレス refers to the softest piece of flesh that is right next to the spine and it is about the size of a plump oyster. It is often thrown out together with the carcass. But if you collect enough of them, you can deliver one of the most delicious yakitori skewer that’s available to order.

鶏白子 Shirako 鳥白子

I have never seen this grilled in a yakitori-ya in Japan. It is chicken testicle, if you are wondering. And in Taiwan, they will sautéed them in sesame oil. Usually they are boiled and served as-is in Japan. Here, they grilled them in tare and simply exploded in your mouth with a creamy texture and oily taste. *That doesn’t sound right 😉

提灯 Cochin チョウチン

This is my favourite rare part, and compared with Yaki-ONE’s version, it had two egg yolks instead of one, just like how they do it in Japan.

气管 Oesophagus 気管

Saezuri さえずり is the oesophagus of the chicken. It is very chewy if done wrongly. And it becomes crunchy if done right. So it’s a 50/50 gamble all the time.

脚筋 Vein 足の筋

I could not find a similar part in the Japanese yakitori dictionary. But in Beijing, this was quite popular among the Chinese-style BBQ skewers 烤串 restaurants. This is the back vein of the chicken feet, and it’s a lot of work to collect a plate like this. It is grilled with tare and sprinkle with shichimi and served with yuzukosho.

And to round up a really good meal, they served me an egg-drop soup made from the chicken broth. I wondered why don’t they simply serve me the broth.

And since they did not have a dessert menu, they gave me a ball of ice cream instead.

My second yakitori-ya experience in Beijing, and this was already better than the first. It was not as commercial as the previous, and served the rare parts. The experience is closer to the ones in Japan if you are looking for authenticity. Recommended to get a reservation if you want to sit at the counter.

Torijin Kappo 鸟阵割烹
麦子店西街53号（威尔默口腔医院旁)
Tel : +86 13683174351

Visited May 2023

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