I'll be real with you
Are you with me right now? I need you to lock eyes with me. Stop screwing around and trying to do anything other than read this review right here. Tell your kids to hush, ask your partner to finish their boring work story in a second, and stop paying attention to the road. Hear me now, hear me loud, hear me proud:
This food is impossible.
I went in with my expectations at a comfortable "ah yeah gonna get my food on" kinda thing. I was hungry and just needing to fill that gap. I wasn't expecting to have my brain ripped out of my skull with just how unique this food is.
I've eaten at a lot of places. I do a lot of cooking myself (hence the... Well, yeah). I took my first bite of the Triforce basket which was a bao street taco of sorts, and wasn't sure what to do. I kinda rejected it at first, just because I was so unsure of what I was eating. I had never had anything like it. They weren't afraid to season the whole bite, which is something I encounter a lot; chefs supplementing a more mild flavor for broader appeal to your grandma.
Your Granny's food, this is not.
There was a smokiness about the first bite, as well as a cheeky Tang, and a helping of heat from the accompanying pepper sauce. All packaged neatly into a soft, warm bao bun, that made me feel like a whole-dang man ripping into.
The next one was the Korean pork BBQ one. I'm not a huge fan of pork. Never have been. I'm not going to kid you and say this changed my mind. But what it did do is give me a different appreciation for the approach. It was SWEET. Not like biting into a cookie sweet, but like a tangy richness that gave it a less stringy and dry texture, which is the problem I have with most pork. It was truly well done.
Last. And most.
That Korean fried chicken tho
Insane. It was like if General Tso had an illegitimate love child with Popeye's chicken. I use Popeye's just because there's not a whole lot of relatability if I said "some really tender fried chicken." I don't want you getting the idea that the chicken is somehow derivative of Popeye's or even flavored like it. It has its own amazing profile of umami and sweetness. Perfectly balanced, coated just enough, and makes me wonder when I'm going to be able to buy it on a shelf.
An amazing place that I will visit frequently. Chubby Panda and Chef Joe are destined for a sit-down restaurant eventually, and I'll be there on opening day with a bouquet and empty stomach. read more