Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Korean Fried Chicken Has Come To Howard County, And I Need To Go On A Pilgrimage

We're proud to carry Mad For Chicken!  Come try some!  on Twitpic
Tian's photo from Twitpics
Korean fried chicken appears to have come to Howard County -- a Mad For Chicken franchise being run from the Tian Chinese Cuisine on Rte 40 in Ellicott City.

Mad for Chicken looks like a franchising company.  Its Web site doesn't actually say "Korean fried chicken," but the pictures have the look of the twice-fried crispy birds that I have only been able to sample at a Bon Chon in New York.

Tian Chinese Cuisine serves Korean-Chinese food.  It's Chinese as it's sold on Seoul, and you should check it out for the house-made noodles that Tian's kitchen bangs out every day.  Delicious in a black bean sauce.

Tian tweeted about the new fried chicken yesterday.  I need to stop by the restaurant in the Lotte Plaza just east of Rte 29 to see if it lives up to Henry Hong's description of the Bon Chon product:

Its product is pretty typical, with an aroma that slaps you in the face with garlic (definitely powder and fresh, in my opinion); a glaze that possesses a pretty straightforward combo of salty, sweet, and in the case of the “spicy,” a fast-acting, mouth-filling heat; and an exterior that although is often described as “shatteringly crispy” is more accurately somewhere between crispy and crunchy, with just a tiny hint of chew. The meat itself is unseasoned, but extremely moist, protected from drying by its cornstarch cocoon. It’s good, finger-lickingly even, but not life-changing, and probably not worth a trip halfway around I-495. Not on a regular basis anyway.
Does anyone know if the Korean fried chicken stand ever opened inside the H Mart in Catonsville?

3 comments:

James said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
James said...

My Fiancée and I ate at Bon Chon in NYC's Koreantown on Sunday. If they are anything like what Bon Chon serves, this will be an amazing addition to Route 40! We were disappointed that they were outnof the Kimchi cole slaw but a side of pickled radiah with the spicy wings were a perfect combo. Now, bring on Pink Berry!

Sheena said...

I was at the food court next to Hmart over the weekend and I saw a fried chicken stand. I haven't been to that food court in years so I don't know if it's new or not. Unfortunately I didn't get to check it out as I was in a rush.

Have you ever tried making korean fried chicken yourself? It's surprisingly easy and is great when you don't feel like driving all the way to VA for the good stuff.