I happened to come across Kemuri’s sign-up period while they were accepting members so this meal happened. Located at a not-so-secret location (cos the Japanese circle all seemed to know. Lol), I contacted them on the day to find out where exactly it was and make my way down to the restaurant

You can just press the bell to enter

They have a drinking policy in place so everyone needs to drink. Though I have to say their drinks menu is pretty extensive in terms of sake and wine and you could just order a glass instead of a bottle

Such fancy set up

Kuheji Junmai Daiginjo Human

Started with this. It was easy to drink though I didn’t really like it

And then we started with dinner proper. They only have one menu which is a standard yakitori course priced at $99. They also have some extras on the menu which you can add on as well

Appetizers 

Black beans, Persimmon w Cheese, Bamboo Shoots, Duck & Burdock

The appetizers were not bad. I was surprised I enjoyed the black beans which were vinegared nicely. The persimmons with cheese were a little strong in my opinion. I thought the portion of cheese was a little too much. The only bamboo shoots I ate are from the Japanese menu and thankfully the bamboo shoots here didn’t give off a strong taste. And I liked they gave some miso to go along so it complemented nicely. The duck and burdock was good. I really liked the texture and flavour of it and especially the duck cos it reminded me of tsukune

And that’s chef at work 

The place was pretty packed and had a mix of locals and Japanese 

Tsukune

First up, tsukune. His tsukune was a little different. The exterior was a little dry but yet juicy in the middle. Not wow, but it’s passable

Chicken heart 

I thought the chicken heart was bouncy and had a good texture. It was decent but probably not the best I’ve had

Grated radish

It did well as a side dish or a palate cleanser to get you ready for the next yakitori 

And then I went on to the second drink – Ugonotsuki Junmai Daiginjo Black Moon, which I really liked it! It was smooth, a little sweet and easy to drink

Chicken tail

The best so far. It was good. The first bite I took and my eyes lit up literally

Asparagus

The asparagus tasted a little bitter but thankfully for the salt, it wasn’t that bad somewhat

Thigh

I thought it was grilled quite well. The cook on the meat was excellent but the first bite on this – I found it a little salty

Chawanmushi

And then it was a continuation of saltiness on the palate that came in the form of chawanmushi. But I had to say the chawanmushi with grated ginger was enjoyable 

Soup

The soup honestly felt like a hangover soup if you have too much to drink. It was pretty comforting yet light but flavourful. So good I could have another bowl of it

Gizzard

Nicely done. Though I added too much chilli flakes which ended up me gulping down mouthful of water

Gingo Nut

Drumstick

Also a little on the saltier side. Probably too much sauce on it

Pickles to go along

Chicken leg

The texture of the chicken was slightly chewy and I would recommend to add some shichimi togarashi peppers to go along. They really had a good selection of peppers for you to choose from

Cartilage 

This was definitely on the saltier side. I personally find my tolerance for salt is quite high, so wow. This was a little too much for me. And the cartilage was slightly tough so I didn’t really enjoy them

Jap Zucchini

Probably a good choice to serve this to cleanse the palate. Thankful for the sweet zucchini after a few disappointing sticks 

Liver

 I thought was pretty decent 

Chicken Wings

And ending it off with wings. Well, it was okay I guess. A little salty. lol

Oyako-Don (Add on)

I was full. But I saw the couple next to me ordered the oyako-don and I decided to bite the bullet and go with it as well. I have to say it was worth the order. The chicken thigh was very tender and the whole dish was flavorful and enjoyable. It was probably better than the yakitori I felt

Matcha Ice cream (Add on)

Cos I really wanted some icecream to end the meal

Personally I thought Kemuri was okay. Not the best, but if you want to have yakitori at a reasonable price, it’s worth the visit. I did actually saw some pretty good reviews on this place so I wasn’t sure if I just happened to have a not-so-great meal that day. Well, I guessed it’s another visit for me to make my final decision. So if my friends asked me along, I wouldn’t mind returning for another chance. But for now, this exclusive access is definitely their selling point 

Kemuri

Somewhere in Somerset