Spice it up at OB Chicken Town
There are two things that I secretly wished for when I went to this Korean fried chicken joint in North Oakland: a better camera to take picture in the dark and a better tolerance for chili powder. [UPDATE: better camera obtained] I mean, just look at the jumping chickie on their menu, isn’t he all fired up?
Late February, at 7pm. The moment we stepped in from the cold damp parking lot outback, I fell enamored with the ambiance. Dim light, warm air, seats divided up into small sections with straw thatched roofs overhead and modest curtains to ensure privacy and a sense of lonesomeness amidst the crowd. The fire post watched over quiet customers, most of whom are Korean. I’m saying this because it feels oddly heartwarming to listen to conversations that I don’t understand, and if you’re like me, then OB Town is the place to go when you’re in the mood for nostalgia.
And fried chicken too, of course. A plate of garlic and soy sauce fried chicken (gan jang chicken) is more than enough for one, maybe two if neither is too hungry. The sweetness was addictive. I don’t know how many things were added to the mixing bowl, but no single flavor was too blatant, everything blended together to make a perfect package. The crispy coating was great, but what’s inside was so much better. Juicy, tender, flavorful strips of meat, and yes, even the white meat was great. I savored every bite.
Which is not something I could do with the ddeok bokki (spelled “dduck bog i” on the menu), at least with the first few bites. I learned about the “spicy rice cakes” from Korean movies, and was prepared for the fiery blunder. What I wasn’t prepared for, and blame no one but my imagination, is the lack of a sweet taste. Chili powder, gochu jang, jalapeno, whatever it was, was on full strike with no masking flavor. Was it because I ordered seafood ddeok bokki? Are all ddeok bokki this spicy?
Wimpy as I am though, I like the dish. The smooth and chewy texture of garaeddeok (rice cake) hooked me, and I dug in. The mussels, shrimps, and squids were definitely for good change of texture, but those oversize noodle tubes fare best with the thinly sliced carrots and sauce soaked cabbage. Burning outside, soft and plain inside, the garaeddeok was pure pleasure. And although the sauce was quite strong, its scorching touch faded quickly with a sip of water and a few nibbles of cole slaw, allowing us to sample every visible piece of ingredient: rubbery sleeves of eomuk (fish cake), bitter herbs, mushy onions, gummy mushroom. The plate was a textural party. One tiny mismatch: the pungent jalapeno doesn’t belong there (just as it doesn’t belong in bánh mì and phở).
We washed the spice down with two awesome skewers of bacon wrapped asparagus kebob. It’s cute how they made the asparagus look like bones, and they were actually crunchy like cartilage too. (I’m suddenly reminded of pig feet, cooked and uncooked.) A savory high note to end the night.
Was my tongue dead because of the chili? Yes, I made a funeral for it with lots of milk chocolate. Will I go back to OB Town? You bet. The chicken feet are calling me.
Wallet thinning: 1 gan jang chicken (15.50) + 1 seafood ddeokbokki + 1 kebob (<3.00)+ tax = $34.35
Address: Oriental BBQ Chicken Town
6101 Telegraph Ave.
(across the street from KFC)
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 595-5338
It looks a bit shady outside, but that’s just another indication of how tempting the food is inside.
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate to this outstanding blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to brand new updates and will talk about this blog with my Facebook group. Chat soon!
1Generally I don’t read post on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do it! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thanks, quite nice post.
2Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the pictures on this blog loading? I’m trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated.
3Once I initially commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the identical comment. Is there any method you may take away me from that service? Thanks!
4Very interesting details you have observed, thankyou for putting up. “Nothing ever goes away.” by Barry Commoner.
5Wonderful web site. Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to several friends ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks for your effort!
6I have learn some good stuff here. Certainly worth bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how so much effort you place to make this sort of excellent informative site.
7When I initially commented I clicked the -Notify me when new feedback are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the identical comment. Is there any method you may take away me from that service? Thanks!
8What i don’t understood is in fact how you’re no longer really a lot more smartly-appreciated than you might be now. You’re very intelligent. You know therefore considerably relating to this topic, produced me personally believe it from numerous numerous angles. Its like women and men don’t seem to be interested except it’s something to do with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs outstanding. All the time maintain it up!
9Nice read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch since I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch!
10I always was interested in this subject and still am, appreciate it for putting up.
11I would like to thnkx for the efforts you’ve put in writing this blog. I’m hoping the same high-grade website post from you in the upcoming as well. Actually your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own website now. Actually the blogging is spreading its wings fast. Your write up is a great example of it.
12Greetings! I’ve been reading your web site for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Austin Tx! Just wanted to say keep up the great work!
13I get pleasure from, result in I discovered just what I was having a look for. You have ended my 4 day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
14I am glad to be a visitor of this gross weblog! , regards for this rare information! .
15Hello! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this post to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
16Attractive part of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to claim that I get in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Anyway I will be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access persistently rapidly.
17Magnificent site. Lots of helpful information here. I’m sending it to several buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks to your effort!
18We stumbled over here different page and thought I might as well check things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to finding out about your web page repeatedly.
19Thanks for the post, can I set it up so I get an update sent in an email every time you write a new article?
20Great work! This is the kind of information that are meant to be shared across the internet. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post upper! Come on over and visit my web site . Thank you =)
21A lot of thanks for your whole hard work on this web page. Kate delights in going through research and it is simple to grasp why. A lot of people notice all regarding the dynamic form you offer powerful secrets by means of this blog and even increase participation from some others on the idea while our own princess is actually being taught a whole lot. Take pleasure in the remaining portion of the new year. You are always carrying out a fabulous job.
22I have been surfing on-line more than three hours these days, yet I never found any fascinating article like yours. It is beautiful price enough for me. Personally, if all site owners and bloggers made excellent content material as you probably did, the web will likely be much more useful than ever before.
23Please let me know if you’re looking for a article author for your weblog. You have some really great articles and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d absolutely love to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please blast me an email if interested. Regards!
24I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good. I do not know who you are but certainly you are going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!
25Some genuinely fantastic information, Gladiola I noticed this.
26Thank you for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do some research on this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I am very glad to see such fantastic information being shared freely out there.
27