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The strawberry flavor was my favorite while I found the matcha a little too bitter. I like the paratha and the pork belly, but I would have liked something a little more Indian than the somewhat uninspired cilantro / chipotle mayo combo. The filling options are great here and these are the best peking dumplings I’ve come across. The stewed chicken has a good tangy chili flavor but paired with an empanada-like dough is a little hearty for the warmer months that Smorgasburg primarily entails.

I’ll tell you how I prefer to attack it but first I want to dispel two myths that seem to confuse most first timers. I have never failed to have an amazing experience at any of the outer market restaurants I tried and never waited more than half an hour for the pleasure. I doubt you can really go wrong as I have been to three different ones and had an incredible experience at each. It was the most expensive at 5,000 yen, but worth every penny if you’re looking for something fancier (I still don’t know what a lot of the fish were.)

The menu is small and focused with every dish intriguing in it’s own way. You could easily take the whole thing down with a group but we ended up skipping it entirely to sample two of the nightly specials: duck hearts and chicharrones. Grilled Snails Snails are usually seen swimming in a buttery sauce, so it’s weird to see them sitting naked on a skewer alongside sunchokes. They definitely have a unique flavor, but if you’re up the challenge they’re quite tasty dipped in the garlic-parsley sauce.

Instead of forcing you to awkwardly spend the first ten minutes debating what to order, at Chouchou you choose between two sections: Tagine and Couscous. The preparation of the chicken tagine is totally different from the lamb so don’t be shy about ordering both. But let’s just say I’m not quite at Chouchou’s level yet. It’s a great way to try all the meats the Couscous section has to offer, but I still prefer the deeper flavors of the tagines.