Enya Yakitori

We were hunting for a yakitori place along the streets of Kutchan, and there seemed to be one at each corner, there was certainly no lack of choice. After driving round the block a couple of times we decided on this one – Enya. Only because it was brightly lit on the outside, looked like a nice comfy place, and had a menu in front of the door so that we could check out the food on offer. In hindsight, this is a very Western thing to do, and any restaurant that leaves a menu out the front is probably trying to cater for the Western crowd. And we were proven right when we walked in, as there were a few tables of Westerners sitting around chatting in various accents of English. But this isn’t to say that the restaurant served sub par food.

There was the daily specials on the black board above the counter.

The menu consisted of the usual deep fried stuff, salads, rice and noodles, and also some with a twist like wasabi octopus. As for yakitori, the choices were sufficient and we ordered a smattering of things like saury, leek, chicken breast, chicken wings, rack of lamb, and various other items. Everything was well executed and tasted fresh, but nothing really stands out. A special mention to the avocado and tuna salad which was very nice.

Service was friendly but lacked attentiveness at times, and waiters had to be prompted for tea refills. I would say that this is a reasonably priced restaurant with decent food and within the comfort zones of those who want an English menu and pancake or fondant chocolate for dessert.