FuRaiBo: Japanese Fried Chicken Wings on Sawtelle

FuRaiBo hit two birds with one stone for me as it specializes in fried chicken and it is located on Sawtelle, two restaurant types that I have been exploring. Furaibo's specialty is Teba, Japanese fried chicken wings, and the restaurant is affiliated with a chain of several hundred outlets in Tokyo.



Once you walk through the noren entrance, there is counter seating around the grill as well as ample tables. The menu is focused on chicken wings and other food you would eat while drinking beer or sake.



At lunch they have set options such as the double teba course (2 orders of chicken wings) or the teba and chita course (1 order of chicken wings with a leg and thigh), each for $7.50. These options come with rice, miso soup and pickles. I recommend the double teba course as it is only $1.50 more than the single teba and when at FuRaiBo, the best thing is their focus, the wings.

The miso soup had significantly more seaweed than the run of the mill miso soup you might find at other spots on Sawtelle, which I consider a plus. The pickles came with pickled cabbage as well.

I ordered the teba and chita and the teba outshone the chita. There was also some shredded chicken that resembled tuna fish and the accompanying salad was below par. The chicken wings are not very meaty, have nice crispy skin and are a little spicy. As each wing has so little meat, the double order makes the most sense. The crunch is nice, the mild spiciness is good without causing a searing fire in your mouth.

I sampled the cold Hakutsuru draft sake which came in a 300 ml bottle. Crisp with a hint of sweetness, it was a fine beverage to accompany the chicken wing meal.

FuRaiBo: 2068 Sawtelle Blvd (@ Mississippi). Telephone: (310) 444-1432. Website (in Japanese): www.furaibou.com