Chubby Noodle Pop-Up Restaurant

We like surprises, especially when they involve fried chicken.

Amante, an unprepossessing North Beach bar, isn't the first place you'd expect to get some of the finest food we've had in a while. But there you'll find it, courtesy of Chubby Noodle, a pop-up from the team behind Don Pisto's.

The chicken is served in 5-piece cardboard popcorn buckets, and you can choose from strips ($9), wings ($9) or drumsticks and thighs ($12). It's spicy and juicy, hot from the fryer and accompanied by a sweet-salty-hot sambal aioli.

It seems wrong to order tuna poke at a bar, but the Noodle's version ($11), which showcases pristine cubes of tuna perfectly dressed with soy, sesame and more sambal, is as good as any we've had, ever, anywhere.

Garlic noodles ($8) are chubby worms slicked with an oyster sauce and butter emulsion and shot through with slices of jalapeño and fresno chilies; the pork ramen ($9) is a rich housemade pork broth containing pork carnitas and a poached egg that oozes at the slightest provocation.

Amante doesn't serve fancy cocktails, but that's just fine. Chubby Noodle's grub is bar food in one sure way: It goes great with beer.

Chubby Noodle (inside Amante), Tue. through Sat., 6 to 11 p.m., 570 Green St.; 415-361-8850 or thechubbynoodle.com