I saw a review earlier about someone nabbing this after watching a Korean drama. With the pandemic in full swing, I found myself in a similar situation, and craved the famed KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), where chicken and beer is conspicuously showcased in every K-Drama I've watched.
I found myself here every couple of days just to try out another flavor, and to make sure it wasn't a one-off. Consistency is important, and it succeeded.
Chicken comes with both coleslaw and pickled daikon. So far I've tried:
1) Crunch Fried Chicken: get this if you want a light texture and a taste that emphasizes the chicken more than the batter. This is likely the chicken with the least amount of calories of the bunch, and is my second favorite item at Vons.
2) Crispy Fried Chicken (Spicy): this also comes mild, but if there's one area of criticism I have for Vons is that the spicy variant isn't spicy at all -- merely a touch of heat. I wished it was spicier, and "saucier", but probably something I can expect with Yangyum (haven't tried this one yet, but judging by the redness, I think it may be heavier than what I'm looking for, but next on my list to try). Overall, this is thicker, flakier, browner, and "heavier" than its crunchy cousin. It has great flavor and is my favorite of the ones I've tried.
3) Crispy Garlic Chicken. Same great taste but with garlic added to batter. It's not overly garlicky. One can call this "fried chicken with aromas of garlic" and it would capture the essence well.
4) Crispy Fried with Honey Butter Chicken. This one was too sweet for me. The honey and the butter had a unique great taste, but the ratio misses the mark for me. My wife seems to like it though.
5) Rice cake (spicy). Because I had takeout, the flavor had a taste of "would be incredible 20 mins ago" due to the hints of light crispiness that became soft. Even then, this was pleasantly chewy and had great spice! When the pandemic is over, I'll have to dine in to really enjoy this one.
How does Vons fare to other places like Chicken on Fire (down the street) or Bonchon (next city over)?
- The oil used is FRESH. Chicken on Fire, while delicious and flavorful, always felt like the oil has been sitting out and stale for a long time. This is unfortunately a regular occurrence for most fried chicken places I go to, and it leaves my body feeling pretty crappy for a few days and wanting to avoid fried chicken for a couple of weeks. With Vons, it's done in a way where it's something I can regularly eat if my diet allows (it doesn't).
- Compared to Bonchon, the chicken at Vons actually tastes like chicken: juicy, steamy, plumpy, and a perfect batter-to-meat ratio. Bonchon's was acceptable for me, but let's face it, the chicken typically tastes old and a bit artificial. It's like comparing McDonald's Big Mac patty to Five Guy's hamburger patty -- both are tasty and acceptable in their own right, but only one tastes like real meat.
For beer pairing, I like this with a premium lager or any pilsner. This cuts through the fat, cleanse your palate, complements the chicken flavor, and makes it easy to enjoy more of either. And as much as I love IPAs, they typically tend to trounce and clash with the chicken flavor.
Lastly, what's amazing is I've gotten all of these as TAKEOUT and it still tastes really crispy and delicious even after driving 20-some-odd minutes home. I can only imagine how good this would taste if I was able to dine-in and have it served fresh.
This is an easy favorite and is now my current go-to. If you know of a better korean fried chicken place in the east bay, please drop me a note! read more