Nobody likes to experience sticker shock at a restaurant, that feeling of being gouged for no apparent reason.

I had the opposite experience at Yakitori Ando, the latest endeavor by chef Takashi Ando, former grill master for Kohnotori.

Ando opened his small, hidden-in-plain-sight restaurant behind the Waialae Avenue branch of Bank of Hawaii a few months ago, but I couldn’t write about it because he had no menu, and I was waiting for one to materialize. Like so many restaurants operating with a pop-up mentality, the opening was loose and casual, but in this case promising, because of his many years of experience keeping yakitori lovers happy.

Instead of a menu guests were treated to an omakase experience. And, like so many times when friends say, “Hey let’s check this place out,” I just said “OK,” no questions asked.

It was only after the food kept coming and coming, and Ando asked if I wanted to add Kauai shrimp, and I said “OK” while others refrained, that I thought to ask my friend, “How much is this going to cost anyway?”

He didn’t know, but based on other Japanese nonsushi omakase experiences around town, we guessed about $60 to $75 per person.

We asked for one bill for two meals but I was puzzled to see a total of $50, much too low for two after the feast we had enjoyed, so I asked for the second bill, but no, it was correct at $25 per person, easily one of the best values in town.

So we did the most logical thing possible and rebooked dinner for the following night. Then I kept waiting for Ando to formalize his format, menu and pricing. Eventually he decided to raise the cost to $35 per person (subject to change) while keeping the random omakase format. I think he just didn’t want to bother with the headache of counting up multiple small orders.

That said, omakase yakitori is not for everyone. If you’re a finicky eater, just stay home. There’s nothing worse than being “that person” who dampens the mood by refusing to eat what others are enjoying. If you think you might be that person, try to get a seat at one of the few tables in the restaurant and leave the bar counter to those who won’t insult Ando by refusing food.

The first night I visited fairly late, at 8:30. By that time, Ando had run out of the so-called good stuff; that is, chicken meat.

Oh yes, we had two portions of chicken thighs, but the rest was offal — hearts, gizzards, liver, cartilage (which I don’t even consider to be food) — and the like. It’s all the stuff that yaki­tori aficionados crave, but that can cause timid diners to cringe. You know who you are.

I’m not a big gizzard fan myself because of its combo crunchy, thick rubbery texture. But my friend who loves gizzards couldn’t stomach the liver, while I kept trying to persuade him that flavorwise it’s just the purest form of pate. Better than both were the hearts, velvety in texture and mild in flavor.

Our compensation for the lack of chicken meat were grilled lamb chops and that sweet Kauai shrimp.

We were hoping for more chicken, so we showed up earlier the next day, at 5:30 p.m.

We got what we’d hoped for, more thighs simply seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled to tender doneness, crispy grilled wings, fatty butts, bacon- wrapped quail eggs, bacon- wrapped mochi and grilled pork belly. Also, tsukune, the pillowy chicken meatballs perfectly sauced to accentuate their flavor, not distract from it.

Meals start with a small salad, and occasionally sliced green onions appear as spacers between pieces of chicken, but for the most part this is strictly a meat lovers’ paradise.

Also drawing raves at the end of the meal were the perfectly crisped, seared and sweet-soy caramelized onigiri (rice ball).

The one thing you can request is the tripe stew motsunabe. I’m told it’s delicious. I’ve never been hungry enough to ask for it.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.