This yakitori joint in Sydney’s little Italy sticks out for all the right reasons. In a street lined with pasticcerias and alimentari, a noren curtain leads the way to a retro Japanese izakaya, traditionally dressed in dark timbers with brown leather seating. If there’s a spot still left, prop yourself up at the bar and watch as your meal performs rotations on the custom-built yakidai grill. Just like the yakitori-ya of Osaka, Yakitori Jin follows a beak-to-tail philosophy. Beyond the breast and thigh you’ll find wings, hearts, livers and gizzards, as well as juicy tsukune meatballs draped in melted cheese and chicken skin, a crisp, fatty fabric woven neatly onto the stick.

Beyond the bird bits, there’s alsokushiyaki, a skewered selection that includes cubes of 9+ wagyu beef, shiitake mushrooms and stacked quail eggs. Sticks are seasoned simply in salt and pepper before grilling, then lacquered in tare, a sweet soy sauce, at the table.  Join the chinking with a chilled pitcher of beer or ceramic sake set. 
Must eat dish: Chicken skin yakitori