Hamaguri Zaka Maekawa (蛤坂 まえかわ) Kanazawa

During my trip to Kanazawa, I was excited to visit the yakitori restaurant Hamaguri Zaka Maekawa. I made a reservation through OMAKASE about two months ago. Arriving a bit early, I waited in the waiting room. At exactly 8:15 PM, we received an explanation of the house rules and were shown to our seats. The course started with a selection of dishes. The grilling and seasoning were both exceptional, and I could feel the high quality in every skewer. The chicken neck and gizzards were particularly memorable. The additional yakitori was only available as an omakase, so I was a little disappointed that I couldn't choose my favorite skewers. For the finale, I ordered both the oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl) and the chicken soboro rice, both in medium portions. The entire experience was highly satisfying until the very end. An impressive yakitori course. It was a great meal! Less

In July three years ago, I visited this place while sweating in the heat. Hamaguri Zaka Maekawa left a lasting impression that blew away the summer heat.Thanks to a friend who made a reservation, I was finally able to return. Hamaguri Zaka Maekawa is about a 20-minute walk from my home in Kanazawa. Once again, I arrived at the restaurant, sweating profusely. I met up with my friend who had arrived earlier, and with my wife joining us, we were ready to start a delightful evening.After being refreshed by a cool towel and a fan at my back, we toasted with a cold draft beer. Chef Maekawa stood at the grill, exuding a dignified presence while showing meticulous attention to detail. The atmosphere was incredibly comfortable, but I could see that he was working hard over the charcoal grill. Still, his dedication to the customers was palpable, and I couldn't help but feel the spirit of hospitality.Now, for the first dish: a salad of Horohoro chicken and jidokko (local chicken). The fact that even non-skewered dishes are delicious is what makes Maekawa so remarkable. The flavors seeped into my body.Next came the first grilled item, jidokko thigh. This was it! The meat was perfectly grilled—crispy on the outside yet juicy, bursting with flavor with every bite. I couldn't help but smile. This is why it's hard to get a reservation here.Next up was the neck meat, topped with homemade sudachi pepper. While yuzu pepper is common, sudachi pepper is quite rare. The neck meat had a perfect texture, and the sudachi pepper added a wonderful accent.Then came the seasonal corn. I had this three years ago as well. It was freshly picked from the local Kurozawa Farm in Hakusan City, and Chef Maekawa grilled it to perfection. He mentioned that he aims to recreate the joy of grilled corn from street vendors, but he far exceeded that! (laughs)At this point, I couldn't resist ordering a reasonably priced 4-go bottle of Tochigi's Chinkin. Now I could enjoy my drinks without worry. The attentive service of refilling my glass while keeping it chilled was much appreciated.The grilling continued. The gizzards had a firm texture without being tough, allowing me to savor their flavor. Then came the El France, a high-quality quail egg, perfectly creamy. This was truly amazing—definitely the best quail egg I've ever had.Next was the homemade thick fried tofu, perfectly balanced with the condiments. The grilling and quality of the ingredients made me want to shout for more.As we entered the second half of the meal, I was still feeling great despite the deliciousness. The liver was served next, generously topped with sansho pepper. Liver is my favorite when it comes to yakitori. I heard that winter brings even better liver, but this one paired perfectly with the refreshing sansho pepper and was absolutely delicious.Then came a delightful soup: chicken shinjo (chicken dumplings) with new onions. The broth was made solely from chicken, offering a refined yet deep flavor that brought happiness.As I savored this, we were served grilled mid tomatoes from the local Kahoku-gata. Be careful, they were hot and juicy! But the burst of flavor was incredible.Since the Chinkin was running low, I ordered a Dewar's highball. The aftertaste of the hot tomato paired beautifully with the Dewar's. What a joy! Next was another delightful dish: chicken breast and grilled eggplant topped with an egg yolk. At first, I thought it would be light, but it turned out to be rich and creamy. Wow, the combination was intense and exceeded my expectations.The tsukune (chicken meatball) with ginger was light and made for a nice palate cleanser.At this point, only the chicken wings remained, and I was asked if I wanted to add more. I learned there were two types of rice for the final dish, so I requested just one more skewer. I ordered the chicken wings, an additional skewer, and a glass of red wine for the rice. The glass of wine was from South Africa and was quite good.As we approached the end of the meal, we started with the chicken wings. The thick, juicy wings made my lips shine. But it wasn't an unpleasant greasiness; it was full of flavor and had a collagen-like quality.Then, before the last skewer, we were served a delicious chicken soup, signaling the end of our feast. The final skewer was negima (chicken and green onion). It wasn't just a typical negima; the chicken and green onion were perfectly integrated, making it a delightful ending to the yakitori.And now for the climax. For the final rice dish, I could choose from large, medium, small, or extra small, and I immediately chose large. I also requested a large for my wife, while my friend opted for small. The first dish was a rice bowl with new burdock and ginger. The seasonal vegetables and delicious meat created an indescribable flavor. I was glad I chose large, and my wife finished hers too.The grand finale was a parent-child rice bowl with zucchini, okra, and new ginger. Okra in a parent-child bowl? It surprisingly worked well! The zucchini and new ginger paired perfectly with the grilled Horohoro chicken and creamy egg. It was a well-thought-out combination. However, my wife was exhausted and left half of hers, so my friend and I shared it.Finally, we finished with a homemade honey lemon blancmange for dessert. The chef created the recipe himself, and we enjoyed it with some hojicha (roasted green tea). Reflecting on the evening, I felt so happy. What was the highlight of the day for everyone? For me, it was definitely the El France.As I left, I was comforted by the smiles of the staff who saw us off, and I walked home, hoping for an early return. Less

I finally managed to visit the notoriously hard-to-book restaurant, Hamaguri Zaka Maekawa in Kanazawa, which I absolutely love! (´∀｀)I was a bit anxious about the Thunderbirds being delayed due to the weather, but I arrived just in time. Here’s the set list from my 8th visit in four months, enjoyed one dish at a time:◯ Tender Hōrō Chicken and Jidori Chicken Breast with Ume Ponzu◯ Jidori Chicken Thigh◯ Jidori Chicken Neck◯ Gold Rush from Kurosawa Farm◯ Jidori Chicken Gizzard◯ White Dango from Elf France◯ Homemade Thick Fried Tofu◯ White Liver◯ Chicken Shinjo with New Onion and Chicken Broth Soup◯ Zucchini from Baba Farm◯ Chicken Breast with Yuzu Pepper and Egg Yolk◯ Tsukune with Young Ginger◯ Hōrō Chicken Wings◯ Esophagus◯ Ground Rice with New Burdock and Shiso◯ Honey Lemon BlancmangeThank you, Senior Sumi, for your 50th visit! (*´-`) Less

Finally made it to Maekawa!On this visit, I tried Jitokko chicken and Horohoro chicken. The contrast between the firm texture of Jitokko and the tender meat of Horohoro was delightful.The thick fried tofu was also amazing. They serve freshly fried tofu grilled over charcoal, and while it’s scorching hot, that’s when it tastes the best.For the finishing rice dish, they used plenty of Kanazawa vegetables. Unlike many places in Tokyo that have simple ingredients, the oyakodon here was packed with vegetables, making for a fun and flavorful experience.It truly was a unique yakitori restaurant that you can only experience here.It was a great meal! Less