Yamaga

If you’re choosing a chicken dish at Yamaga, the long-standing house favourite, oragiyaki, is a natural place to start. Chicken thigh is grilled until the skin is crisp and the meat juicy, then served simply with grated daikon and house-made ponzu. It’s a good choice when you want the savoury char balanced by the freshness of the citrusy sauce, and costs 900 yen. One diner also wrote about enjoying chicken wings and gizzards with beer and highballs, noting the generous portions of the fried dishes. The menu lists chicken wings at 1 for 250 pieces, while skewers of gizzard or chicken neck start at 160 for 1 pieces—an easy way to begin with a few small plates and skewers.

Chicken is at the heart of the menu, but there are plenty of ways to vary the meal. One diner particularly enjoyed the Vietnamese-style fried prawn spring rolls; duck loin and seafood dishes also offer a change of pace. The duck loin is made with Kawachi duck from Osaka, steamed in a Kyoto-style preparation, and the menu suggests pairing it with sake, wine or shochu. Choose a single serving of duck loin for 1,360 yen, or share a two-person hot pot of duck and mizuna greens for 2,500 yen. Either makes it easy to decide between a lighter plate and a meal gathered around a pot.

For a final savoury course, chicken rice porridge made with chicken neck costs 660 yen. Salmon rice porridge and shiso-and-chirimen-jako rice with soup are also on the menu, so you can finish with either a comforting bowl or a rice dish. The menu suits a relaxed evening of drinks and chicken dishes, as well as a more complete meal: the set course, priced at 4,400 yen including tax, runs from appetisers and sashimi to salad, fried and grilled dishes, rice and dessert. A private-room booking is listed at 5,000 yen. Dinner reservations are available.