Bite into it with plenty of tartar sauce! The boom is here! The Deep World of Chicken Nanban

2023-04-08

Chicken Nanban, a local food of Miyazaki, is now gaining momentum. In addition to Kyushu’s restaurants, specialty stores and even restaurants operating on borrowed time have appeared in Tokyo. Owners who are from or have roots in the prefecture say, “It’s not just fried chicken.

Chicken meat is coated with an egg batter and deep-fried. The chicken is then soaked in sweet vinegar and topped with a generous amount of tartar. This is the standard for chicken nanban, but the owner’s attention to detail is evident in every detail. Let us introduce you to the authentic taste.

Banquet at an old private house (Sanda)

Banquet chicken nanban set meal (white meat): 1,200 yen

The chicken is cooked slowly, and the white meat is plump and surprisingly juicy. The set meal includes all-you-can-eat rice and salad.

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Shibi spicy chicken nanban set meal: 1,000 yen

Topped with Szechuan pepper raayu and fried garlic for powerful flavor!　The manager, who hails from Miyazaki, has put his heart and soul into this dish!

While at night, this izakaya boasts Kyushu cuisine such as motsu nabe and chicken sashimi, for lunch, it serves only one dish, chicken nanban: moist chicken deep-fried at two different temperatures and wrapped in a fluffy egg batter. The chicken is deep-fried at two different temperatures, and the egg batter is wrapped around the moist chicken, which is then tossed with the sweet vinegar and rich tartar to create an exquisite balance. Other dishes are also available, such as the “Sibi Hot Chicken” and “Sibi Hot Chicken.

Address: 5-2-10 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 070-3513-6781
Business hours: 11:00-14:00 (13:30L.O.), 18:00-23:00 (food 22:00, drink 22:30L.O.)
Closed: Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays
Access: 6-minute walk from Mita Station (Exit A8) on the Toei Subway Mita Line, etc.

The richness of the egg yolk, accented with onions and parsley, is a perfect match. Rice with tartar is also recommended.

Lunch is so popular that there is a huge line of local businessmen waiting for lunch after noon, but the restaurant is relatively empty at 11:00 a.m.

At Himuka Shokudo in Suehirocho, you can enjoy both the now-common type with tartar and the “Nobeoka style” without tartar, which is said to be the original flavor. The owner, who was born in Miyazaki, left his job as a salaried worker to set up the restaurant after being unable to find a satisfying taste in Tokyo. The restaurant has been open for only six months and is still very popular, with customers lining up to get in.

Another restaurant that also draws a long queue is Mita’s “Kouminka no Banquet. Another feature of this restaurant is that customers can choose from a variety of chicken parts, including chicken breast, chicken thigh, and chicken breast, and the moist and juicy fried chicken breast is especially remarkable. The tartar, with its rich egg yolk, is also excellent served over rice. The manager, a native of Miyazaki, has also developed a new type of chicken nanban, called “Shibi Mara” or “Lemon Basil” that you should try.

Tartare” in Uchisaiwaicho is open during izakaya lunch hours. Tartare is based on home cooking that the owner has been familiar with since childhood, and its light and refreshing flavors will make you want to come back several times a week to try it.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that all the dishes are the same. You should enjoy the individuality and depth of the dishes while filling your stomach.

Himuka Shokudo (Suehirocho)

Authentic Miyazaki chicken nanban set meal (one piece): 1,400 yen

Chicken Nanban set meal (one piece) 1,400 yen. The chicken is made fluffy and tender by careful preparation such as cutting into thin strips and pounding.

Original Nobeoka Chicken Nanban Set Meal (half piece) 950 yen

The savory egg batter is soaked in a mild and rich sweet vinegar that has been tested more than 1,000 times for a refreshing taste.

The restaurant opened last September as a specialty restaurant after brushing up the chicken nanban, which had been a specialty menu item at a bar. The restaurant’s attention to detail begins with the careful preparation of the chicken, followed by the moist frying, the flavorful sweet vinegar, and the handmade mayonnaise. You can also enjoy the original “Nobeoka style” without tartar!

Address: 3-16-13 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-3525-8664
Business hours: 11:30-15:00L.O., 18:00-20:00L.O.
Closed: Open every day
Access: 1 minute walk from Exit 3 of Suehirocho Station on the Ginza Subway Line