Imagine the bustling streets of Tokyo’s Shibuya district serving up the hearty flavors of Hokkaido. One dish, a local favorite originating from the coastal town of Otaru, is a true delight: wakadori no hanmiage (referred hereunder as hanmiage). Featuring half of a spring chicken that’s quickly deep-fried, it has crispy skin and juicy, succulent meat.
“小樽名物 若鶏半身揚げ,” Otaru’s Famous Fried Half Chicken 1,200 JPY (tax included)
Savoring Otaru’s famous hanmiage in Shibuya
This deep-fried chicken delight is often featured on Japanese TV, leading to an increase in eateries offering the dish outside of Japan’s northernmost prefecture. Among these, NARUTO KITCHEN SHIBUYA (hereunder referred to as Naruto Kitchen) comes highly recommended for an authentic experience.
The restaurant only sources the finest spring chickens for their version of the dish, which they call “Otaru’s Famous Half Fried Chicken.” Extraordinarily tender, the meat can be easily pulled apart with a mere poke of a chopstick. Their hanmiage is served along with plastic gloves, so you can hold down the chicken with one hand while easily pulling the meat apart with the other. This way, you can enjoy the dish without getting your hands greasy—an incredibly thoughtful touch.
Take your time to compare the different parts of the chicken: the thigh meat is juicy and flavorful, while the breast is more on the lean side. Don’t miss out on the wings, which are rich in collagen!
The staff can pull the meat apart upon request
The chicken is seasoned with a simple salt-based secret spice blend, allowing the natural flavors of the young chicken to shine.
After sampling their Otaru’s Famous Fried Half Chicken, Umami bites writer Bensky was extremely satisfied.
The moment the dish hit the table, the aroma really caught my attention. I very much enjoyed being able to try various parts of the chicken all at once. I had no idea Japan had such a delicious way of preparing chicken!
A must-try for chicken lovers: the “Assorted Chicken” platter
Naruto Kitchen offers a variety of chicken dishes, among which the “Assorted Chicken” platter (“all chicken parts” platter in Japanese) is particularly popular as an accompaniment to drinks. The platter includes ten different types of chicken parts: thigh, breast, wing, tail meat, skin, liver, cartilage, shoulder, heart, and gizzard.
“鶏肉全種盛り,” Assorted Chicken 2,380 JPY (tax included)
Naruto Kitchen customizes their cooking styles to match each chicken part. For example, the thigh and breast meat are prepared in Hokkaido’s local fried chicken style, known as zangi, the gizzards are cooked in the Spanish al ajillo style, and the heart is simply deep-fried and flavored with garlic.
For seasoning, you can choose two types of sauces from options like tartar sauce, grated ponzu, and a sauce inspired by the sweet and sour Chinese fried chicken dish You Lin Ji (yóulínjī). You can enjoy your preferred combination depending on the meat.
Ramen salad: the dish every Hokkaido native knows
Hokkaido is often associated with ramen, so you might expect a store serving up Hokkaido specialties to have it on their menu. As it turns out, you can indeed enjoy ramen at Naruto Kitchen, but with a twist…
“ラーメンサラダ,” Ramen Salad 880 JPY (tax included)
As Hokkaido locals know, you can also enjoy ramen in a dish called ramen salad! Naruto Kitchen’s version of this local specialty features cold noodles hidden beneath a generous serving of salad vegetables.
A homemade soy-based Chinese dressing complements the vegetables and noodles, making it so addictive you can’t stop eating. This Ramen Salad was Bensky’s first experience with the dish, and he was pleasantly surprised. In fact, he was quite thrilled, polishing off his bowl with great gusto.
The slightly tangy sauce matches the vegetables and noodles so well. If you’re visiting Naruto Kitchen, I think you’re missing out if you limit yourself to their chicken dishes because their Ramen Salad is delicious!
Naruto Kitchen’s Assorted Chicken and Ramen Salad are available only during dinner time. The Fried Half Chicken is available as a set meal with rice during lunchtime, and à la carte at dinnertime.
Information
| Store name | なるとキッチン 渋谷店 NARUTO KITCHEN SHIBUYA |
|---|---|
| Address | 1F 3-6-19 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
|
| Access |
Shibuya Station（SBY）3-minute walk from Shibuya Station C1 Exit
|
| Phone number | 03-6805-1985 |
| Reservations | Accepted Phone, Tabelog |
| Payment |
|
| Service charge/Table charge | Service charge (including otōshi) 330 JPY (tax included) Only when ordering drinks at dinnertime |
| Hours | Mon-Fri. 11:30-14:30（last order 14:30）,17:00-23:00（last order: food 22:00 drinks 22:30） Sat-Sun. & nat’l holidays 17:00-23:00（last order: food 22:00 drinks 22:30） |
| Closed | No holidays |
| Seating | 30 table seats |
| Smoking | All seats are non-smoking |
| Official website | https://www.naruto-kitchen.com/ |
| Other information |
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※Menu contents, prices, store information, etc. are current as of October 2023.
