KFC – Hitting the Sauce

L won an award, and I received good news, so when we came home, we decided to go out and celebrate at Sukiyaki House. When I sat down at our table, I noticed almost every diner coming in was a regular. That’s pretty telling of a restaurant if all your customers are repeat offenders. Let’s listen to “My Cherie Amour” by Stevie Wonder for this post.

We started with an ice-cold Asahi beer (16 oz, $9) and munched on piping-hot pieces of chicken karaage ($14). When I took my first bite, I hollered, “La, la, la, la, la, la. How do they make these fatty, crunchy morsels so freaking delicious?” L grinned and looked around because I was being pretty loud. What can I say? I get excited easily. L commented that the marinated chicken was so juicy, brightened by the yuzu kewie sauce like a summer day.

That night, when I posted that Sukiyaki House is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) of fried chicken, a follower on Instagram DMed me to say it’s the best because it’s KFC (Koji Fried Chicken). I know Koji doesn’t prepare the kaarage because he creates specialty dishes at the front of the restaurant, but I get the gist: the standard in the kitchen is very high.

We selected some rolls and nigiri to round out our meal: Amabei (Raw Shrimp / Fried Shrimp Head, $5.50), Ebi (Cooked Shrimp, $3.60), Hamachi (Japanese Amberjack, $5), Maguro (Tuna, $3.5), Shake (Salmon, $3.50), Tako (Octopus, $4.20), Hotategai (Raw Scallop, $4.80), Negitoro (Toro / Green Onion, $7.50) Shake Maki (Salmon, $5.50) California roll ($15), and Kelly Tempura ($14).

Generally, I’m not too fond of sushi rolls, but Sukiyaki House has the only rolls my heart beats for. The rice was perfectly seasoned with vinegar and sugar. The tempura in the Kelly roll was still warm, and Sukiyaki House’s trademark airy batter with that mouthwatering flavour you only get from clean oil. So effin’ good.

I always get the California roll when I come here. The flavours hit right. I love the layers and textures of the buttery avocado, crisp nori, roasted sesame seeds and fluffy crab meat. The selection of nigiri was fresh as always, with the scallop being the highlight, plump and creamy as the Milky Way.

Next week, L and I are attending Sukiyaki House’s ‘kaiseki,’ a traditional fine-dining, multi-course meal. Koji spent a decade perfecting his craft in Osaka. So if the restaurant can make fried chicken and California rolls the highlight of my year, I can only imagine what to expect at the kaiseki.

L and I visited our adorable nephew in Bowness. After a successful playdate, we decided to order dinner from Chicken Omnibus. I’m glad we checked it out, as this is our new favourite place for Korean-style fried chicken. For this post, let’s listen to “Do You Believe in Magic” by The Loving’ Spoonful.

I noticed K-Pop music playing in the background when we entered the restaurant. The interior is bright and colourful. While we waited to order, we looked at the pictures on the menu, which described each item in detail. We ordered the Dak Gang Jeong Combo ($12.99), Chicken Combo ($12.99), and Onion Rings ($5.50).

Our combos came with a pop and a sauce. We each asked for the sauce on the side because we planned on eating our food at home and didn’t want the chicken to become soggy. But after seeing some of the food come out of the kitchen, I told L we would eat at the restaurant.

This small mom-and-pop operation cooks everything fresh. Our food arrived at our table within ten minutes, so hot I burned the roof of my mouth.

The portions are generous. The double-battered fries were piled high on our basket. The coating on the potatoes reminded me of Costco fries. The onion rings looked like it was the frozen type, but it was still good. The batter was thin and melted in your mouth. We dipped our onion rings in the spicy aioli, ranch, and a sweet, spicy sauce.

The star of the show is the chicken. My pieces were juicy and meaty. The chicken tasted real, unlike the congealed stuff KFC sells and superior to the texture and flavour of Popeye’s. The batter was light, crusty, and so well seasoned that I didn’t need any of the sauces. The plumpness of Omnibus’s chicken reminds me of Church’s and LA Chicken in Richmond, BC, but with a crunchier, tastier batter.

L liked my chicken over his Dak Gang Jeong (sweet, crispy boneless chicken). I tried his nugget-like meat, and I also preferred my order of regular bone-in chicken.

L said the food tasted authentic, and Omnibus reminded him of the local places he would frequent in Korea. Omnibus isn’t a chain, and the chef was so genuinely friendly it made me want to return. I heard two customers exclaim this was the best chicken they ever ate. I saw another customer digging into a plate overflowing with katsu (breaded chicken cutlet) that looked delicious.

The next time I have a cheat meal, I’m getting the fried chicken again or perhaps a chicken burger. Hitting the Sauce gives Omnibus two phat thumbs up.

Tag: KFC

Sukiyaki House – GOAT (Greatest of All Time)

Chicken Omnibus