BonChon, a different kind of Fried Chicken

I have passed by this Korean chicken fastfood restaurant many times and it’s always packed. And I wondered, is this one of the Filipinos' passing food fancy again, one that involved their well-loved fastfood eats, the fried chicken? The fried chicken that has been rehashed many times from salty, spicy, breaded and dipped in thin gravy. So what kind of version could this be?

But I would find out soon enough. It was lunchtime in SM Annex then and my son was adamantly tugging us to the car because he was tired but my husband and I wanted lunch first. And spying BonChon, the only fastfood we passed along the way, he orders BonChon’s 6 pcs. Thigh Soy Garlic Chicken to go.

So we ate in the car while in EDSA traffic. Still warm in my hands, I took the first bite, thinking it’s just another fried chicken. But wow, wait a minute, this was different, I thought. It tastes different and I liked it. The crunch, the sweetness, the subtle depth of its soy and garlic mixture and the batter was light. It’s not your usual fried chicken rubbed in salt and pepper and dredged in flour, this was different and quite good.

We polished off the entire 6 piece box but my husband wanted more maybe because he got into a tug of war with our son for the last piece. So we passed by BonChon BGC and thinking that he got BonChon’s Chops, the chicken breast fillet variation (because I could hardly remember any chicken bone, wow, did I swallow it?) I ordered this. But the Chops were not the same, the tasty breading was still there but it’s different without the bone, maybe the flavors clings to it more. I promised to order the right one next time.

And because we liked BonChon chicken too much, we ordered two boxes last Father’s Day, one for his family and one for mine. But we ordered it in the afternoon and ate in the evening and my brother-in-law and my sister was not impressed, maybe because it had gotten cold.

So now I know that BonChon is best eaten warm and crispy right off the counter, that’s why it's called fastfood, hello J And to that mention that the sauce is not that thick, not enveloping the chicken too much. I beg to disagree. I like its subtlety, its unique seasoning and its chicken meat already stands apart because it is tinged in flavor unlike the ones whose flavor stops at the breading.

Anyhow, it’s been weeks and I’m still thinking about this fried chicken, maybe I’ll order a box again this weekend and try their spicy version too, yum J