Chicken over Rice @ High Five Deli, Daimyo, Fukuoka

 

I have many variations of chicken and rice in my life time. Being a proud Malaysian, chicken rice ala Hainanese style is my go to, although Japanese variations like takikomi gohan is also something I like. However, I have not tried the classic New Yorker legend. Well, might as well give this treat a try!

Neat!

High Five Deli is a small diner and bar located in a refurbished dorm room located deep in the bowels of the city. It is a quaint space with various dishes from the New York street cart culture. In addition to the aforementioned chicken over rice, they also have pulled pork and jerk chicken. But since their main attraction is their chicken over rice, I have to try that on my first visit. A serving of this bad boy was a modest 1200 yen. And what a beautiful mess it was. The looks were definitely pretty rustic. Well its literally shredded chicken on top of rice, and slathered i a rich yogurt sauce. You cannot get any fancier than that. I jest, but having said that, do not let the appearance fool you. This thing packs a punch. 

Beautiful mess. 

Once you have a spoonful of this, your senses just gets assaulted with the various flavour elements in this dish. The spiced rice, the punchy and creamy yogurt sauce, and of course, the chicken. As the sauce literally acted like some form of gravy, it melded everything together. The turmeric of the rice blended into the chicken, while a cumin-like pungency from the sauce permeated into the chicken and the rice. The liquid from the sauce naturally added more moisture but it did not make it soggy. 

Oh baby...

The chicken was also well spiced. There were traces of various spices that was quite Indian but at the same time, was not. It was also somewhat Mediterranean but not as well. I know words are failing me now. But trust me, if you like your food packed with various elements and has a spicy kick, this thing is for you. And soon enough I demolished this relatively quickly. It was very easy to eat.

A sneak peek to the rest of the space

Having said that, the vibe of this place is also pretty cool. It felt like a postmodern American speakeasy. With an American flag and various paraphernalia, you definitely feel like you are not in Japan. The owner was also quite friendly and was nice to have a chat with.  So if you are somewhere in Fukuoka city proper and you probably would want to try something a bit more international, I cannot recommend this place enough. It is a bit hidden but if you like strong flavours and a good filling meal with lots of bang for your buck, then the address to this great establishment is as follows:

〒810-0041 Fukuoka, Chuo Ward, Daimyo, 1 Chome−8−5 養巴コープ 102

Front of the house.