Entree Kibbles: Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten (若鶏時代なると本店) - Let's Go for Fried Chicken Instead of Seafood @ Otaru [Hokkaido, Japan]

Otaru, the touristy port city in Hokkaido, is famous for its fresh seafood but while i was checking the top restaurants in Otaru on TripAdvisor; something out-of-the norm popped out on the webpage.

Ranked #4 out of 769 restaurants in Otaru was one with a picture of a fried chicken! Now, that's interesting and i put Wakadori Jidai Naruto Honten into the itinerary as one of three lunch options since there were just too many things to try and we would only be staying a night.

You can opt for takeaway (in case you still have the physical and mental capacity for fried chicken for supper) at the counter which was right after you stepped into the eatery.

That same counter also served as an open kitchen where the chicken would be deep fried right in front of you! It was already past 3 pm when we reached and the aroma was so enticing for my starving stomach.

Interior of the restaurant - do keep in mind that service is definitely not of Japanese standard; honestly, it's just that one waiter who was obviously sneering when we had difficulty telling him our order.

Popular item number 1 - the fried chicken was prominently featured on the menu and it's a definitely order for us. There were options to have it with plain rice or raw sashimi but i guess just the chicken would do for me as i needed to leave space for other goodies in Otaru.

Yakitori & Pork Belly Skewers - Meat would always be preferred and while the meat of the yakitori (chicken) was tender; the marination lost out to Tori Q. Texture of pork belly was even better; a juicy softness within made me regret not having more of it!

Fried Chicken - half a spring chicken and it appeared exactly as depicted on the publicity materials. As it's freshly fried, please do handle it with care.

Those who love fried chicken yet abhor the often fatty skin would definitely enjoy looking at the fried chicken from wakadori as their version came with just a thin layer!

Thinly crisp, it's your simple chicken skin deep fried in oil without any fanciful herbs and minerals; just plain, good old salt.

No surprise about the texture of the chicken meat (as expected, it was juicy) even though i found the taste to be on the salty side. Having a bowl of plain white rice to go with the chicken might actually be a better option.