In contrast to most yakiniku eateries, Rikyu boasts a Korean character that extends beyond its grilled meat. The menu lists traditional dishes and an array of native liquor. We ordered hyaku saishu (¥650), described as "healthy Korean sake," and found it pleasingly mild. Nanzan junchu (¥600), a fruit wine, was slightly sweet and just the refreshing starter we needed following our extensive walkabout.

After a spicy otoshi of kimchi-pickled cucumbers (¥300), we went straight for the kalbi beef, ordering one each of the tare (marinated) and shio (salt) varieties. Both came with mushrooms, green peppers and onion, and we ate them accompanied by sanchu (¥600), a plate of raw veggies and miso paste. Wrapping the grilled kalbi in lettuce and shiso leaves, we found the disparate textures and flavors of grilled meat and raw greens to be wonderfully complementary.

Our Japanese companion next ordered yukke (¥1,000), which arrived as a mound of raw beef in the middle of which sat an uncooked egg. We decided to try some-thereby braving both e. coli and salmonella-and were surprised by the abundance of flavors, which came courtesy of sesame oil and seasonings like shiso and sliced apple. Though we won't be ordering yukke for ourselves anytime soon, we're glad we tried it once and lived to tell about it.

Our favorite dishes of the evening were the rosu ("roast," ¥1,000), which, like the kalbi, came in shio and tare varieties, but whose larger size and somewhat stronger flavor stood up better in the marinade, and the kimchi chijimi (¥1,000), a traditional Korean pancake that was large, greasy-and delicious.
Rikyu, predictably, draws a dressy corporate crowd, most of whom no doubt can take an elevator straight down from their offices. Although they seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as we were, our expedition into the unknown of Nishi Shinjuku made all our dishes taste that much better.