Yakitoro, a concept inspired by the traditional Japanese yakitori tavern, is opened by Spanish celebrity chef Alberto Chicote, who's a chef, restaurateur and famous Spanish TV host known for his unique take on fusion cuisine.
The traditional Japanese yakitori (specialty shops famous for their skewered chicken) is given a stylish twist with an eclectic mix of modern chic décor highlighted by the sleek open kitchen.
I thought for sure they would be using an electric grill here but to my pleasant surprise, they had a couple of charcoal grills installed to preserve the authenticity.
For a place known for its chicken skewers (or yakitori), it was a bit surprising to find only a handful of chicken dishes on the food menu (7 to be exact). That was odd.
Fresh shiitake mushroom (4.00 Euro) - This was grilled very lightly (no charred marks) and finished with a touch of smoked bonito shavings and garlic. Decent.
Asparagus ice-cream with trout roes and peanuts (5.80 Euro) - I finally saw some of that creative flair Chef Chicote is known for with this dish.
The scoop of asparagus ice-cream was topped with shredded asparagus and finished with trout roes, crushed peanuts and a spicy soy. I bet it's a fairly nice and refreshing dish to have in a hot summer day. The results weren't nearly as good in a chilly winter night but I appreciate the creativity there.
Wagyu ribs meat, teriyaki sauce (7.40 Euro) - The signature dish recommended by our server turned out to be the worst of the evening. Very rubbery. And I thought the gluey teriyaki sauce was bad news.
Grilled Iberian pork with sweet mustard vinaigrette (5.80 Euro) - The Iberian pork was super tender but the secret recipe of sweet mustard vinaigrette was the obvious difference maker here. Pretty nice.
Chicken glazed with Chinese barbecue sauce (4.90 Euro) - We only got ourselves one of chicken skewers because the rest were all spicy. And both mom and little guy don't eat spicy. This came with a homemade guacamole dip, made primarily with avocado.
It was so tasty that we had to get another order of this after the first one.
Madrid style stew with Yuyao tagliatelle (10.40 Euro) - Little guy was feeling hungry all night so we got him some ramen, or what they called Yaki-ramen. I am assuming it's ramen noodles with some serious twist.
This one came with carrots, potatoes, chorizos and other ingredients one might find from a Madrid style stew. I could live with the Spanish twist but the broth was just way too weird for my liking. Honestly, I couldn't come up with the words to describe the taste of the broth. I'll just leave it at that.
Chicken fricassee with e-chang noodles (10.60 Euro) - This came with a yellowish broth that tasted a bit like curry but it's a very light one.
The noodles were noticeably a bit more similar to Japanese ramen noodles. And I was so glad to see the tried and true combination of ramen noodles with poached egg and chicken. Hey, this tasted pretty "normal".
We still got bags to pack tonight so despite an urge to check out their dessert menu, we decided to settle the bill and head back to our hotel early. This is really goodbye, Madrid. Thanks for the hospitality. Hopefully, we'll be back in the not-so-distant future.
I thought this was one of the weirdest yakitori and ramen experience I've had all around. The fusion concept wasn't a bad one but there were clearly way too many hit-and-misses, most noticeably the two ramen noodles. I hope the locals who haven't been to Japan before, won't mistake these as authentic Japanese flavors!
Food Rating: 4/10
Price: €€€
Address: Calle de la Reina, 41, 28004 Madrid, Spain
Closest Metro Station: Sevilla
Tel: +34 917-371441
Website: www.yakitoro.com
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