Yakitori Torifumi 焼鳥 鳥ふみ (Saga, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

After making numerous stops including an unplanned detour to the Premium Outlets in Tosu (鳥栖) this afternoon, we finally arrived in Saga (佐賀) late. Instead of checking into our hotel right away, we decided to head straight to tonight’s dinner venue — Yakitori Torifumi (焼鳥 鳥ふみ).

Tucked discreetly behind the main entrance of a commercial building, the restaurant was a bit tricky to locate so it took us a few minutes to figure out where exactly the entrance actually was.

Like many yakitori spots in Japan, Yakitori Torifumi features a counter-only setup, giving diners a front-row view of the open kitchen, where the chef works with quiet precision behind the counter.

Dinner started off with a small cup of warm potato soup drizzled with olive oil. A comforting touch on a cold winter night.

It was followed by a small spinach salad, light and refreshing.

Tsukune – Chicken meatball. This came with soft bone and finely diced shiso leaves mixed into the minced chicken. The added complexity of flavors was interesting, although personally, I prefer a simpler one with beautiful char marks and a rich egg yolk for dipping.

Sabiyaki – Wasabi breast fillet. 

White on the outside and delicately pink inside, this was incredibly tender. The wasabi added just the right amount of heat to bring out the natural sweetness of the chicken.

Teba – Chicken wing. Very rare to see drumsticks featured in yakitori joints. The seasoning was surprisingly light on this one. While the skin was nicely charred, it didn’t quite achieve that satisfying crispiness.

Shiitake wrapped with bacon – Smoky, savory, and simply delicious.

Crispy tofu – The outer crust was perfectly crisp, and the seasoning was just spot on.

Bonjiri – Tail. Delightfully bouncy with a nice crunch — a textural treat, as always.

Oyakodon (親子丼) – One of the more popular dishes around here. This was really soupy allowing the rice to soak up the richness of the sauce, and the generous portions of scrambled egg and tender chicken made for a satisfying, well-balanced bite. It more than lived up to the expectations of a signature dish.

What a great start to kick off our 20 hours in Saga!

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1-23 Ekiminamihonmachi, Saga, 840-0816 Japan

Closest Train Station: Saga

Tel: +81 (0)952-97-5886

Opening Hours: 6:00pm - 12:00am (Mon - Sat)