Chicken Dinner @ Shimiru Tenjin, Tenjin Inachika, Tenjin, Fukuoka

 

Winner winner chicken dinner! Well I am not too sure where that phrase comes from, but I have to admit the most recent chicken meal I had was seriously a winning contender. I have passed the Tenjin Inachika area nearby the station complex many times but it has been a long while since I have been there. So I thought of checking it out and giving it a try. And this time, I had my friend Brendan with me. With two hungry blokes on a Friday evening, what can go wrong right? 

Bubble bubble toil and trouble!

So we ended up in Shimiru, which is famous for its boiled chicken dishes. This is further emphasized with a giant pot in front of the counter, boiling into a frenzy. Talk about an immersive experience! However, boiled chicken bits are not the only thing that they are good for, although it is their specialty. There are many other chicken based dishes that were pretty stellar and will make a feature soon enough later in this article. And the drinks.... oh the drinks....

Actually pretty good. 

To start things off, we get our usual otoshi. Again, not my favourite thing in terms of Japanese dining, but we have to just deal with it. Do what the Romans do right. However, the kimchi that came as our compulsory starter was some serious star maker. The veggies was very fresh and the zesty chilli paste had a punch that was loaded with garlic but easy on the chillies. The veggies were sweet, salty and had a crunch. Combined with that spicy lather, and you get something serious. And if their starter is that level, I am looking forward to what is their mainstays. The kimchi stood at 300 yen per person.

Lord may you have mercy!

But we are at a chicken place so it would just make sense that the chicken dishes soon followed. The first thing we got was a chicken namban. Sure, this sounds like a typical japanese style izakaya entre. Despite that, do not let this fool you. It was absolutely incredible. The tartar sauce was creamy thick and had alot of stuff going on. Bits of onions, pickles, egg, and then bound together with a slurry made of mayo. That combined with some dark vinegar and some excellent fried chicken and you have found the stairways to heaven. I am not sure what they put into their chicken batter. It was so fragrant, slightly salty, and had many crunchy bits that can put KFC to shame. It was like going through a pile of desiccated corn flakes. And those pointy pits were great appendages in scooping all that sauce. Standing at 590 a portion, this was some serious chicken. 

Triple treat.

Next up were their boiled skewers, a seemingly healthier option to balance out the fried monster we had earlier. The place sells the usual yakitori variations but instead of being cooked with an open flame, they are braised in chicken stock, thus leading to an intense chicken flavour. We then got the chicken skin and thigh, which stood at 260 yen each, and chicken butts at 230 yen. Each skewer were very good. They are not as intense as compared to the fried chicken covered in namban sauce earlier. But it was still excellent, and a great way to help balance our overall experience. The slick teriyaki sauce provided some sweetness that we really enjoyed. 

Back in business!

However, after being spellbound by the namban, we were very curious how would their classic karaage taste like. And without any hesitation we got ourselves a portion which also stood at 590 yen. Eventhough this is the same price as the namban, the classic karaage has 5 pieces while the saucy version has 4. Despite that, they were totally different experiences. Without the tartar sauce, you can experience the full power of the fried chicken. Uncensored, unfiltered, uncompromised chicken power. it was that good. 

Not filled with money. Still good though.

To finish it off, we got ourself some money bags. Well not exactly a money-stuffed plastic bag. Rather, it is a type of oden, which is a tofu puff stuffed with mochi and green onions. Standing at 390 yen, they felt hefty and felt like they were made of money. yet, it was great. the outer tofu puff absorbed so much chicken stock, it felt like it was made by it. The inside was soft and chewy mochi that has been loaded with crunchy green onions, giving it an extra textural experience. And the soup that came with it completed the whole package, pun intended. This was a nice way to end the meal. 

What a combination. 

Of course, a great night out is not complete without the drinks. This place has so many unique fruit based stuff you can be spoilt for choice. I started off the night with a mikan orange sour which stood at 590 yen. It was citrusy, tangy and paired very well with the kimchi that I had at the very beginning. Subsequently I got myself the strawberry sour which came at a monstrous 880 yen. It was loaded with fruits and had that luxurious and flowery taste than only strawberries can provide and it worked very well with the fried goodies we had which was such an excellent choice. Brendan had the lemon sour during our time here and it was also pretty good. Zesty and punchy, it terms of flavour it is more acidic and sharp compared to the mikan and it stood at the same 590 yen. So it is just based on preferences. 

I will return!

After an amazing meal it was time to head off our merry way. If you are a fan of chicken dishes, or rather a fan of good food, this is an easy recommendation. It is just a 3 minute walk from the Tenjin subway exit and once you arrive you know you will be well taken cared of. Honestly there are so many more things in the menu I want to try so rest assured I will be making another visit soon. Fancy a go? The address is as follows:

〒810-0001 Fukuoka, Chuo Ward, Tenjin, 1 Chome−10−20 Tenjin Business Center, B2F