Daitoryu

At Daitoryu, there is no need to choose between yakiniku and Chinese food: the menu lets you build a meal around both. One diner who ordered salted tsurami (beef cheek) described it as lean, with a substantial chew reminiscent of thick-cut tongue. Many of the grilled meats can be ordered with salt or sauce, including kalbi, skirt steak and Wagyu loin and ribs. Another visitor remembered the lightly tangy, refreshing dipping sauce served with the grilled meat. They also tried adding table vinegar to change its flavour, an option worth considering alongside an order of yakiniku.

Among the Chinese dishes, one example is mapo tofu, described by a diner as generous with minced meat, moderately spicy and sweet, with a pleasant numbing heat. The same diner enjoyed the hormone yakisoba, which they said included offal as well as meat resembling gizzard, and had a sweet-leaning flavour. For a final savoury dish, there is hot-and-sour soup noodles, noted for the aroma of chilli oil, as well as classic fried rice.

For something less expected, consider the fried rice with eel and sansho pepper. A diner described it as memorable: something like an eel rice bowl with the punch of sansho, yet unmistakably fried rice. You could make a Chinese meal of spring rolls, shrimp with mayonnaise and gyoza, or mix in yakiniku and enjoy a broader spread. There is plenty of choice to discuss with whoever is sharing the table.

The drinks list includes beer and highballs, along with Shaoxing wine, makgeolli and shochu. Add beef tendon ponzu or celery and green pepper namul, both presented as snacks to accompany alcohol, for an evening of drinks and small plates. With Chinese, Korean and yakiniku dishes to choose from, the menu lends itself to sharing a selection among a group.