Many of you may already know, but "Sou" opened in November 2024 as a members-only salon that invites renowned restaurants from across the country, providing an opportunity to enjoy their offerings in Tokyo. Occasionally, they even host collaborative events between hard-to-book restaurants in the city, and sometimes they open up a few seats through OMAKASE, Pocket Concierge, or TableCheck.While I won't mention the address since it's not publicly available, it's conveniently located for me. I often found myself hesitating when I received emails about restaurants like F from Akita or Kobanzushi from Fukushima, wondering whether to go. However, since it's a pop-up service with a limited duration, I often couldn't align my schedule, and compared to the prices at the actual locations, it felt quite expensive, so I hadn't participated until now.However, I recently learned that the famous yakitori restaurant "Yakitori Taniguchi" from Mukonoso, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, would be featured, so I decided to visit "Sou" for the first time, making a reservation through OMAKASE.While the omakase course at the restaurant costs JPY 16,500, the meal-only course is JPY 32,600, and the course with alcohol pairing is JPY 39,200, which is quite pricey. However, considering the transportation and accommodation costs for the staff, as well as the profits for "Sou," a certain level of markup is understandable. Moreover, since they are not currently taking new reservations, and the only way to get in is to catch last-minute openings on the restaurant's Instagram, it felt reasonable to consider the travel and accommodation costs to Hyogo as a good deal. I also opted for the alcohol pairing, which only added about JPY 6,000, and it includes a total of 400ml (just over 2 go) served with every 3-4 dishes.Now, "Yakitori Taniguchi" is a restaurant from Hyogo, but the owner, Yuta Taniguchi, was born in Mitaka, Tokyo. Influenced by the personality of the master at the yakitori shop where he worked part-time during high school, he initially joined a transportation company but returned to the food industry. After managing a yakitori franchise in Osaka, he opened his restaurant in Mukonoso, a city he fell in love with. The restaurant features only a counter with a course that serves four whole rare Takasaka chickens to eight guests. Apparently, Takasaka chickens stop laying eggs after 115 days, which depletes their nutrients, so they only source and process chickens that are under 115 days old.On the other hand, "Sou" is quite spacious. Although it only has counter seating, there are a total of 12 seats, which is about 50% more than usual. Additionally, the charcoal grill set up in the island kitchen behind the counter was purchased in partnership with "Sou" specifically for this occasion. They really invested in this! By the way, right after our visit, a popular yakitori restaurant from Yokohama, "1000," called asking to use the grill. They offered to rent it for JPY 5,000 a day, haha.So, given the different number of customers and the unique circumstances, let's enjoy the yakitori from "Yakitori Taniguchi."- Chicken Consommé Soup A rich and delicious soup made from chicken bones. So good!- Sashimi of White Meat (Breast) Served with ginger soy sauce. Chewy and delicious!- Presentation of Liver - Sashimi of Liver, Heart, and Gizzard Drizzled with sesame oil and served with salt. This is where the true quality of Takasaka chicken shines. The white liver of Takasaka chicken rivals foie gras!Now, let's move on to the yakitori.- Chopped Breast Meat Served with fresh wasabi to taste. The chewy texture is consistent with the sashimi, and the umami between the skin and meat is strong—this is delicious!- Chopped Thigh Meat First, enjoy the meat alone, and when the fat spreads in your mouth, add some salted fresh pepper. Ah, this method is quite logical! The sweetness of the fat pairs perfectly with the spicy fresh pepper. Amazing!- Oni Oroshi A palate cleanser. Refills are free.Now, let's move on to the skewers.- Tsukune Starting with tsukune?! So soft! The inside is slightly rare. Fluffy and delicious!!The serving plates are carefully wiped clean after each dish.- Tomato Is this a fruit tomato? Sweet and juicy, with a firm texture at the core—delicious!- Red Meat (Inner Thigh) I thought red meat with wasabi was odd, but this juicy and flavorful red meat pairs well with wasabi.- Chicken Wings Add lime to taste. Hot! The fatty skin and subcutaneous fat are delicious!- Lightly Pickled Cucumber and Myoga A palate cleanser. Refills are also free.- Liver Paste Of course, the liver paste is great, but the toasted bread is delicious too!- Negima Served hot! Ah, but it's tender and perfectly seasoned with salt—so delicious!- 3L Asparagus from Hokkaido Oshitani Farm This is some thick asparagus! The stalks are juicy and fresh! The tips are fragrant and tender—delicious! They say 3L or larger is only available for a short period.They were grilling two more skewers, and after that, we would finish with chicken rice and soup, so I ordered two additional skewers and a pudding. There are six types available, but since there aren't enough for everyone, I could only choose the quantity, not the types, so I requested two additional skewers and a pudding.- Upper Thigh With tare sauce. This is the upper part of the thigh that was served as chopped meat. It has some fat, but the meat is quite lean.- Furikake Meat around the shoulder. Topped with soy sauce-pickled green onions. The umami of the meat is incredible! It’s fluffy and too delicious!- Additional Bonjiri A firm bonjiri with a crispy texture—delicious!- Additional Thigh Joint (Soriresu) Topped with kanzuri. The skin is juicy, the subcutaneous fat is full of flavor, and the meat is tender—perfect!They also served seseri and back liver.- Meal - Chicken Rice - Chicken Soup Freshly cooked, the breast meat is tender, and the chicken rice is delicious! The soup is rich in flavor and very tasty.- Additional Pudding Wow! It has an incredibly rich color! And the taste is also very rich and delicious! It’s from a shop called "2/2" in Fukuoka.Wow, it was really delicious. I’ve had Takasaka chicken several times, including at the specialized restaurant "Katsu Tori" in Shibuya, but this was also delicious. It might be even better when enjoyed at the restaurant in Hyogo.By the way, I also ordered two additional skewers, pudding, a beer (Heartland medium bottle), a Yamazaki highball, and mineral water, and the total was JPY 7,450.Incidentally, I heard they plan to open a restaurant in June in Tenjinbashi, Osaka. The owner, Taniguchi, will be working at the Osaka location, while the second-in-command woman who assisted on this day will manage the current Mukonoso restaurant.Recently, I’ve only been making day trips to Kansai, so I’ve been wanting to stay overnight this year. I hope to enjoy yakitori at either the Tenjinbashi or Mukonoso location—or maybe both! It was a great meal! Less