Kamiyacho Nanairo 神谷町なないろ @ Toranomon

We walked past this restaurant many times during our lunch break but never took notice of what it serves. Finally we realise we have been missing this yakitori restaurant.

Kamiyacho Nanairo 神谷町なないろ is an upmarket yakitori restaurant right in the shadows of the uber-hip Azabudai Hills.

The restaurant’s dignified and relaxing interior is a space for adults in a modern Japanese style. The counter seats looked like it was a sushi restaurant before this, and I was told it was a tempura restaurant. It is ideal for dates and business entertainment. In addition to counter and table seating, private rooms are also available.

They offer 20 kinds of red and white wines carefully selected from all over the world and available by the glass, with a pairing option that changes each month. They also have 8 kinds of Japanese sake, including seasonal and rare brands, available at any given time, with a different brand each month.

This restaurant uses Suigo Akadori chicken from Chiba Prefecture 千葉県産水郷赤鶏、Shingen chicken from Yamanashi Prefecture 山梨県産信玄鶏、Daisen chicken from Tottori Prefecture 鳥取県産大山鶏、Date chicken from Fukushima Prefecture 福島県産伊達鶏. A skilful chef can take 33 useful parts from a single chicken, each having a different texture or taste profile.

本日の前菜 Today’s appetiser

The taste of the makonbu 真昆布 and red sea bream (madai 真鯛) that started the meal exceeded my expectations. The delicate flavour of the red sea bream and the aroma of the ocean from the kelp harmonised perfectly, creating a masterpiece that leaves a deep aftertaste with every bite.

鶏スープ Chicken soup

Usually it would come last, but the chicken consommé followed the appetiser right away. With the amount of chicken bones that are harvested everyday, you can imagine the deliciousness of this chicken soup.

The mouthfeel is sticky with all the melted collagen in the soup. The flavour is intense, like essence of chicken. I like it very much, but there was so little of it.

合い鴨ロースト〜低温調理～ Sous vide roasted duck breast

This is usually my last favourite appetiser of all time – smoked duck breast – which are usually too dry and too salty. They nailed it right with the sous vide method of cooking the duck breast, resulting in a tender and moist meat, and finished off on the grill quickly with a smokey sear on the skin. The tangy sauce wasn’t too bad and the peppercorn packed some heat.

厳選銘柄鶏の抱き身串 Chicken breast (dakimi)

Dakimi 抱き身 is a yakitori made of chicken breast meat wrapped in a skin, and hence its name of “embrace.” A good start to the yakitori course as the skin was grilled to a crisp and just the right amount of salt while the breast meat was still tender and moist.

Although both are called chicken breasts, there’s very subtle difference between the sasami ささみ and dakimi 抱き身. Sasami is shaped like a bamboo leaf and usually grilled to a medium rare to retain the moisture and tenderness. The dakimi has the chicken skin which is grilled to a crisp.

串塩ささみ（大山鶏）Chicken breast (sasami)

Sasami ささみ is a tender, low-fat cut of meat with a mild flavour. The sasami is the part where there is one on the left and right along the sternum inside the breast. It is shaped like a bamboo leaf and looked like the words “sasami” in kanji.

串塩せせり（大山鶏）Chicken neck (seseri)

This is not a rare part, but this is a difficult part to extract and do well. Seseri is the meat from the neck of the chicken and usually it comes with the skin. I wondered how did they manage to extract so much meat from the neck.

ふりそでの塩麹焼き（日向鶏）Grilled furisode with salted malt

Furisode or chicken shoulder is a rare, flavourful cut of chicken that’s grilled on a skewer and is the meat from the shoulder of the chicken, between the breast and the wing. The name comes from the long flaps of a Japanese kimono dress, called a furisode. Grilled with koji, a sweet wine lees which is a by-product of making sake, this was a nice variation from the usual tare and salt.

箸休め “Chopstick Rest” – Intermezzo

And they introduced an intermezzo the proceedings with something completely different – a slice of Castella style tamagoyaki.

串塩砂肝 はつ（大山鶏）Chicken gizzard (sunagimo) and heart (hatsu)

砂肝 Gizzard and はつ heart are the two most difficult chicken to get it right as the timing for each has to be down to the seconds before they become over cooked.

野菜燒芝串 Vegetable skewers

野菜燒芝串 Vegetable skewers consisted of seasonal vegetables and this winter selection included ginnan (ginkgo nuts), tamanegi (sweet onions) and チェリートマト (cherry tomatoes).

季節のフルーツとチーズとハーブ Seasonal fruits, cheeses and herbs

It’s kind of strange to have a cheese course in the middle of it all. The burrata is served with some compressed watermelon and muskmelon and some shredded basil leaves. Refreshing, but still very strange.

串たれ白レバー（大山鶏）Chicken “foie gras” (white liver)

白レバー White liver of the chicken is actually fatty liver that has the texture of foie gras. This is a rare part as only one in ten chickens will develop white liver naturally. I love these white liver skewers as they are very flavourful and creamy.

月見つくねたれ Chicken meatball in the “moonlight” (tsukimi tsukune)

月見つくねたれ Tsukimi tsukune is a traditional Japanese yakitori dish consisting of lightly seasoned grilled chicken meatballs glazed with tare and served a raw egg yolk. Many would have mistaken the tare as teriyaki sauce, but every yakitori chef has his own special mix that is used since the fire started and topped every day.

It has rather romantic name, “moonlight” meatball. You are expected to dip the tsukune into the tsukimi. The creamy yolk complimented well with the salty tare on the meatball.

土鍋炊込みご飯,，赤だし，香の物 Seasonal rice cooked in an earthenware pot, Red miso soup, Oshinko (Japanese pickles)

Every now and then they would change the ingredients used to cook these earthenware pot meshi. Today’s special is ikura (marinated salmon roe) and tai (Japanese sea bream).

The rice came with the customary red miso soup 赤だし and oshinko (pickles) 香の物. The nabemeshi was slightly bland to my liking, but it has that strangely addictive bite that made me finished everything.

You can have a second serving of the rice at the restaurant or you can ask them to prepare these takeaway onigiri that you can eat at the convenience of your own abode. Much like the little treats fine dining restaurants give out at the end of the meal, these onigiris were delicious even when they were cold.

甘味 Dessert

Typically, warabi mochi is coated in kinako powder, which is roasted soybean flour. Warabi mochi has a chewy and almost jelly-like texture and is served chilled. Because it is served cold, it is actually quite refreshing and can cool down the body on a hot summer day. In the case of matcha warabi mochi, matcha powder is combined with kinako powder to create a uniquely nutty and earthy flavor. Once you drizzle kuromitsu (brown sugar) syrup over the top, you’ve got a perfectly harmonised dessert.

淹れたてのお茶妙高園煎茶 Freshly brewed tea – Myoko-en Sencha

The sencha has that bit of bitterness and freshness that you can only get from roasted tea.

It’s relatively new and very small but the food was fantastic and service was warm and efficient. Nanairo represents a new and growing trend of yakitori in a fine dining setting that included Moto (wine pairing) and Jinbocho Gokita (French sauces). It’s surprising that you can enjoy such quality at this price in this area. I will definitely visit again.

Kamiyacho Nanairo 神谷町なないろ
5-3-2 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Kamiyacho Annex 1F
〒105-0001 東京都港区虎ノ門5-3-2 神谷町アネックス 1F
Tel : +81 (03) 5422 1220 (Reservations)

Visited Jan 2025