@sambaesg are sambal specialists, but that didn’t stop them from having menu items that aren’t related to that spicy sauce. Their chicken nanban side was a rather unexpected option, but it’s a sensationally stellar one. For just $4.90, you get six humongous chunks of deep fried chicken (karaage).⠀
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The batter cocooning the chicken is utterly incredible. Just take a peek at how craggy the surface of the deep fried chicken is, and you already know that batter is razor thin, startlingly crisp, and just all round ethereal. The chicken encased within that batter is exquisitely juicy, and so incredibly tender. To retain the moisture of a chicken chunk this thick while cooking it all the way through takes a lot of expertise, and fortunately Chef Noel is a poultry pro.⠀
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The chicken itself is very lightly seasoned, but that doesn’t matter as it relies on the abundance of homemade tartar sauce for most of its flavour. I’m not sure if the traditional vinegary nanban sauce is applied to this chicken, so I’ll just pretend it doesn’t exist. What is very tangible, however, is that tasty tartar sauce. It’s charmingly creamy, satisfyingly salty and has an appealingly chunky texture with the bits of hard boiled egg & chopped onions in there.⠀
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The result is a deliriously delectable deep fried chicken dish that demands pride of place on every single dinner table. The chunky, savoury sauce gets into every crag of the juicy fried chicken and stays on it even as you bite down. The perfect combo of creamy, salty & crispy is present from the first bite to the last, and the mouthfeel of the perfectly fried chicken is downright divine. There’s bound to be a fair bit of tartar sauce to spare, so make it rain all over your rice.⠀
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A minor suggestion would be to make sambal tartar sauce to tie it into the Sambae concept, but this is already perfection. Absolutely excellent work, @sambaesg. Thanks for having us!