Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori (Fountain Valley)

momopi_IHB

momopi_IHB

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Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori Restaurant

18315 Brookhurst St # 1

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

(714) 962-8952

<a href="http://www.shinsengumiusa.com">www.shinsengumiusa.com</a>

<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/shin-sen-gumi-yakitori-restaurant-fountain-valley">http://www.yelp.com/biz/shin-sen-gumi-yakitori-restaurant-fountain-valley</a>



Next door to my favorite ramen joint in OC, is Shin-Sen-Gumi yakitori. I actually don't come here often, because I always end up next door at the ramen place.



When you come here, expect the waiters to yell at you in greeting. It's normal, so don't worry, they're not telling you to run away quickly in Japanese. When you're they'll bring you 2 menus, one looks like the sushi paper (long white paper) with lots of items on it, and another is the "regular" menu. The white slip of paper is the yakitori (small Japanese shish kabob) menu and why people come here.



Resist the temptation to order the 18 (?) piece yakitori combos. Go through the paper and order whatever you think looks interesting to sample it. You'll notice that the paper has 3 order columns for round 1-2-3. After you sample the goodies, remember what you liked and order more of them in round 2 & 3. There are many small containers of sauce and seasoning on the table, try them and see if you like the taste. The yakitori are cooked on a charcoal grill and will take some time.



You'll notice a plate of cabbage on the table. It's not like a "salad" per se, but can be used to clean your palette between different dishes, kind of like chewing on bread between wine tasting. It's also supposed to stimulate your appetite so you'd order more food. The yakitori pieces aren't very large, so it can get expensive if you order many of them -- get a bowl of rice. Most of the meat dishes are good, anything bacon wrapped is good. Veggies vary according to taste, but don't get the grilled tofu.



Be warned that the bacon-wrapped tomato is HOT and if you bite into it right away, you'd burn your tongue. Check the black board for daily specials. Last night they had a Japanese steak in garlic sauce. If you like garlic, this was meat bathed in garlic and grilled slices of garlic and more garlic. The food is a little salty because it's "beer food". Spinach in black sesame sauce was pretty good, reminds me of the tomato salad next door at the ramen place.



I don't recommend the deserts here, since it's not their specialty. But then the person I dined with was a desert chef for Steve Wynn (Wynn Resort) couple years back, so her opinions on creme brulee was probably far more critical than most.



<img src="http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/HVG801-o8NBMBidj9OiJiQ/l" alt="" />

<img src="http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/XuyMhUffiqDAM9LzwzoR7w/l" alt="" />

<img src="http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/Q6rA8E5TB4-ynzkqDdaDtQ/l" alt="" />
 
"Yaki" roughly means grilled, and "Tori" means bird. The earliest recorded use of the word "Yakitori" in Japan is from early Edo period in 1643, described as bird meat on a skewer grilled with soy sauce and sake. Here's a brief history of yakitori from a Japanese Yakitori restaurant web site:



<a href="http://www.nihonichi.jp/english/story.html">http://www.nihonichi.jp/english/story.html</a>



<em>Yakitori was first recognized as a dish in Japan in the middle of the Edo Era (1604-1868) when the meat of wild birds such as ducks, quails and pigeons, which was very expensive, was cooked.



Nowadays, Yakitori is served on the skewers used for cooking, but the meat used to be removed from the skewers before serving. The custom of people picking up food with their hands did not exist because it was not considered good manners. The convention of serving Yakitori on the skewers began as part of the food culture among common folk who preferred a more casual eating style.



The people who originated the current style of eating Yakitori were farmers who visited the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in Kyoto to pray for a prosperous harvest. On the road traveling to the Shrine, the farmers would cook and eat small birds such as sparrows which the farmers considered nuisances because they ruined the rice crops. Holding a Yakitori skewer in the hands and eating the meat was easy while walking along the road, and the dish became popular.



