Is this the moment Japanese food in Australia gets rowdy? Tin Jung Shea thinks so. And he is stating his case loudly and clearly at his Crows Nest yakitori bar, Yakitori Yurippi. The sizzling, snacky, boozy den of Japanese street energy is a throwback to Shea’s exchange student era. This was spent studying engineering at Sapporo University by day and cramming into yakitori bars by night, ordering skewer after delicious skewer and tasty sides.
There’s artistry here. Take for instance the dice-sized pieces of chicken all in a row or the never-ending tare, which is replenished each night. Yet the mood is more casual than cloistered.
As Shea puts it, “Yakitori is street food. It’s meant to be fast and cheerful; it’s food for the people.” And while yakitori literally means “grilled bird” the term is shorthand for a relaxed style of eating delicious snacks on sticks.
Shea and friend Mitomo Somehara got their yakitori start at the Crows Nest Markets before opening Yurippi in 2015. Last year Chris
