Torihei has been rated the best Yakitori-ya in the So.Cal. among the foodie circles. We had been warned it being busy, so we got our 8pm reservation a week ahead and walked straight right in, passing all the eye-rolling-hungry-souls in the 45 minutes line. We felt good even before ordering anything.
Right after we walked in, thanks to their fancy fan, it’s virtually smokeless compared to other yakitori-ya.
The menu was pretty big and not limited to chicken only. Service was decent.
Below left, White radish - 1.95 from the Oden section, was cooked perfectly with nice light oden broth flavor.
Above, Grounded chicken on rice bowl with soup - 5.95, for those who need rice in every meal.
From the left, Chicken thigh, Half raw egg w/ salmon roe, & Breast w/ plum. For these less than two dollars each skewers, all the bites were all cooked to the right tenderness and seasoned well.
Again, the fire & salt masters at Torihei just keep hitting the perfect spot. (Beef tongue, Gizzard & Chicken wing)
The whole squid with mayo was gone in seconds.
While some people might considered the liver being cooked too rare here, it tasted fresh and creamy soft.
Fuwa-Fuwa (soft) chicken ball was one of my favorite bites. It was sauced generously and I really enjoyed the texture of little pieces of chicken cartilage (soft bone) they mixed in the balls.
It was a birthday dinner so we bought our own Banana Chocolate cake from Frances Bakery - Little Tokyo. There was this cakeage fee of $15 where they served the cake with some candle and plates. It was not the best of the deals but it did the trick.
Now I am a fan and yes TORIHEI is easily one of the best Yakitori-ya you will find in the Southern California.
TORIHEI
http://www.yelp.com/biz/torihei-torrance | 1757 W Carson St Ste A Torrance, CA 90501 | 310-781-9407
