Recently, I was having quite a hectic day and needed to get away for lunch. I'd also been craving the Chicken Nanban from Okan. So I headed on over. I got there right at opening time and it was nice and quiet.
And of course I ordered the Chicken Nanban - Fried Chicken with Vinegar and Tartar Sauce ($9) and even splurged a bit and went for the Chasu Gohan ($3.50) as an "extra".
So how was it? Well, I'll pass on the chashu rice bowl next time. The portion size was quite generous, but the pork was ice cold, on the dry side, really waxy, and lacking in flavor.
The chicken delivered as it did before. The chicken was light and very moist. The batter crisp and almost laquer like. The vinegar added a nice mildly sour component which really cut the richness....of both the fried chicken and the tartar sauce.
The sides were fine, rather mild in flavor..... I've noticed that over the years the portion sizes here seem to have gotten larger.
As I was eating, the place really filled up. I must have been stuffing my face with some enthusiasm as the guy who sat next to me asked me what I was eating. I pointed it out on the menu and he ordered it. The guy next to him decided on this as well. While chatting, some of the tartar spilled on the sleeve of my shirt. Not ten seconds later, one of the servers came by with an oshibori to help me rub out the mayo stain. Acts like that make my day.......everything just seemed a lot brighter and nicer as I headed back to the office.
I wasn't a big fan of lunch at Okan at first. It was a nice place to have dinner with friends, which I've done a couple of times over the last seven years. Now I'm a fan of lunch as well.
Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
love chicken namban especially if their tartar sauce is good.
Posted by: kat | Sunday, 08 November 2015 at 09:46 PM
I agree Kat!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 09 November 2015 at 01:49 PM
I saw that Oton has started to serve ramen for lunch and late night. Have you ever tried it?
Posted by: Junichi | Monday, 09 November 2015 at 02:12 PM
Hi Junichi - I've had the tonkotsu ramen from Oton for lunch a while back:
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2015/03/ramen-mania-ototo-and-oton.html
I didn't care for the broth too much....but that egg was delish.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 09 November 2015 at 06:10 PM