"At Pasadena’s 35-year-old Top Restaurant, magic happens when chef-owner Riko Yuriko drops chicken into a hot, low-sputtering fryer. A constellation of oil droplets erupts from the battered chicken as it penetrates the oil’s surface. The generous poultry pieces, marinated for 12 hours in a homemade brine of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), garlic, and other secret ingredients, crackle and brown until they develop a thin, flaky coat. Top Restaurant has been takeout-only since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, so many diners enjoy the chicken immediately in the front seat of their cars. Fried chicken is often the first dish to sell out daily; once all 45 orders are out the door, it is not available again until the next day." - Lisa Kwon