In the Meiji Era (1868-1912), Yakitori was widely accepted as a folk dish. Wild fowl was served only at high class restaurants, while lower quality meat, bones, and organs became common dishes sold at street stands. Due to its reasonable price and wide availability, Yakitori became an essential part of folk food culture.



In 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck Tokyo, destroying homes and requiring people to take meals outdoors. The consumption of Yakitori, which was easy to prepare with only make-shift cooking utensils, further widened at this time.



In the Showa Era (1965-1974), the quality of Yakitori sold to the public significantly improved due to the introduction of the broiler chicken. Some shops specialized in jidori chickens raised in a certain place and in a certain method while others specialized by adopting an original cooking method or seasoning.The Yakitori business created a large new market.



Today, Yakitori is a very common dish ordered at pubs and casual izakaya eating places. Simple and delicious, Yakitori is a representative folk dish that is a enduring favorite among people of all ages.

</em>

Chicken yakitori:

<img src="http://www.nihonichi.jp/english/images/v-meat3.jpg" alt="" />



Chicken skin yakitori:

<img src="http://www.nihonichi.jp/english/images/v-skin3.jpg" alt="" />



Chicken meat balls:

<img src="http://www.nihonichi.jp/english/images/r-1_3.jpg" alt="" />



Chicken wings:

<img src="http://www.nihonichi.jp/english/images/v-wings3.jpg" alt="" />



Chicken liver:

<img src="http://www.nihonichi.jp/english/images/reba.jpg" alt="" />



Other goodies:

<img src="http://www.nihonichi.jp/english/images/sunagimo.jpg" alt="" />





Shichimi spicies, mixture of chili pepper, sesame, citrus peel, poppy seed oil, cole seed, hemp seed, and sansho. Used on fatty yakitori like chicken meat balls, skin, etc:

<img src="http://www.nihonichi.jp/english/images/shichimi.gif" alt="" />



Sansho spice, aka Szechuan pepper, used with grilled meats:

<img src="http://www.nihonichi.jp/english/images/sansho.gif" alt="" />
 
It's also interesting to note that: (traditionally)



Japanese Yakitori centers around chicken and chicken parts

Chinese Chuanr (kebab) centers around lamb

American grilling centers around beef



Indonesians are also known for their sate, which I'll get to in later post. I also read that chicken became the preferred Yakitori meat in Japan, partly due to European influences on Japanese poultry industry in the past.



In most Chinese cities, you can find street food vendors selling grilled lamb on a stick. The food originated from the Muslims in Xinjiang, which shows in its preference for lamb. The Chuanr "lamb on a stick" is heavily seasoned with cumin seeds and sold for as little as 1 RMB per stick. Unlike Japan, this type of food is still considered "street food" and not sit-down dining (restaurant) in China. The typical Chinese lamb stick seller rides a bicycle, towing a long box charcoal grill and an ice box. He sets up wherever he can and grills the lamb to order:



<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/2289702853_6c2c9719b1.jpg?v=0" alt="" />

<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Mutton_bbq.jpg/400px-Mutton_bbq.jpg" alt="" />



There was a little stall next to the now defunct HK supermarket in Rowland Heights that sold the lamb sticks, but unfortunately I think they've closed. With increasing number of mainland Chinese immigrants, some places are now offering this dish as well. You can also make it yourself and buy the seasoning from some supermarkets.



Since the Chinese don't have strict dietary restrictions as Muslims, eventually the selection on the stick got winder. Today you can find a wide range of foods cooked on a stick in Chinese cities and some night markets in Taiwan:



<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PlgUnpk4V58/Rq_tYjwyW9I/AAAAAAAABII/9CEUyBQ5dvQ/s400/China+&+Reunion+333.jpg" alt="" />
 
A popular method of cooking shish kabeb in SE Asia is Sate/Satay. For those interested in reading the history and regional variations, please see the following links:

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satay">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satay</a>

<a href="http://www.baliblog.com/travel-tips/sate-famous-street-food-in-bali.html">http://www.baliblog.com/travel-tips/sate-famous-street-food-in-bali.html</a>



