“Date Shoten,” featured in “Nishinomiya Gourmet Masters,” is a restaurant where you can enjoy chicken dishes in a yakiniku-style setting.
There are plenty of yakitori shops and chicken specialty restaurants around the city, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one serving chicken yakiniku-style…
By the way, they’re apparently now in their ninth year since opening in Nishinomiya.
This time, we visited “Date Shoten” and tried their chicken dishes.
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“Date Shoten” Dishes
First things first, let’s have a “draft beer (medium)” (450 yen).
It’s Heartland Beer.
The appetizer was “cheese tofu” (200 yen).
It was rich and delicious.
Now for the chicken dishes. First, we had the “seared liver” (500 yen).
The chicken liver is lightly seared and topped with plenty of green onions.
It’s seasoned with salt and sesame oil, with no unpleasant smell at all. Very tasty.
They also have a wide selection of sake, and the lineup changes depending on what they have in stock at the time.
This time we had one go of “Tomizu.”
Chicken dishes go well with sake, don’t they?
Now, let’s get to the main event: the yakiniku-style chicken.
First, this “stone plate” was brought out.
Not an “iron plate,” but a “stone plate.”
The menu also calls it “stone-plate grilling.”
What we ordered was the “five-piece assortment of today’s recommendations” (1,000 yen).
It was an assortment of gizzard, thigh, mature chicken thigh, skin, and neck meat.
Let’s start grilling.
You grill it like this.
Excess fat drips down around the edges.
Since it isn’t direct flame like grilling over a mesh, the fat doesn’t drip onto the fire, flare up, and burn the chicken.
It also didn’t stick or burn onto the surface like it can on an iron plate.
Maybe it has something to do with the subtle unevenness on the surface, or the fact that stone has extremely low thermal conductivity compared with iron.
I’ve also heard that stone grilling produces far-infrared rays, making the food cook more deliciously.
I’m not sure about the details, but there’s no doubt that it was very good.
The sauce was tasty too, but there’s also salt, ichimi chili pepper, and sansho pepper on the table, so you can eat it however you like.
You can enjoy changing up the flavors in all kinds of ways.
Since we were there, we finished with an “oyakodon” (700 yen).
It’s served not in a donburi bowl, but in a deeper plate-like dish, so the balance between the rice and toppings is just right.
Of course the chicken is delicious, but the broth and egg are also excellent, and above all, the way it was cooked was outstanding.
That’s the kind of skill you expect from a professional.
We thoroughly enjoyed the pairing of chicken and sake.
They also have drinks other than sake, so next time I’d like to try it with something different.
“Date Shoten” Menu
Here is the menu.
The selection of sake and shochu changes depending on what they have in stock, so please ask the restaurant for details.
Inside “Date Shoten”
Inside, there are counter seats and raised tatami seating.
This is what the interior looks like.
Exterior of “Date Shoten”
The restaurant is located very close to Lalaport, along the same street as Naruo Junior High School.
This is the exterior.
There isn’t a large sign, but the noren curtain and lantern are the landmarks.
“Date Shoten” Restaurant Information
★Hours: 17:00~24:00 (L.O. 23:00)
★Closed Tuesdays ※May also close irregularly on other days
★Phone 0798-20-8806
★Address 5-6-1 Naruocho, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture
★Seats: 20
★Smoking: Allowed
★Credit cards: Not accepted
★Related Link
Tabelog
(*Prices, menu items, hours, and other details are from the time of coverage. Please check directly with the restaurant for the latest information.)
