chimaek – Jellybeans in the City

K-pop and K-Chicken at Kko Kko

Still on a high from your latest K-drama binge? Got an urge to get close to your K-pop idols?

Well, hie yourself over to the nearest Kko Kko branch then!

There you can take selfies with Hallyu and K-pop stars as you partake in the cherished Korean meal: the chimaek. It consists of crispy double-fried chicken and cold beer, best enjoyed with your buddies.

You can share a Chicken Fondue (Php598 half | Php998 whole) with the fam like the group I saw when I dropped by. You can dip boneless chicken pieces (your choice of flavor) and other finger food such as onion rings, fries and nachos in hot gooey cheese inside a bread bowl!

You can also get your favorite fried chicken variant for take out, just like I did!

Giving in to my daughter #ExhibitA’s request, I ordered 6 pieces Korean Fried Chicken (Php558) flavored with Yangnyum glaze. She loves this sweet and spicy duality of the sauce, while I love it when she’s happy. (#MotherOfTheYear!)

These crispy and flavorful chicken pieces can be enjoyed on their own (papak Pinoy-style), paired with beer if you’re with friends, or eaten with rice and kimchi, with some soda drinks as a family meal.

This Kko Kko branch is located at The Sapphire Bloc, 35 Garnet Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, open daily from 11am to 11pm.

Other branches are located at Trinoma Mall in Quezon City, Market Market in Taguig and Festival Mall in Alabang.

Kko Kko Chicken also delivers via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

To know more about its offers and promos, follow Kko Kko Chicken on Facebook and Instagram.

Last few days to get a taste of Chef Park’s Truffle Honey Chicken

We’re down to the last few days of February, and if you haven’t gotten a taste of Chef Park’s Truffle Honey Chicken, I suggest you get down to it pronto! 😋

The Korean invasion is going strong in the country with K-pop acts dominating the airwaves, K-dramas dominating the playlists and K-barbecue not letting go of its hold of the dining public.

However, another Korean item has been steadily making its presence known: K-chicken!

This style of cooking and enjoying fried chicken is characterized by crisp boneless chicken pieces with tender and juicy meat smothered in flavorful glazes, giving rise to new chicken possibilities.

This month, for example, online fried chicken store Chef Park’s released its limited-edition flavor: Truffle Honey!

This new chicken variant adds the sweetness of honey and the earthiness of truffle oil to the Korean Fried Chicken.

It’s perfect as a meal with steaming-hot rice, or as something to munch on while binge-watching your favorite K-dramas.

Enjoy it as a Single Happy Rice Meal for Php325 or in a Chicken Sharing Box good for two to four people for Php545.

But like I said, you better hurry up and place your orders stat since this flavor is available only within February.

In case you missed this limited-time offer, you may still opt for Chef Park’s regular flavors: Yangnyum, Soy Garlic and Garlic Parmesan, each available for Php295 as a rice meal or for Php495 as a sharing box.

Chef Park’s is a cloud kitchen that operates from #23 9th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City (between Col. B Serrano Avenue and Liberty Avenue), accepting orders from 10am to 7pm daily.

To order, call +63 977 8030111, email chefparksph@gmail.com or visit its website.

Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:

Now available at Gangnam Wings, Megamall: Samgyeopsal Sets!

My love for Korean food is well-documented in this blog and in my social media accounts. This love has only been further stoked when, urged by my husband and daughter who are both K-drama fanatics, I started watching Goblin. Everytime I see Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook and Kim Go-Eun either wolfing down or sedately eating samgyeopsals or ramyuns, I would find myself near to salivating.

I was happy to discover this Korean chicken-and-beer joint located at SM Megamall during a recent Zomato Foodie Meetup.

Named after the upscale district in Seoul made famous by Psy’s earworm of a song, the place had a lively and informal vibe, with playfully designed interiors (check out those rubber chickens!) and K-pop music videos playing in the background (yes, including songs from Goblin OST). Gangnam Wings is well-suited to the after-office crowd who will be craving for their chimaeks (chicken and beer) after a day’s work.

This resto is well-known for its authentic Korean fried chicken: crispy skin and tender juicy meat enhanced by distinct sauce coatings. Even its dishes have that playful vibe with its most popular orders named (not surprisingly) after famous Korean dramas: Goblin Wings (Php280 for half dozen pieces), which is a combo of three sauces – the Original Crispy, Garlic Soya, and the Sweet and Spicy – Php280; and Descendants of the Chicken (Php548 for ten pieces), which consist of any 2 combinations of sauces from Korean Buffalo, Korean Barbecue, Honey Garlic, Soya Yogurt and Spicy Asian. These sauces indeed have distinct flavors but, surprisingly, I liked them all, even the Korean Buffalo which was quite spicy.

