PETALING JAYA, July 20 — In the last decade, the canon of Japanese food in the Klang Valley has grown from simple sushi and ramen places to include specialist tempura, soba and yakiniku restaurants, all executed with notable attention to detail.
Even ramen has taken on a new polish, with focused, tightly curated shops emerging across the city.
The most dramatic shift? The explosion of small, exclusive omakase-style sushi counters in the past five years, now seemingly everywhere, each offering its own take on refined, theatrical morsels of fish and rice, all for a couple hundred ringgit a pop.
But one constant has been the izakaya scene. The allure of ice-cold, crisp Japanese beer, salty snacks and cheap skewers of grilled chicken has always sat well with the Klang Valley palate, with yakitori in particular gaining a strong following.
For a while, any loud, rowdy izakaya was the place to find it, aside from longstanding yakitori specialists like Sumi-Ka in SS15 Subang Jaya.
But just as ramen and sushi have been given the refined, polished treatment, yakitori is now starting to get the same.
FooTori from the front. — Picture by Ethan Lau
FooTori, which opened in Plaza Kelana Jaya in May, may not appear to be the epitome of sophistication at first glance.
The central grilling area, framed by concrete and glass, feels more like a zoo exhibit than a grand stage for chefs.
The rest of the furnishing is similarly austere. Grey exposed concrete features throughout, though it leans less towards industrial chic and more towards “unfinished” chic.
Still, some aspects have clearly been thought through. The air stays remarkably clear, without a hint of smoke.
When we left, our clothes didn’t carry any lingering scent, and the ventilation system manages all this without a horrid din.
Being located in a commercial development as stark as this one probably doesn’t help that perception.
Three’s company: sansho pepper, salt and pepper, and ‘shichimi togarashi’. — Picture by Ethan Lau
But this is the second restaurant by Chef Foo, formerly of Hinoiri in Bukit Jalil, who has already made this location work for his flagship, Sushi Foo, which is located just a few doors away.
Foo spent close to 30 years working in Tokyo, and though he’s known mostly for a sincere yet skilled take on sushi, he now intends to bring that same approach to yakitori.
FooTori offers three levels of omakase: RM98 for eight skewers, four appetisers and a dessert; RM118 for 10 skewers; and RM138 for 12.
It’s a helpful introduction for those unfamiliar with the many different parts of a chicken.
But for those already in the know, the à la carte menu is full of gems, if you know where to look.
‘Kawa’ or chicken skin, and ‘sasami’ or filet. — Picture by Ethan Lau
Kawa, or chicken skin (RM6), is a delightful bite, shatteringly crisp and gleefully greasy.
But it’s the sasami, or filet (RM8), that shows there is more to the cooking here than meets the eye.
When a cook places the stick in front of me, he explains that each piece of ghostly white meat is deliberately cooked to “just done”.
The centre is slightly pink, and it is undeniably on the rare side for chicken. He stresses the freshness of the bird being used, though he’s happy to cook it further if I prefer.
The chicken is still pink on the inside of the ‘sasami’. — Picture by Ethan Lau
On top of each piece is a daub of wasabi.
It’s a meaty, tender mouthful, and simply unlike any piece of white meat you will ever experience.
I put my trust in the kitchen that night, just as I did nearly a decade ago at Yakitori Masakichi in Tokyo, which had been featured on Netflix’s Ugly Delicious.
That was the first time I encountered chicken prepared this way, down to the same presentation with the dabs of wasabi and the chicken grilled to medium rare.
It was monumental for me then, and it is deeply satisfying for me now to see this becoming more common in the Klang Valley.
Hopefully, it points to a shift in how diners approach and appreciate yakitori.
Other parts may not require quite the same amount of guts to tackle, but they are no less impressive.
‘Momo’ or thigh, a second order of ‘kawa’, and ‘obi’ or inner thigh. — Picture by Ethan Lau
Fans of dark meat will enjoy the momo, or thigh (RM6), and obi, or inner thigh (RM10), each offering a different expression of chicken at its most juicy and bouncy.
Bonjiri, or tail (RM8), is essentially the butt, and while it has the potential to taste off, it’s been prepared well here, retaining just enough fat for flavour and cartilage for crunch.
On the topic of cartilage, the nankotsu or soft bone (RM6) is the ultimate stick for texture.
‘Nankotsu’ or soft bone and ‘leba’ or liver. — Picture by Ethan Lau
Crunchy, snappy and perfect for dipping into the sansho pepper, salt or shichimi togarashi mix, cuts like this are what make yakitori such a good match for guzzling down pints of cold beer.
It would be remiss not to mention the lush leba, or liver (RM8). Grilled with just a small hint of sweet tare, it avoids the unpleasant metallic notes of iron and leaves only a rich, creamy texture to enjoy.
A calling card for any ‘yakitori’ place is the ‘tsukune’ or meatball. — Picture by Ethan Lau
And finally, no yakitori place can be taken seriously without considering its tsukune, or meatball (RM6).
FooTori’s is tightly packed, with a slight crust from the caramelisation of the tare on the outside, and is a dream to dip and swirl through the raw egg yolk and sweet, salty tare mixture.
At a glance, FooTori probably looks unassuming as all get out. A closer look reveals an attention to detail that belies its decor, and a mastery of preparation and technique that can only come from experience, something Foo, an older man who’s done his time, wears plainly.
But that’s the whole idea: a simple, unpretentious set-up, from which he serves excellence.
At a time when yakitori is starting to stretch beyond cheap, by-the-numbers izakaya food, FooTori arrives to stake its claim, particularly by not chickening out from serving “rare” chicken.
If this is where things are headed, I’m all for it.
FooTori ぷ鸟
B-08-1, Plaza Kelana Jaya,
Jalan SS 7/13A,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 5pm-12am
Tel: 010-256 2279
Instagram: @foo_tori
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
