てけてけ 居酒屋 (teke teke izakaya) review

photo credits: http://www.teke-teke.com/

TekeTeke is an izakaya chain which can be found at most, if not, all train/subway stations around Tokyo. It is notorious for its cheap ¥79 (tax not included) Yakitori (焼き鳥) chicken part skewers.

Unlike the picture above, TekeTeke bars are usually located in the basements of buildings. They do this to keep their expenses low.

Keep in mind that it can get quite loud in these izakayas and do not expect there to be good service.

(all prices do not include taxes. Consumption taxes are 8% in Japan)

Deep Fried Cheese sticks with Semolina Flakes (クリームチーズのセモリナ粉揚げ) ¥390 + tax

fried cheese sticks ¥390

I loved these fried cheese sticks! They were served hot and fresh! The insides were filled with cream cheese. 

inside of the cheese sticks :9 ¥360

 it was filled with goodness inside! the cheese was really hot... so be careful if you plan to order this.
I highly recommend this for any cheese lovers who come across this Izakaya.

Famous! Tepanyaki Chicken Gyoza (な物!鉄板鶏餃子) ¥490+ tax

Chicken dumplings ¥490

The chicken dumplings were actually a chicken stuffed with dumpling / Gyoza (餃子) filling. This was one of the best dishes we ordered. The taste was made right and paired with a delicious vinegar. I highly recommend this item.

Yakitori (焼き鶏) ¥474+tax/5 pieces (quail, chicken bum, chicken skin, chicken liver, chicken glizzard) ¥79/skewer

yakitori! ¥79/each or ¥450/set of 5 pieces

 The quail eggs were the best (I guess you can't exactly go wrong with them XD).  The others were slightly burnt... and dry... overcooked. The flavour wasn't bad... I didn't find the need to put in an extra amount of salt. Was it worth it? at another location, yes... at this... only the quail eggs.

Chicken Broth Congee/Porridge ¥490

Chicken broth Congee/Porridge ¥490

 This was a so-so item. It was slightly small for the price (you can see how big the spoon looks -____-) but it was quite well made. I liked the amount of black pepper they added into the congee/porridge. The main ingredients were: 5 pieces of chicken, an egg, broth, black pepper, green onion and some onions. The combination was quite good.

Otooshi (お通し) ¥300/person

otooshi ¥300/person

This otoushi (お通し) was by far the biggest ripoff. For those who are not familiar with what is Otoushi, it is a sort of service fee (or seating fee/cover charge) paid to the bar if you order drinks (especially alcohol drinks).

Most Otoushi are small but very well made... they are usually unique to that bar/restaurant, it usually very delicious... this was just cabbage -______-|| The cabbage was paired with a sesame tasting dipping sauce. The sauce was quite flavourful... still... this is NOT otoushi quality.... 

Another problem was this came almost at the end of the meal... and we only got one per table... ONE! :(

Location: Ebisu (I was a bit disappointed at this one... I have been to others which were much better)

score: 6.5/10 (for Ebisu location)

website: http://www.teke-teke.com/