A tiny corner of Japan has landed in Nottingham at the city's newest restaurant Nan Tei.
Owner, chef Chi Mok, wants to replicate the kind of atmosphere and food found at traditional Japanese yakitori bars where hordes of people head after work.
He said: "They drink a little bit of beer, eat a little bit and talk a lot. Then they have sake, eat some more."
While sushi and teppanyaki have become more mainstream on Nottingham's cosmopolitan food scene, yakitori is not widely available.
At Kushi-ya, the two British chefs put their own twist on the skewers, while yakitori at chains Sushimania and Wagamama appeal to the masses with no sign of chicken gizzards, and other innards.
At Nan Tei, a 25-seater restaurant, in Maid Marian Way, it's the real deal.
For the uninitiated yaki means grilled and tori is chicken - and it's the equivalent of a Japanese barbecue where the food is cooked on wooden skewers over a high temperature grill.
The menu is authentic and relatively inexpensive with prices for each skewer ranging from £2.20 to £3.30.
There's no marinade - the meaty and fishy morsels are cooked with a sprinkle of salt. Diners can choose from chicken wings, mushrooms stuffed with chicken, asparagus wrapped pork, beef fillet and lamb chops.
As per tradition, not a lot goes to waste so it's not a menu for the squeamish. All the chicken is used; the skin, liver, gizzard and heart are grilled and served along with Chi's signature dish - beef tongue.
Fish yakitori includes prawn, salmon, eel and capelin, a small fish not unlike whitebait, eaten in its entirety.
Diners can bulk out their meal with veggie accompaniments such as bean curd, okra, sweet corn and edamame beans, and sides of hot soup over rice, rice balls, miso soup and noodles, either udon or soba.
Those who simply want to get stuck in can order a bento box for lunch or dinner with eel, chicken, pork, beef tongue or pork, complete with miso soup, vegetable salad, rice or noodles and ice cream.
It's not yakitori without beer and there are two Japanese staples on offer - Asahi and Sapporo by the bottle - plus six varieties of sake for all price brackets, up to £14.50 for 300ml of Ozeki platinum, described as the pinnacle of Ozeki sake, refreshingly dry with a fruity aroma .
Nan Tei follows a minimalist approach to decor, with a splash of colour from the trademark red paper lanterns, or chochin, commonly displayed outside yakitori stalls and restaurants.
The 25-cover space, close to the Salutation, includes five seats at the counter where customers can see Chi in action and chat to him as he cooks.
"I wanted to bring something different to Nottingham - this is authentic and there's nowhere else in Nottingham like this," said Chi, who used to cook yakitori in Hong Kong.
He came to England 13 years ago and has worked in the kitchens of two popular Chinese restaurants - Mr Man's in Wollaton and Chungs in Mapperley.
Nan Tei will normally be open seven days a week, lunchtimes (Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 2.30pm) and evenings from 6pm but the restaurant will be temporarily closed from July 20 until July 28.
