The Kosher Wok, Brookline, US: Best Chinese schnitzel ever!

During my 3-year stay in Israel, I was basically a Japanese diaspora who was craving for pan-Asian food.

In the Promised Land, where the average consumption of chicken per person is the biggest in the world, I was converted from a confusing kosher-eating Buddhist to a radical chicken eater. Who hates chickens?

After leaving Israel for the US, my version of pan-Asian food started to include chicken and Israeli food. So The Kosher Wok, a pro-Israeli American-Chinese restaurant (to my understanding), was the perfect one-stone-two(or three)-birds scenario for me.

The Kosher Wok was a clean, jade-clad Chinese restaurant with a blue and white awning. I appreciated the nonchalant, shalom-vibe of The Kosher Wok, which makes a total difference from Japanese Chinese restaurants.

Egg roll ($3.35 / £2.70).

My egg roll came in the form of a plump letter. Not too much to read. The cabbages inside were nicely shredded and cooked.

Lemon chicken ($15.95 / £12.90).

Lemon chicken’s sauce tasted like Japanese pineapple candies ‘パインアメ (Pain-ame)’ as always.

The Kosher Wok’s lemon chicken, which I came for, was totally schnitzel (German deep-fried chicken). Touché. I totally forgot that schnitzel is Israeli food (my Japanese guidebook on Israel ‘地球の歩き方’ says so).

The Kosher Wok’s lemon chicken was basically an Israeli-style chicken schnitzel with lemon slices. It was good. With a rice bowl, the whole dish looked like a deep-fried Japanese chicken katsu. Who hates chicken katsu? Not me.

It was simply the best Chinese schnitzel ever! And I never had one before.