Because of its Indonesian origins, satay is usually made with non-pork meats. The most common meats that you'd find is beef and chicken. Other meat selections are avail, but chicken (<em>sate ayam</em>) is generally more popular. This is a picture of a Satay chef, you can see the resemblance to Japanese yakitori grills:



<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Satay_hawker.jpg" alt="" />



There are 3 SE Asian countries known for their satay, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Singapore's sate is primarily of Malay origin and later modified by locals. Unlike the Japanese or Chinese, SE Asian Satay sauce tends to be a little sweeter. Just a year ago, there was 3 places in LA where you can get good satay: Wat Thai Temple in North Hollywood, Durate Inn in Durate, and HK Supermarket Plaza in West Covina. Unfortunately, the first 2 are gone and the latter is status unknown. Here's a few articles from the good ol' days:



<a href="http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2006/01/road_trip_what_.html">http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2006/01/road_trip_what_.html</a>

<a href="http://elmomonster.blogspot.com/2006/03/pondok-kaki-lima-at-duarte-inn-duarte.html">http://elmomonster.blogspot.com/2006/03/pondok-kaki-lima-at-duarte-inn-duarte.html</a>



<img src="http://community.iexplore.com/photos/journal_photos/WatThaiVendors_prefRes.jpg" alt="" />



The weekend food fairs were made possible by SE Asian culture that's used to buying food from roadside stalls. But when imported to the US, the local city government dislike them taking business away from tax-paying sit-down restaurants, so they were forced to close. The same battle is being fought over taco trucks across the country now.



<img src="http://www.boingboing.net/images/x_2008/saveourtacotrucks.jpg" alt="" />





I'm unclear on the current status of HK Supermarket Plaza in West Covina (989 S. Glendora Ave). Some told me that they've closed but I have yet to verify it. The food court by the supermarket had several good Indonesian booths, such as Satay Fong and Janty Noodle. You could get fairly authentic sate with rice cake at Satay Fong, and the chicken & mushroom noodle at Janty Noodle is also very good. If the supermarket closed, I'm not sure what the status of the food court is.



<img src="http://www.satayfong.com/images/sffront.jpg" alt="" />



<a href="http://www.satayfong.com/">http://www.satayfong.com/</a>



Chicken Satay & Pork Satay (darker colored) grilled with sweet soy sauce and spices, served with moist rice cake (the white round stuff), cucumbers, lime, and dipping sauce:

<img src="http://www.foodgps.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/p3220045.jpg" alt="" />





There is a Malaysian restaurant in the same plaza, outside the market's food court, called Penang Malaysian Cusine. I've eaten here a few times and the place was never full. They have plenty of seating if you want to bring a larger party.



Penang Malaysian Cuisine

987 S Glendora Ave

West Covina, CA 91790

(626) 338-6138

<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/penang-malaysian-cuisine-west-covina">http://www.yelp.com/biz/penang-malaysian-cuisine-west-covina</a>



<img src="http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/penangca1.JPG" alt="" />

<img src="http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/penangca2.JPG" alt="" />



Chicken sate:

<img src="http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/penangca3.JPG" alt="" />



<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/2342875990_a1184912a2.jpg?v=0" alt="" />





I've eaten many sticks of Satay in Malaysia and Singapore. Though I don't claim to be an expert, I thought the quality of chicken satay at this restaurant was pretty good.
 
Shin-Sen-Gumi is very good and I'll second the endorsement. We used to go much more often when we lived closer to FV.



It is small and waits on weekends are brutal, but it is worth working around that to check it out.





SCHB
 
Heads-up:



The "Balcony Grill" at Diamond Jamboree will most likely be serving yakitori.



They're almost done with the decor. Saw the chefs prepping the kitchen tonight.
 
Momopi,



I used to frequent SSG quite a bit but their quality IMO went downhill for awhile so we changed our venue to Honda-Ya instead. I have not been to SSG (other than the Ramen side which I love) in over a year. Which Yakatori do you like better? Should I give them another chance?
 
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