Aogiya

Start with chicken tenderloin dressed with plum, followed by premium chicken-heart skewers and seared liver. One diner describes this line-up as their go-to order at Aogiya; another enjoyed the heart skewers with yuzu pepper. Try a few dishes featuring different parts of the chicken and see which seasonings you like best. The menu also includes chicken wings, grilled liver, a chicken stew and crunchy gizzards. With small plates at the heart of the offering, you can put together a meal by choosing several dishes that catch your eye.

Alongside the chicken, diners have also singled out chicken and Kujo spring onions cooked on a hotplate. It can be enjoyed as it is or with kuro-shichimi, a blend of seven spices, and sounds like a good dish to order later in the meal. For something beyond chicken, diners have also enjoyed the house tofu, nama-fu (wheat-gluten cakes) and dishes featuring tofu or yuba. These offer a change of pace between chicken dishes. Some diners recommend finishing with rice topped with raw egg or chicken ochazuke (rice in tea or broth). One account mentions being able to choose the number of eggs for the rice dish, though that reflects the order on that occasion.

Drinks include beer and wine as well as honkaku shochu and plum wine. The shochu list features Mugi, made with barley and rice koji; Waramugi, described as fruity; and Rokujuyon, made with Beni Haruka sweet potatoes. There is also sangria plum wine, made by steeping a variety of fruit, and Shirakaga plum wine. The selection suits a meal paired with shochu or a leisurely evening over plum wine. Dinner reservations are recommended, and bookings are accepted. Payment is cash only, so plan accordingly before visiting.