Eats with Jeff #4: Samgyetang and Crispy Chicken

Crispy Chicken

If you know me, you know that I'm obsessed with chicken, especially if it's fried. Anytime I know chicken is in my future, I even do a little chicken dance. It's strange, but it's very much a part of who I am. Jeff knows this about me and suggested that we go to a samgyetang restaurant in Sajik. Samgyetang is a delicious soup that consists of a whole chicken, rice and ginseng. There are other components and they all meld together to create this savory stew. Most samgyetang restaurants only serve the one dish, but Jeff found a restaurant that also served crispy chicken. This chicken is special because it's cooked in an electric grill and not fried. The minute he mentioned the crispy chicken, I knew we had to go.

Banchan

The banchan or side dishes were really good. Most restaurants tend to stick to the same dishes, but this place had a few different ones. Also, everything was fresh and definitely tasty. After being in Korea for 18 months, I've had my fair share of banchan. I can tell if there is a lot of care put into the dishes and these were good quality. The flavors were not too overwhelming and had the write amount of spice and sourness. Surprisingly, my favorite was the chicken gizzards.

Samgyetang

Me, the owner and Jeff

We ordered two plates of the crispy chicken and one samgyetang. I think our stomachs lead the decision making. When it arrived, there was so much, but I tore into that delicious crispy goodness. The difference between crispy chicken and fried chicken wasn't that obvious. It tasted just like fried chicken and I didn't feel as guilty eating it. The samgyetang was delicious and very similar to the banchan. It tasted very clean and the major highlight was the chicken. I've eaten samgyetang before, but I try not to eat it often, since it is the highest calorie meal in Korea coming in at 918 kcal per serving.

The owner of the restaurant remembered Jeff and kept bringing little extras to us. He was so sweet and and seriously adorable. He walked over and would drop something off with a huge smile. His kindness only added to a delicious and wonderful experience.