Makati's The Counter at Ginza Raises the Humble Yakitori to Superb Heights

The Counter at Ginza One 
G/F Eco Plaza Building, Chino Roces Ave Extension, Makati City
Contact: 0917-621-2171
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thecounter_ginzaph

(SPOT.ph) It's hidden from plain sight, and yet it's been the talk of the town among those who know and love good food. We're talking, of course, about The Counter at Ginza One along Chino Roces Extension. The newest addition to Ginza One's portfolio is tucked away on the side of the Makati branch of their main Japanese restaurant, but is quieter and smaller with only 30 square meters of space.

The experience within however is much different. For one, its chef is none other than Masahiko Kodama, famed yakitori master and Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee who's behind Yakitori Masakichi from Japan. You might remember him from the Netflix show Ugly Delicious, when Kodama’s grilled chicken wing made Chef David Chang cry in awe and prompted a hug from Chang to show his appreciation. Kodama has brought his yakitori to our shores thanks to the people behind Ginza.

Also read: This Hidden Izakaya in Makati Brings the Best Flavors of Japan to Your Table

The Counter at Ginza One in Makati

“The #1 goal of The Counter is to bring that authentic omakase feel, which our family experiences whenever we go to Japan," says Jay Periquet, general manager of The Counter. This, of course, is a task Kodama is more than primed to deliver, giving his extensive experience and expertise on the subject. "[He's] been grilling for the last 30 years nonstop, day in day out. That’s the only thing he’s been doing— grilling chicken," Periquet points out.

After watching Kodama on Ugly Delicious, Jay’s family made it a point to eat at Kodama’s restaurant in every visit to Japan. It took years for them to persuade Kodama to do a collaboration with them. “We’ve been going to Kodama’s restaurant for quite some time and every time my husband would always ask him to do a collab with us,” says Jay’s sister and The Counter chief operating officer Pepper Periquet-Guanio. “We are pleasantly surprised that he actually said, ‘Let’s do this!’. My husband would joke that it was easier to get me to marry him than to get Kodama to come here to do this collab.”

Whenever Kodama visits the Philippines, one of his favorite Filipino meals is Jollibee’s Chicken Joy and Filipino-style spaghetti. “You should see him after service. He changes into shorts and he insists on walking. He’s so simple and that’s admirable for me. He has no ego, really,” reveals Pepper.

The Counter is a minimalist space with a feature wall of backlit stone, resembling faraway mountain ranges. The counter itself can seat nine and gets prime view of the grilling action. Although Kodama comes to The Counter to cook for one week every month (watch for updates on The Counter's Instagram), he has trained local chefs such as The Counter’s head chef Paul Canilao to handle the grilling while he’s away.

“We’re so proud that our local chefs have been able to achieve the same level of quality. We’d have repeat customers who have tried both chef Kodama’s grilling and our local chefs. So it’s a really good experience,” Pepper gleans.

The grill was explicitly specified by Kodama and is the same one that he uses at Yakitori Kodama, his current izakaya in Setagaya, Tokyo. It had to be hand-carried from Japan and looks quite simple without any bells and whistles—a plain rectangular metal case with two metal bars on top. Binchotan—the Japanese charcoal prized for its long-burning, odorless quality—to ensure a clean chicken taste with every bite.

“The difference between binchotan and our local uling is that it’s actually smokeless,” says Jay. “The smoke coming out when we’re grilling something is actually the chicken oil dripping onto it. Our local [charcoal] usually emits a black smoke that sticks to the meat giving it a charred taste which we actually look for sometimes. For yakitori though it changes the flavor so Kodama doesn’t like that.”

The aroma at The Counter during service is quite enrapturing as sticks of chicken thighs crisp up releasing their oils. The 11 courses, from starters to the dessert, involves chicken or eggs. In this way, all parts of the chicken are used—the skin is grilled to a crispy outer layer while the inside still has a slightly gelatinous texture; hearts are topped with grated ginger to balance out the gaminess; bones make a delicate broth for the noodle dish. With this in mind, it’s a proud moment to say that Kodama has chosen a local chicken supplier for The Counter. “The chicken comes from a small farm in the South. It can’t come from too far because it needs to be fresh,” adds Pepper. “We’re proud of the local produce that Kodama has approved to be at par with Japanese standards.”

There's something to be said about the way The Counter highlights the beauty of simplicity—done well with high-quality ingredients, consistent with Japanese sensibilities. Simple here does not equal plain—or easy. “It’s actually very difficult to achieve [excellence in simplicity] because you can’t hide behind all of the beauty, right?," says Pepper. "So it’s really all about good produce, technique and the proper seasoning." That they achieve said excellence in every plate and skewer is nothing short of a truly impressive feat.

Photos by Jar Concengco