"Saru Ippiki" in Eicho, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu City. The first installment of the Kitakyushu animal shop series (shops with animal names). Following the Spring Bread Festival, this is a short series. A yakitori restaurant located in the Yurakucho area in the center of Eicho Ginza, originally from Osamatsu-cho. The name of the restaurant, "Saru Ippiki," means that the owner started from scratch in the Year of the Monkey. The menu is quite extensive, featuring yakitori, sashimi, sukiyaki, beef sirloin steak, hormone teppanyaki, fried chicken, rolled omelette, fried gyoza, tomato slices, cold tofu, and other classic izakaya dishes. The final dishes include grilled udon, curry rice, pork cutlet curry, and ramen. This time, we ordered vegetable-wrapped yakitori, liver, heart, pork belly, and tsukune. Accompanied by a draft beer. Draft beer. Sapporo Black Label. I've been hooked on Sapporo beer recently. The vegetable wrap is pork wrapped in shiso leaves, which have a nice aroma. The liver is medium rare, with no unpleasant smell and a tender texture. The heart has a chewy and meaty texture that is excellent. The pork belly is thin and has a great meaty texture. The taste is undeniable, but it's a bit pricey for a yakitori restaurant in Moji Port. Thank you for the meal.

I came across a restaurant called "Saruippiki" in Osamamatsu-cho, which I learned about from Mairebi-san's ramen review. The restaurant had moved to Nemachidori, but when I saw a post on Facebook about them serving curry for lunch, I decided to visit, only to find out that they had moved again. The new location is now called "Yakitori Dining Saruippiki" in hiragana. The new store is located in the Yurakucho area, which connects Nemachidori and Sakae Ginza Street. The entrance is a bit hidden and the street is narrow and dimly lit. It felt like I had entered a deep zone. Inside, the restaurant is surprisingly spacious with a counter and several table seats. They serve lunch from 11:00 to 13:30 on weekdays, and offer a happy hour from 16:00 to 18:00 with yakitori for 100 yen. The lunch menu includes various set meals like boiled fish, fried chicken, horumon teppan, yakitori, tonkatsu, curry set, and katsu curry. I opted for the curry set which was delicious with a black curry roux that was not too sweet. The miso soup and pickles that came with it were also tasty. The owner was very friendly and I look forward to visiting again to try their yakitori and maybe the limited-time ramen. The whole experience of finding the restaurant in the deep zone was quite enjoyable.