Torimatsu

Nearing the end of our quick trip to LA, we were not super excited to travel too far for food.  So we ended up heading somewhere close by while also being tasty.  This brought us to Torimatsu in Gardena.  They are known for their yakitori grilling for all to see in their open kitchen.  I originally missed the place as I drove by since their sign was not lit up at night.  Once inside, we were greeted warmly and sat in one of their smaller tables (which wasn't that convenient for all the food we ordered).

At our table, we found 3 choices for seasoning our yakitori including salt, togarashi and seven-spice powder.  For our first round of skewers, we had the Chicken Meatballs, Duck, Chicken with Green Onion and Stuffed Lotus Root.  We particularly enjoyed the meatballs as they were juicy and well-seasoned.  The lotus root had a nice crunch while cheesy.  The duck had its usual delicious gaminess while still being moist.  As for the chicken and onion, the chicken was also juicy and nicely charred.  The onion brightness did influence the pieces of chicken adjacent to it.

The next set of skewers included Asparagus, Shiitake Mushroom, Chicken Giblets, Chicken Livers, Chicken Hearts and Fried Tofu.  As you can see, the asparagus wasn't grilled too aggresively, so it still retained a bite.  The mushrooms were at their earthy best while cooked through.  The chicken offal were all good with the giblets have that classic firm meaty crunch and the livers being soft and not overdone.  The hearts were meaty with the usual squishiness.  Loved the fried tofu with its crispy exterior and chewy interior.

We also ordered a few smaller dishes to compliment our skewers in the Deep Fried Chicken Cartilage and Deep Fried Squid.  If I had to choose a favorite, the squid would've been my choice.  It was lightly battered being crispy on the outside.  The squid itself had an appealing chew to it.  As for the cartilage, it was soft enough to easily eat, but still had a light bite.  The white meat chicken attached to it was a bit dry, but not too much so.  A squeeze of the wedge of lemon really brightened things up.

Served on a separate plate, the Grilled Japanese Eggplant was a bit smoky and cooked all-the-way-through.  It retained some texture still while being tender.  To add some carbs to our meal, we got the Zaru Soba.  This was textbook with chewy cold noodles with a side of tsuyu sauce.  Nice balance of sweetness and umaminess.  Overall, the meal at Torimatsu wasn't fancy or anything, but it was satisfying and did the job.  Prices were reasonable and the people there are super nice.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable pricing
- Super nice people

The Bad:
- Tight seating arrangements (typical for these types of restaurants though)