Andrew L.
Yelp
Tl;dr: great service but their chicken karaage was not my cup of tea. Large dark meat pieces were juicy, but too chewy and fatty.
This place had great reviews, so I had high hopes. The owner was Japanese, and I could tell he put great consideration into every aspect of the experience. After I ordered, I asked if I needed a number, and he said he would remember my face. It took about 15 min to prepare my 5 piece karaage chicken - thankfully there's Daiso and Nijiya market downstairs to explore while waiting. When I got back, I saw the owner package the dipping sauce carefully, placing a small piece of parchment paper between the chicken and the sauce, and he left the top of the to go container open so it wouldn't get soggy.
The chicken was piping hot and juicy, but there was too much fat and chewiness. It was primarily dark meat, and I think they use tapioca starch or something in the batter to make it chewy. Normally I like chewy (mochi and rice cakes are some of my favorite desserts), but for karaage I like the skin crunchy. It didn't come with lemon or anything to cut the fat (I asked for lemon and he said they don't have it). The yuzu aioli I got for $1.50 extra helped a tiny bit, but it also added fat, so overall the experience was too heavy/indulgent.
So despite the excellent service and care put into the food and overall experience, I unfortunately can't recommend the karaage here because the chicken itself was not pleasing to me. Go to Anzu or Menya Tigre (owned by Anzu) up the street for some amazing karaage instead.