Rang Mang Shokudo is one of the 16 concepts at Japan Food Town on the fourth floor of Wisma Atria. We have heard great things about the chicken karaage (fried chicken) speciality; some say it serves the best in Singapore. Furthermore, we have had such great experiences at Japan Food Town, including Sabar and Inaniwa Yosuke Udon. (We also visited Tonkatsu Anzu, Yomoda Soba, Bonta Bonta, and Tempura Tsukiji Tenka at the enclave.) While we cannot say for sure Rang Mang Shokudo serves the best karaage in Singapore, the Japanese fried chicken sure is excellent.

Rang Mang Shokudo began at Ebisu, Tokyo in 1998 and uses free-range chicken. It is marinated for 6 hours in a buttermilk concoction before deep-frying twice at a low how. Twice-fried chicken means that it remains crispy even when it has cooled down. The fried chicken comes with a choice of 15 different sauces. And to balance out the fried, they have salad, soup, and 16-grain rice.

Although they only offer fried chicken, their menu allows customers to customise their intake. You can buy it:

-in pieces (5 pieces, 1 dips $6; 12 pieces, 2 dips $12; 20 pieces, 3 dips $18), you’ll have to buy the sides separately,
-as a value set ($10.90 which comes with 5 pieces of chicken, salad, potato salad, and rice),
-as all-you-can-eat fried chicken after 5pm [for 90 minutes, includes free-flow soft drinks ($24++) or free-flow alcohol ($40++)].

We two very smartly ordered a 12-piece ($12) and a value set ($10.90), so that we can have some carbs and greens and have 3 dips of chicken to choose from. The waitress told us that these are the popular dips: salt,  cod roe mayo, wasabi cream, and honey mustard. We got the salt, wasabi cream, and basil cheese.

The fried chicken is indeed outstanding. It leaves just a little grease on the lips, enough to moisturise, not enough for USA to invade it for oil. It is crispy even up till the last pieces. Tender and not fat but there is still a nice bite. Karaage doesn’t use buttermilk marinade, so clearly there is some Western influence here. Because of the buttermilk, the sweetness of the sake and saltiness of soy sauce don’t come across potently. Instead, the fried chicken is well balanced. I do prefer a heavier flavour, but this one is good.

Out of the three dips we had, the original salt flavour is the best. The chicken is really good to eat on its own; no condiments necessary, although the creamy wasabi is not bad.

We also recommend the frozen lemon 🍋 squash ($3.50), which is super sour and super refreshing and can undercut the jerlat-ness of the fried chicken. We shared 18 pieces between both of us, and felt slightly overwhelmed, so I’m not sure how anyone could opt for the buffet. But we definitely recommend Rang Mang Shokudo; it’s delicious and affordable. We paid $31 for two persons.

Food: 7/10
Price/value: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Decor/ambience: 6/10

You may be interested in…
–Ra Ra Men Men Men, Want Your Bad Ramence: Kajiken, Ramen Keisuke Kani King, and Sō Ramen
–At the Myo, Everton Park: Outstanding Cafe Serving Rice and Pastas With Local Flavors
–Jimoto Ya, China Square Central: Hokkaido Ebi-Tonkatsu Ramen Created by Michelin-Starred Chef Nobumasa Mieda
–Kuro Izakaya, Suntec: Ramen by Day, Izakaya by Night Using Kosei Charcoal Grill

Written by Dr. A. Nathanael Ho.