Korean Fried Chicken will rock your world!

[Glendale is hungry]

After reading about it for a while, in September I tried Korean-style fried chicken at two different places, Kyedong on Northern Blvd. in Flushing and Bon Chon Chicken on Bell Blvd. in Bayside.

I highly recommend that chowhounds who haven't been to check them out. Which one's better? They're both...different.

Bon Chon has a thicker coating and is crunchier (therefore closer to some Southern-style fried chicken in texture) whereas Kyedong has a paper-thin coating and is therefore more delicate.

Bon Chon's hot version is hotter and their soy version seems to be more garlicky. Kyedong again, in both instances, is a bit more delicate (though still delicious).

Kyedong also has other things like pork bellies and Korean sausages on the menu which, while I didn't try them, look quite enticing.

Both cook to order so be prepared to wait a good 20–30 minutes.

So which one is better? They're just different. Which one would I go back to first? Kyedong - to try that sausage!

Until one of these opens up on Fresh Pond Road or Myrtle,

Glendale is hungry...

[Glendale is hungry]

My partner and I went back to Kyedong for more chicken and to try the sausage I mentioned in my initial posting. What I have to report is not so much disappointing as it was unexpected.

The chicken at Kyedong that I had last week was just like the chicken I had several months ago at Bon Chon chicken on Bell Boulevard in Bayside. It was lustily crunchy and bold with the heat (ordered the hot flavor—not the soy). It was still absolutely delicious but gone was the paper-thin crust on the skin and the subtlety of the spices. Has Kyedong changed recipes? If so, waa—I 'll miss the variety (at least it's still good though!).

Also, the sausage was crrrrraaaazy! It was a black, garlic-fortified blood tube run through with long ramein noodles. The sausage is simmered in liquid and then sliced on the bias into discs. Because of the soft noodles and apparent lack of meat, the discs are floppies and not very dense.

To be honest, the texture of these lightweight, somewhat gelatinous things was a little off-putting to me. However, the operative word here is "was." My partner and I each only had a couple of slices at the restaurant and took the rest home.

The next day I fried them up in a non-stick skillet until they got crispy on both sides. Perfection. Crispy yet moist with a garlic blast in your mouth. I'm surprised the restaurant doesn't offer the sausage served this way as well.

Next time—pork bellies!

ciao,

Glendale is hungry...

[bigjeff]

you had blood sausage, yum! called soondae and it's delicious; run through with sweet-potato-based noodles. some places do a vegetable stir-fry with them heavy on the gochujang (red pepper paste) but definitely, fried up in a pan like an english pudding is always a good move.

[Glendale is hungry]

Hi bigjeff,

Thanks for the info! Didn't know the name and did not realize the noodles were sweet potato-based.

Would love to see an Irish-influenced Korean breakfast with crispiness as an added feature.

Thanks again!

Ciao,

Glendale is hungry...

[sharonj]

Thanks for the review. I've tried UFC on 70th St and Roosevelt and Kyochon on 156th St. and Northern. I prefer Kyochon's wings, crispier and hotter. I've been meaning to check out Bon Chon, but a friend told me Kyochon is better.

[Glendale is hungry]

Thanks for the info! I've never been to Kyochon and should check it out. Kyedong (150-54 Northern Blvd, Flushing) is the place I went to and is also on Northern Blvd. only a few blocks away from Kyochon.