Enrico’s Kumamoto
Gourmet Exploration: Special Edition!
Ever since moving from Tokyo to Kumamoto, I, Enrico—an Italian from the pomodoro editorial department—have felt every day that there are still many undiscovered “natural treasures” in Aso, Kumamoto. This time, I visited a restaurant that makes the most of those natural treasures.
The exterior of “Tori-O” is that of a very simple izakaya (Japanese pub). The interior consists only of relaxing zashiki (tatami-mat seating), enveloping you in a nostalgic feeling. However, the dishes served at this seemingly ordinary izakaya have a truly special taste.
“Tori-O,” making customers feel at home.
It naturally brings a smile to your face.
The “O-Aso Chicken Assortment,” which features a platter of all chicken parts, is a luxurious dish that allows you to fully enjoy each and every cut grilled to an exquisite balance. The seasoning, which is not overly rich, brings out the inherent umami of the ingredients, offering a deliciousness that makes you feel it is a waste to finish eating. The “karaage” (fried chicken) is also distinctive, featuring an elegant and fluffy batter like “tempura” rather than the typical heavy batter. When you put it in your mouth, the juicy umami of the tender young chicken spreads from within… It is a moving taste that makes you think, “What on earth was the karaage I’ve eaten until now?” The “Charcoal-Grilled Shukei (Mature Chicken)” is grilled to a level that perfectly expresses the deliciousness of the chicken! The flavor of the “chiyu” (chicken oil) used when grilling and the plump texture of the shukei are simply the best!
Overwhelmed by the incredible deliciousness spreading in our mouths, Ms. Nakashima and I kept looking at each other’s faces and asking, “Why?” Every item on the menu is simple, yet incredibly delicious. For Ms. Nakashima, who usually moves her body with action performances, the high-protein, low-fat shukei is the perfect ingredient. Ms. Nakashima showed a surprised expression, noting that when “Tori-O” cooks it, it is not only delicious, but “no matter how much you eat, your stomach doesn’t feel heavy…” What is the secret behind this deliciousness that makes you keep eating piece after piece?
At that moment, Mr. Takashi Hishie, the owner of “Tori-O,” told us the answer.
“The restaurant’s commitment is to Aso’s water and being ‘additive-free.’ We use Aso’s water, which I believe is the most delicious in Japan, and cook ingredients that I have carefully selected without any additives.”
Since the word “additive-free” (mutenka) was not very familiar to me as an Italian, I asked Mr. Hishie for details.
According to Ms. Hishie, while there are only a few types of additives permitted in Italy and other European countries, there are about 1,600 types in Japan. Ms. Hishie says that by not using those additives and cooking with Kumamoto’s delicious water, such delicious dishes can be created.
The vibrant “O-Aso Chicken Assortment,” whose arranged plate also looks like a painter’s canvas.
Chicken skin is used as the oil.
Using all parts of the chicken is the concept of the signature dish, “O-Aso Chicken Assortment.”
The “Aso Lava Matcha Soba,” which Mr. Hishie prepared with a particular commitment to the tea.
Please be sure to try it!
The most delicious karaage in Ms. Nakashima’s and my lives.
Once you eat one, you cannot stop your chopsticks, so let’s order a lot!
All of the restaurant’s dishes are additive-free.
You can dine with peace of mind with your family and loved ones.
The “Charcoal-Grilled Shukei” eaten piping hot is an explosion of umami. Please savor this moving experience!
*Please note that Charcoal-Grilled Shukei can only be ordered when Ms. Hishie is present.
Now that I understood the secret behind Tori-O’s “deliciousness,” there was something I just had to ask. That was the “taste of mamma” that I feel from Tori-O’s dishes.
There is something in Tori-O’s dishes that makes even me, an Italian, feel “nostalgic.” What on earth is this secret? My question was unraveled by what Ms. Hishie shared.
“That would be ‘love.’ Just like the dishes that mothers all over the world make for their own children, our restaurant cooks delicious and safe ingredients with love. Also, it is a small thing, but we even change the background music to match the customers at that time.”
At that moment, I understood. The nostalgic feeling the instant I entered Tori-O. Music from the days of my youth playing, and they served dishes filled with love just like my mother… The space, where care was taken not only for the food but even for the environment in which it is eaten, was truly something where one could feel mamma’s love. It seemed I was not the only one who thought so; Ms. Nakashima, who left her hometown of Kanto to work with the theater company in Kyushu, also stuffed her cheeks with chicken dishes with a smile, saying, “I have also become a fan of Tori-O, which wraps you in motherly love!”
Tori-O
Ms. Hishie told us that “Tori-O” is a name given to ask himself, by calling himself a king, whether he is able to do work worthy of a king. However, there is no doubt that once you visit, it will continue to reign as the king in the hearts of the customers.
Owner of Tori-O
Takashi Hishie
A chef who served as the executive chef at America’s ultra-luxury hotels, and as the executive chef at the Japanese Embassy and the Olympic Athletes’ Village (accommodation facilities).