I would recommend pairing the chicken with Beef Bulgogi Fries (Php298). These consist of thick fried potato wedges topped with beef bulgogi bits, aromatic herbs and a special mayonnaise.

A surprising piece de resistance is the Ginseng Chicken (sorry, I didn’t get the price :-)). A whole spring chicken is boiled, together with herbs and seasonings, for an hour with rice inside, such that the rice cooks while inside the chicken. The closest it comes to texture and flavor is the arroz caldo but with significantly less rice and a lot more falling-off-the-bone chicken.

For dessert, we had Rockmelon Bingsu (Php280), shaved ice with melon balls served in the melon shell and topped with a big dollop of vanilla ice cream. I can imagine myself eating this with my kids to ward off the summer heat in the near future.

I also sampled two of its Sojuritas (soju cocktails): the Watermelon Soju (Php688)and the Yakult Soju (Php248). Both were refreshing drinks with a little kick but I had to stop myself at two shots apiece as I still had to drive myself home. (By the way, I much preferred the tangy sweetness of the Yakult Soju, but then again, I was never a big fan of watermelon anyway.)

However, the real star of the show is the affordable Samgyeopsal Lunch Set which are now available for lunch and dinner. From 11am to 2pm, diners have the choice between Unlimited Pork at Php349/head, or Unlimited Pork and Beef at Php399/head. From 5pm to 8pm, on the other hand, Unlimited Pork is priced at Php449/head, while Unlimited Pork and Beef is priced at Php499/head. These sets come with unlimited meat, rice, ice green lettuce, side dishes (such as kimchi, mini potato balls, sweet fishcakes, vinegar radish, bean sprouts and onions, all prepared fresh in the kitchen) and iced tea.

Currently, all of these Korean barbecue sets will be composed of unmarinated meats but marinated variants are being considered for future offerings.

A concern that was raised was the absence of exhaust pipes to suck out the smoke from the cooking meats on the dining tables. Surely, the lunch crowd will not appreciate smelling like inihaw when they get back to their offices after their meal break. Owner Rinky Tuano assured us that this concern has been considered and will be addressed by air conditioning and the exhaust in the kitchen.

Gangnam Wings is located at the Megastrip Unit 1-114 Upper Ground Floor, outside Building A, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City. Other branches will open soon in San Fernando, Pampanga, Sta Rosa, Laguna and in Antipolo, Rizal.

Disclosure: Together with other Zomato foodies, I was invited to attend a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

At the request of Gangnam Wings, this post was updated to reflect the new pricing of the Samgyeopsal Sets.

Samgyeopsal for lunch at Oh My Korean Grill and Chimaek

Again, another Korean food joint that set my heart all a-flutter.

Located just a stone’s throw away (if the stone couldn’t get far because you have a particularly limp arm) from my office, the newly opened Oh My Korean Grill and Chimaek resto features an arresting light pine and dark wood facade and industrial minimalist interiors with some K-pop accents. Since it’s newly opened, it doesn’t that greasy-smoky smell that seem to permeate other Korean grill joints, and worse, gets transferred to your clothes by the time you leave the restaurant.

Chimaek, in case you’re wondering, is a portmanteau of “chiken” and “maekju,” the Korean word for “beer.” So chimaek simply means “chicken and beer,” probably a good idea for harassed office workers at the end of a stressful day.

It’s not a good idea, however, for office workers out on their lunch break.

So, together with a couple of friends, I ordered the following:

Samyeopsal (Php250). Thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat.
Chadolbegi (Php300). Thinly slice beef brisket
Plain rice for each of us

While the meats were being grilled at the next table (thankfully, so that our group won’t smell like barbecue when we get back to the office), we were served soup and banchan, side dishes, of kimchi, soy potatoes and dried anchovies.

Once cooked, I wrapped some bits of the meats – seasoned with salted sesame oil and soybean paste, together with some rice and thin slice of raw garlic, in the lettuce leaves provided. To add some kick to each bite, I added some of the spicy kimchi inside the wrap.

The service was quick and efficient, and the staff were warm, polite and helpful. I’m looking forward to trying out its other offerings, particularly those with cheese: the Cheese Kimchi Bokkeumbap (kimchi fried rice with cheese and veggies) and the Cheesy Ramyun (Korean ramen with a twist of cheese).

Check out my posts about other Korean restaurants:

Why not try your hand at cooking Korean food at home? Check out these recipe books on Amazon.com!

Want to try some recipes today? There’s no need to leave home to shop for ingredients. With Honestbee, just order your groceries online and you’ll get them delivered right at your doorstep at your preferred time. Use this referral link and get Php500 off for a minimum spend of Php2,500. You can download the Honestbee app on iTunes or Google Play.

If you’re in the US and an Amazon Prime member, sign up for a free trial of Amazon Fresh to get your groceries delivered to you.