TL;DR: Um, fried chicken anyone? Do I have to elaborate upon that? If a yes is needed, this is no ordinary fried chicken joint we have upon us. What we have is one little humble abode that equally urges a friendly atmosphere, with quick and gregarious service, plus food that is just as much a treat on your tastebuds as it is your retinas. Even going into this place blind, from all the hype it has been given - it would still have lived up to it.
This neat spot in Coorparoo Square is bound for something great. Just around the corner from the main stretch, it equally has that hidden aesthetic, as well as being right center to it all. Lovely smells, and a constant hum of sounds seeps through the doorways beckoning patrons into their social lair. Keeping it simple, yet having such a wonderful appeal, the food is worth the price of admission.
It had not only come to having another PPV event showing on the WWE Network, but it was none other than TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs. Fans alike get excited for this one, as it often becomes one of the most enjoyable series, and it is a nice little way to wind down the year by going off on a strong note. Like with any other event over the past while, the idea was to get something to eat while watching it.
As it often goes with that tradition, it could only mean one thing. Jumping onto one of those trusty delivery apps. In recent months, I had noticed in my area some new places pop up including a couple of Korean locations. Truth be told, for one of the recent events I had considered ordering something from one of those, and the time was ripe at that moment. In a special treat to get something different from the norm, this place it was. All that was needed to do then was to gt onto the delivery app, plug in a few orders, schedule it, and follow all that up with merely sitting and waiting for the food to arrive.
When it came to the service, it did not take very long between it getting prepared, being cooked, and getting shipped to the house. By the time the box was open, all the fare was still pipping hot and ready to eat. What more could a man ask for?
The main part of the menu is the chicken, available in a range of different flavours - and it can get served as either boneless, or with the bone in it. I chose the latter, and reckon an option as a mixture could help - more for those who could have it either way. These can get a half or whole serve. Much akin to most similar places, it is not just one for chicken. Other popular bites are there, including a bim bim bap, some pancakes, plus a few barbecued meats, and a couple of other bites. This place is going to do just fine where it is.
Beverages are basically the general range of sodas for the menu on UberEats, and when dining in I can presume a good range of beers, ciders, sake et al are right there for the patrons' delight.
Getting onto the order, none other than fried chicken was the main part of the order, with a small side in addition. That was two half serves to be economical, and in doing that I knew I had to get the spicy version, and it came down to a coin toss between a couple of others with the garlic chicken coming out the winner. One of those orders got the additional requested to come with some fries.
From the moment the package was opened, my eyes were met with a site that immediately had my mouth watering. There is something within the way Koreans prepare fried chicken that turns it from a mere bit of comfort food, into one of those dishes you just got to show off that you just ate. A half serve conjures up over a dozen decent sized pieces. One neat little touch I liked was the newspaper-like packaging - briefly reminded me of old school fish and chips.
Now, in saying this it is not like I have had extensive experience overseas eating it. It is not like I have actually being to the homeland to propose the oncoming testimony. Even in that, while the amount of it not so wide-reaching to claim expertise, at the very least I have tried enough of the Korean fried chicken joints to be able to say this. The chicken here may well be the best that there is in town. That is not said lightly.
From the first bite to the last, this was some of the most tender, and succulent chicken, done in any mode which I have tried. Each piece was plump, crumbed really well, and had the sauce hug the skin thus infusing it with whatever flavour was chosen. The spicy one gave a bit of heat off, but nothing that will require you to reach for the water with desperation. In the garlic one, I could see big clumps of minced garlic hugging the pieces. Those clumps were strong, had the unique flavour associated with garlic, and it would be enough to keep the vampires away. Even the fries on the side were not too bad. They were crinkle cuts, and absorbed a fair bit of sauce on their way. There was a decent amount of seasoning, though they could be a little crispier in my opinion, and the internal part was cloud soft. As a mere additional side, they did well enough.
With how delicious both of these options were, it makes me more eager to try it out again some time and sample the other flavours that are available on the menu. When the fried chicken simultaneously has a soft tender texture, and gives off a good crunch, you know full well the cooks in the kitchen are doing a great job.
Heck, even my house mate being a vocal non-fan of Korean cooking overall gave it a shot - it is fried chicken, after all. Take that into account, when he considered this all to be top notch eating, then it has got to be tantamount to top of the line. And if it is this good upon delivery, at the actual restaurant, fresh from the fryer, it is a safe bet that the chicken would be out of this world.
Lastly, on the side I got one of their pancakes. Whatever Korean place you go to, you can do well knowing if it is worth its salt by how good the pancakes are. Thinking simplicity this time to offset the robust chicken, kim chi was the choice. The general comparison with kim chi would be akin to Vegemite - it is sort of a love it or hate scenario, and appropriately for me between the two, I can take it or leave it. In saying that, the taste of kim chi is pretty strong - particularly with the vinegary bite. What I will have to say is that it went well in the pancake. Heck, even my house mate was equally impressed by it - and this says magnitudes because I did win him with the chicken on a previous occasion, but the pancakes still were not his thing. It possibly had something to do with the batter here, which was light like tempura, and went down a treat.
Well, it is a safe bet in saying that Bistro Korea is off to a very good start. So far Coorparoo Square has an above average batting score, with this one doing that score a lot of favours. It is very ideal as a meeting spot on a whim, whether it be a small group, or a much more extensive one. Portions are aplenty, the food comes out fast and hard on a whim, and from looking into the place, the atmosphere has a fun appeal to it. That is just concerning the locale. The food here is tasty, having a lot of flavour bursting in your mouth, and it all is fresh as the order is placed.
This is as close to a top-notch restaurant in town, and one that signifies the strength of Korean cooking through something they have mastered to their own expertise: fried chicken. It has already made a mark in the local area, and soon word should spread across town that this is well worth an investment.
Final rating: 4.5 - it has its fingers clasped onto perfection.
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