Fried Chicken @ Gamaro Chicken, Shin Okubo, Tokyo

Although not common knowledge, I actually like Korean food a lot. It is just unfortunate that I have only been to Korea once many years ago. Having said that, I took the chance to visit Little Korea in Tokyo during a previous work trip to at least satiate the appetite, namely Shin Okubo. 

Welcome to Ktown!

A hotbed for hot and spicy treats, fried chicken delights, and Kpop goods, Shin Okubo is the place to be if somehow going to Korea itself is a bit tricky. Not too far away from Shinjuku station, the area is the biggest Koreatown in Tokyo and possibly one of the bigger ones in Japan. I know there is a pretty big Korean population in Osaka, but I have not been there yet. Well, at least I have one more reason to head down to Kansai then. 

Choices...choices...

Speaking of which, there are a few things that define Korean food like the way fried chicken does. It is just something special about Korean fried chicken. The crunch, the flavour, and the variety, are pretty amazing. And there were various establishments out there that sells the stuff. However, I have one major problem. Most of them sell the fried goodies as half chicken or whole birds. Almost none of them were suitable for a solo diner like myself for that day. But luckily I ended up at Gamaro Chicken, which is not too far from the local Donki that became my lunchtime reprieve. 

Oh baby!

So after a quick glance at the menu, I got myself a plate of original and spicy chicken, which stood at 550 yen and 600 respectively. And to cool myself off I got a grape soda for 300 yen.  Not a bad deal. However, the flavour was definitely something else and doesn't seem to translate well with the price range.  

Golden

I started with the original, and boy what a good start it was. The crunch factor was really on point and I can feel my jaw reverberate with every bite of that crunch crust. The batter was well seasoned and had a nice nutty profile to it. The chicken was tender and juicy. A simple dish but somehow, just so well executed. Simple flavours, but done well. 

Fiery! Also the rice cakes and nuts gave a nice touch.

The spicy chicken on the other hand is another beast altogether. It was pretty spicy and left me sweating buckets. I am a guy that is pretty confident with chillies. However, this one was a bit of a challenge. Still, it was totally tasty. The jammy sauce was packed with deep and earthy flavours. It was sweet, sticky and slightly fruity. The smokiness from the chillies also gave an extra dimension in terms of flavour, while the syrup-like texture of the sauce provided an interesting mouthfeel. 

Perfection? Probably not, but it was still great. 

And within minutes, I totally demolished my deep-fried lunch without much hassle. Although it was not highly ranked online compared to the other shops nearby, I found this to be quite enjoyable. If this is a sign of things to come, I really look forward to a proper bone-on-meat fried chicken experience somewhere down the road. In the meantime, I find this to be pretty satisfying and left quite happy. So if you would like to try this place out, or if you are a fan of Kpop stuff, why not give this place a go? The address is as follows:

〒169-0072 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Okubo, 1 Chome−17−5 Tonchang Building. 

Front of the house.