Maintenance of quality at Nanbantei is in no small part due to the unflagging talents of Chef Komata, Deguchi s right-hand man, who has been overseeing the running of the kitchen, staff and restaurant since it opened. The menu lists almost 50 yakitori items, but it didn t take much deliberation for us to choose beef tongue tender yet resilient morsels with a good beefy flavour. Chicken, the classic yakitori meat, is well represented by a long list of items chicken liver, chicken fillet with fish roe, chicken with leek, crispy chicken skin, grilled chicken cartilage and even mushroom-stuffed chicken, just to name a few. Chicken livers were meticulously cut into bite-sized pieces, their crisp surfaces belying juicy interiors, and served with a miso sauce on the side. The slightly garlicky flavour of leek slices well complemented lightly salted skinless chicken meat morsels sharing skewer space with them, and we were very impressed by shiso maki , pork with shiso leaf, which had a subtle char-grilled flavour underscored with shiso tang.
Vegetables are probably the hardest yakitori foods to get right, easy to over or undercook.
As for seafood, grilled fresh cod fillet was a highlight with slightly crispy skin over moist flesh scented with the distinct flavours of mirin and sake from the teriyaki sauce. In contrast, grilled salmon was seasoned with nothing more than salt, allowing the whole flavour of the fish to come through without any distraction. Nanbantei's fried dishes are also their forte. Other favourites include garlic rice, chilled tea-flavoured soba noodles, and delectable grilled rice balls. Vegetable miso ramen with Japanese roasted pork and hot udon noodles flavoured with bonito flakes come highly recommended.