12.129 Chicken Karaage

12.129

14 (Fri) May 2021

Chicken Karaage

3.5

at Lee Sang

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

solo

After wrapping up the book fair in Dongtan and driving home 39 km through Friday evening traffic, I was too tired to cook, so I stopped by Lee Sang for dinner.  I called the family at home and invited them to join me, but they opted to stay in.  Fine by me.

A quiet, secluded, cozy room, all to myself – a perfect spot to eat, drink, read, relax on a solo Friday evening.
Agedashi Tofu (2.0): nice dressing but the shells of the deep-fried tofu were too thick, difficult to eat, gummy in texture.
Chicken Karaage (3.5): perfectly seasoned, perfectly crispy, even better with a drop of chili sauce – best dish of the evening; regrettably, the salad came with an icky dressing that had the aftertaste of artificial fruit, probably kiwi.
I forgot to ask what brand – next time, I’ll request to see the bottle.

When I realized that I’d inadvertently ordered only deep-fried dishes, all of them mild, I requested something spicy to keep things from getting too heavy; the manager brought me a small bowl of chili sauce, which had just the right amount of kick and a touch of sweetness, pairing very nicely with the tofu, the chicken, and the tonkatsu.

Katsudon (3.0): solid.

The restaurant – still the only non-Korean establishment in the neighborhood offering casual yet sophisticated food and drink – has become so popular that it’s usually packed by early evening, as we have been unfortunate to discover a few times, forced to eat elsewhere.

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