Highball, sake or draft beer: the order we recommend with zaruyaki

Once the zaruyaki is on the charcoal, many guests wonder what to make their first drink. Rather than starting from the name of a drink, we look at the aroma of what you have just ordered together with what is coming next. Whether you want to start light and cold, or work slowly through several cuts, the order that suits you changes.

To open the charcoal aroma crisply, a highball

A highball, with its carbonation, is a choice we often explain to guests who want a light start alongside their first skewers. It goes broadly well with tender cuts such as thigh and neck, and equally with chewier ones such as gizzard and heart. Consider it when you want to open crisply and leave room for the flavours to come.

To taste several cuts slowly, sake

Sake suits an evening where you want to compare specialty chicken cuts a piece at a time rather than move quickly through food and drink. If you want to stay with the same kind of drink as you move from the grill to a warm hot pot, ask our staff about the sake available that day and the direction of its flavour. What we carry can change with deliveries and stock.

For a familiar, cold first glass, draft beer

If you want the familiar pairing with charcoal grilling, it is perfectly good to start with a draft beer. Some guests enjoy their first glass with the zaruyaki, then add a highball or sake as they move on to something warm and richer such as a hot pot. There is no fixed order, so just tell us the kind of drink you usually enjoy.

Move from lighter flavours to richer ones

If you plan to try several kinds of drink, moving both food and drink from lighter to richer makes each flavour easier to tell apart. That said, the order we suggest is only one guide; the best combination is your own taste. Please check the day's drinks menu and prices, and enjoy within a comfortable limit, keeping your own health in mind.

Frequently asked questions