Orange County Register

I’ve been going to Shin Sen Gumi in Fountain Valley (arguably home of the best yakitori or Japanese skewered chicken in OC) since the day it first opened sometime in 2000 or 2001, I believe. I was working out of the Fountain Valley news bureau and was ecstatic that a new ethnic restaurant was coming to town. Actually, a bit too eager. I showed up that first day and walked in a few minutes before the 11:30 a.m. opening time and barged right into the middle of what appeared to be some sort of ceremony or group prayer. Oops.

I took my sheepish behind back outside and when I was invited back in a few minutes later, everyone shouted at me. Of course, I quickly learned that it’s the traditional Japanese greeting to patrons: “IRASSHAIMASE!” I was hooked after a satisfying (and under $10) lunch of udon and a bowl of rice with tare negima or teriyaki chicken thigh skewers with green onion and even more so after sampling the bounty of dinner yakitori selections.

Seven or eight years later, I’m still enamored with the loud, pub-style atmosphere and the deliciously chargrilled meats, like the shio negima (salted chicken thighs with green onion), tomato maki (bacon-wrapped cherry tomatoes — you know you want some), arabiki pork sausage, and the uber crunchy nankotsu (chicken cartilage). All for around two bucks a skewer…

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