I really wanted to like this classic Japanese restaurant again. But the warmth, personality, and charm of yesterday's Fukagawa has largely disappeared with the change of ownership.

Logging over two decades of working in the Southbay area, Fukagawa became one of the go-tos for authentic Japanese cuisine for me and my colleagues. In the Fukagawa of yesterday, the ambience was purely and authentically Japanese - from entering the restaurant and feeling the humid heat of the kitchen, being genuinely greeted with "Irasshaimase" from the staff, and with the stern-faced Japanese man dressed in a salary-man shirt and tie pointing us to our table, it was unmistakably authentic. We often brought our visiting Japanese colleagues there for lunch.

Now, it's hip. It's Instagram. It's stories. It's craft beer. All of these upgrades were at a greater sacrifice of its nostalgic charm.

Ok that's not too bad, really. They want to be with the times. The problem is that on a Father's Day, management should not take in more customers than they can serve within a reasonable amount of time. One hour to receive the first of our eleven orders is not good. One our later receiving the last of our eleven orders is down right unacceptable. We, as a family, wait for everyone to receive their meal before we eat. Well, you can imagine. The food for the first person who received it was cold. Utterly. Unacceptable.

Would I come here again? Not unless Japanese management returns. ほんとうに、まずいです。

3rd time here because it's the nearest boba place to Tanaka Farms. The dude is the only one there and he takes way too long. They need to reconsider staffing. And it's really hot inside.

Went to Handel's today because I wanted their super awesome 4 scoop sampler. But I'm sad because the scoops are small. Sad day. Sad day.

First time eating at a DHC. They've e been popping up everywhere around my hood in Lakewood and Cerritos, so I was excited to check it out given the great reviews. Awesome hot chicken slider and tenders. Delicious, crunchy goodness that you can slather with Dave's sauce (similar to Raising Cane's sauce), or honey, which made for a surprisingly good combo! The pickles and veggies are fresh and crunchy good. Awesome restaurant vibe with the neon-graffiti psychedelic chicken drummer spattered in the wall. Clean bathrooms protected by code locks.

Where they get docked?

1) Credit Card Tipping System
Swipe your credit card and their system asks you for a tip. My bad for not knowing their restaurant operations are similar to Carl's Jr, where they call your number when your food is ready and you go pick it up. Also, just like any other fast food restaurant, you fill your own drinks at the drink machine. And, bus your own tables when you're done. Make sure you don't throw away their red baskets too. What exactly am I tipping 16% for??? For newbs like me, I'd suggest skipping the tip next time.

2) Half-Recycled Fries
Yup, some of the fries were crispy, while some you could tell were sitting on the warmer trays for a few hours. Seasoning was good and the hot and crispy ones were delightful. About half of our fries were old and rubbery. No bueno. We did opt for Mac and Cheese substitution for one of our orders but I didn't get to try that.

Would we come back? Maybe. There are a ship ton of fried chicken options out there nowadays, especially of the Korean variety, that have been excellent: Holdak, Koko's, Pelicana, bb.q Chicken. I'd probably come back to DHC only out of convenience. Way better than Cane's and Chick-fil-A though!