kokekokko is a yakitoriya in little tokyo that came highly recommended, and there honestly aren't many good strictly yakitori houses in LA. i was very excited to try it, and it did not disappoint. there was a considerable wait, but we finally got seated at the counter (yay) and given a small broccoli appetizer and warned that they serve "chicken only, no pork or beef". there's also a minimum of five skewers per person - no problems here!

our counter seats afforded us a great view of the chefs grilling the chicken, and they had orion, one of our favorite, easy-drinking japanese beers. we ended up drinking two bottles ourselves, and sending one to the kitchen for their wonderful service and fare. it went quite well with the excellent grilled chicken that we were served.

each person has a plate, with a dallop of spicy mustard and shredded ginger, that is where each of the skewers you ordered is placed. there are also additional spices (togarashi, cumin) that you can use to season to your taste.

everything was amazing, simple yet flavorful, juicy and perfectly cooked. every once in awhile the chef would come over and tell us which seasonings were best with each dish.

chicken hearts are one of my favorite things in the world, so we ordered 4 skewers right off the bat, and they sure were pretty when they arrived. and delicious, too, of course! one dish that was completely new to me was the chicken gizzard skin. i've had and love both chicken gizzard and chicken skin, but this was completely new! i guess that gizzards come in a bit of a casing, and this casing can be grilled and eaten as well. surprisingly, or maybe not so surprising, they were tendon-y and somewhere between gizzard meet and crispy chicken skin! i was fascinated, and may have ordered an extra skewer of it (and hearts, and gizzards) so that i could have more..!

chicken gizzard skin - a new one for me!

the only dish that came un-skewered were the spicy wings (odd since the non-spicy wings were skewered), and they came with a pile of shredded scallions that paired perfectly with the mild spice of the wings.