Saturday, November 07, 2009

Hunting Down Korean Fried Chicken

Bon Chon's hot chicken and kimchi coleslaw

I've never been a huge fan of Korean fried chicken. I've liked the spiciness, but the heavy sweetness was always a huge turn-off. And yet deep inside I somehow held onto hope that I would eventually find a shop - possibly in Korea - that would take it easy on the sugar. Fortunately, last week's Sunday Times listed out a few shops in Singapore that perhaps could do it without the travel.

I went to the story's highest-rated Kko Kko Na Ra on Tras Street first. The bool dak was light, crispy, and scorchingly spicy - so much that I felt like Adam Richman in Man v. Food struggling to finish the last piece. But it was also so sweet that I really wouldn't have wanted to finish even if it weren't that spicy. I was thus pleasantly surprised when visiting the new outlet of Bon Chon at ION Orchard (#B4-06A) instead. The chicken pictured above was still a little sweet, but it was gentle enough where it actually complemented the taste rather than overpowered it. I finished these with ease.

Now, I still prefer buffalo wings (ironically, Korean chicken has apparently been successful in New York, of all places). But at least Bon Chon proved to me that I could find Korean chicken that wasn't too sweet, even if it really wasn't that spicy either. Well, I'm sure that I'll still end up at Kko Kko Na Ra again, not just because of their late hours but also because of a bunch of other items on their menu that looked worthy of a try.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved Bonchon in the NYC KTown when i had it (it was about 3am i think...) and was disappointed that the one here only serves wings, and pricey wings at that! (8 bucks for 3 wings is a bit steep). it worked as an appetizer, but needed lunch afterwards.

Great blog btw - i'm from LA myself (korean-american), and have been in singapore for 11 years now. looks like we've found very similar places to eat... happy hunting.

KS

Pete said...

Thanks for the heads-up on Kko Kko Nara - I'd trust your taste over those ST journalists' anytime!

Whereas you tend to tell it as it is, the journos get so caught up with their own wordplay, they fail to convey the simplest message: whether the food tasted good, or not.

D said...

bon chon in ktown is now "mad for chicken"

Strawberry Sorbet said...

u tried their hot n spicy chicken at kko kko? or sweet spicy???

i m fan of sweet spicy.. nt dare to try their hot spicy yet.. worth?

onefern said...

After being given a sample one day while walking around Ion, I was craving it like mad and finally had it 2 days ago, and loved it! 8 bucks for 6 pieces made for a good and filling deal!