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    Home » Restaurant

    Bird Land Tokyo - yakitori in the basement of Ginza

    Published: Jul 20, 2017 by Jennifer Che

    Bird Land Tokyo 31.jpg

    Bird Land Tokyo

    Bird Land is a one-Michelin starred yakitori (grilled chicken) place located in the basement of the Ginza subway station in Tokyo. It sits across the corridor from its more famous neighbor, Sukiyabashi Jiro.

    Though located kiddie corner from each other, that is where the similarities end.

    While dinner at Sukiyabashi Jiro is a serious affair where the diners quietly watch Jiro perfect his craft, dinner at Bird Land is loud, smoky, and crowded.
    Bird Land Tokyo
    The yakitori concept revolves around the hot charcoal grills in the center. You can either order a la carte or try a tasting menu. They grill mostly vegetables and various chicken parts on skewers.
    Bird-Land-Tokyo_-13.jpg Bird Land Tokyo -12.jpg
    The Chef's Omakase (tasting menu) is reasonably priced and is an easy (brainless) way to try a variety of things if it’s your first time.There are two different choices for the Chef's Omakase: The smaller one costs 6300 JPY and includes an assortment of appetizers, chicken liver pate, eight types of yakitori, sanshoyaki (Japanese spiced teriyaki chicken), and oyako-don (chicken and egg on rice). The larger one costs 8400 JPY and additionally includes a char-grilled fillet, grilled cheese, and dessert.

    Since we didn’t know what we wanted, we decided to go with the tasting menu. Bryan got the larger one, and I got the smaller one.
    Bird Land Tokyo BBird Land Tokyo Bird Land Tokyo
    We started with an assortment of cold appetizers: chicken gizzard, chicken skin, Chinese watercress (or hollow heart vegetable), and a tiny onion.
    Bird Land Tokyo chicken filet
    Next was a chicken “filet” (breast meat) with sweet Japanese apricot sauce and shiso.
    Bird Land Tokyo chicken liver pate
    We each had a tiny block of chicken liver pate with shiso and a crostini.
    Bird Land Tokyo
    Chicken liver!
    Bird Land Tokyo chicken butt
    Bryan’s longer tasting included chicken butt, which they described as the muscle near the tail.
    Bird Land Tokyo chicken gizzard
    My tasting had chicken gizzard instead.
    Bird Land Tokyo chicken thigh
    Chicken thigh with lime.
    Bird Land Tokyo chicken breast wasabi
    Chicken breast with wasabi.
    Bird Land Tokyo chicken breast wasabi
    It was very tender, and the chicken was barely cooked inside (!).
    Bird Land Tokyo tofu
    The tofu came served with salt, black pepper, and olive oil. It was delicious, super soft, and creamy, sort of like a really fine ricotta or burrata cheese. Surprisingly, this turned out to be one of my favorite courses!
    Bird Land Tokyo gingko nuts
    My favorite! Grilled gingko nuts!
    Bird-Land-Tokyo_-18.jpg Bird Land Tokyo salad
    Salad was a simple mix of wild greens. The larger tasting menu's salad include a quarter slice of a *super* sweet tomato.
    Bird Land Tokyo chicken meat ball tsukune
    Chicken meat ball (tsukune).
    Bird Land Tokyo crispy skin kawa
    Crispy skin (kawa).
    Bird Land Tokyo sansho yaki
    I loved the herbs in this next course, sansho yaki, which consisted of chicken marinated in teriyaki sauce, dusted with sansho powder (prickly ash, aka Sichuan peppercorns!), and garnished with kinome (leaves of the prickly ash).
    Bird Land Tokyo chicken leg with onion and green pepper
    Finally, we ended with a skewer of chicken leg with onion and green pepper.
    Bird Land Tokyo Cacciocavallo cheese
    Bryan's extended menu also included char-grilled cheese, a Cacciocavallo from Yoshida-bokujyo, Okayama.
    Bird Land TokyoBird-Land-Tokyo_-24.jpg Bird Land Tokyo
    Finally, we ended with an excellent oyako-don (chicken and egg over rice) which comes with broth and pickles
    Bird Land Tokyo 27.jpg
    Bryan's extended tasting came with dessert, and he could choose between a Japanese custard pudding (pictured above) or Turkish rice pudding.
    Bird Land Tokyo 29.jpg

    Bird Land Tokyo - General Comments

    All in all, Bird Land is solid. The vivacious environment is fun and authentic. It’s cool to sit at the counter and watch the grill masters manage all the different pieces that they are cooking.

    I still enjoyed the yakitori we had at Nakameguroiguchi more, at least in terms of absolute quality of the grilled meat.

    This place, however, wins on the fun environment, and the food is still quite good. Plus as as bonus, you may get to see Jiro if you come at the right time (we did!).
    Bird Land Tokyo 30.jpg

    Bird Land Tokyo
    Nearest Station: Ginza
    Japan, 〒104-0061 Tokyo, Chuo,
    Ginza, 4 Chome−2−15, 塚本素山ビル

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    Trackbacks

    1. Bird Land Tokyo - yakitori in the basement of Ginza ⋆ Epeak . Independent news and blogs says:
      July 20, 2017 at 9:03 am

      […] Source link […]

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    2. Shima Steak Tokyo - The famous steak sandwich - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      July 30, 2017 at 8:03 pm

      […] Posts  Sushi Ya Bird Land Tokyo Tour of Top Taiwanese Restaurants Part I: Noodles, Dumplings, and Breakfast Tour of Top Taiwanese […]

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    3. Tsukiji Fish Market Auction + Sushi Bun Breakfast - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      August 6, 2017 at 1:04 am

      […] Posts  Sushi Ya Bird Land Tokyo Tour of Top Taiwanese Restaurants Part I: Noodles, Dumplings, and Breakfast Tour of Top Taiwanese […]

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    4. Yardbird Hong Kong - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      November 8, 2018 at 11:37 am

      […] seek out sushi when I’m in Japan, I’ve still dined at some pretty good places, such as 1-Michelin starred Bird Land (made even more famous because it’s located next to Sukiyabashi Jiro) and another lovely […]

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    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

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