Korean Fried Chicken in London [Closed]

My dad was a cook during the Korean War.

Something very bad happened, ever since you can't get him near a kitchen 

George Costanza (Seinfeld episode “The Fatigues”) 

I have been looking for a nice KFC in London. No! I’m not talking about the chain but Korean Fried Chicken. I tried this in Melbourne and loved them immediately. But I finally found one place in London. Jubo is a Korean canteen in Shoreditch. Residence on the Bedroom Bar, classic menu with fried chicken, steak sub, steamed buns, and of course kimchi. I hadn't seen a menu like this since my incursions in Melbourne. 

The place

Menu

We went straight to business wings and strips, half soy garlic and half hot & sweet. Great flavours, perfectly cooked crispy and tender, the garlic was the favourite. 

KFC

Then some slow cooked pork belly buns, traditional approach, pickle cucumber, hoisin, and sriracha sauce. Really nice, good flavours again. 

Buns

Hirata style

Finally the Bulgogi Sub. Bulgogi skirt beef, caramelised onions, peppers, and cheese. Nice, good flavour, served in a soft bun style. 

Sub

Jubo is my finger food kind of place, good flavours, nice beer selection, and great fried chicken. I love this new addition to our restaurant circuit. The chicken was so good we kept ordering more and more.

More Chicken

Jubo

T: 020 7033 0198

Korean Cuisine

Approx Damage: £30pp

Area: Shoreditch

Borough: Hackney

Twitter: jubolondon

---

View Larger Map

---

Korean Fried Chicken the secret of the Colonel [On The Road: Melbourne]

I do like chicken even that in the culinary world is considered a bit of a boring protein. Here in Melbourne there are a couple Korean places that specialised in chicken and beer, what else can be better, probably a baseball match to have the perfect trilogy. Looking for options I got to a post from BurgerMary, where she recommended a place called Gami, funny fact the place is not more than 20 metres from my hotel, so yada yada yada, I ended eating in the place. 

The place

Small, simple, and bright, meaning that the lights could illuminate a baseball field. Pretty packed, the only person not Asian in the whole place was probably me. Checked the menu even though I knew the droids I was looking for, they have 3 flavours, original, sweet chilli, and sweet soy garlic source, sources, don’t think is my typo actually the menu says source instead of sauce. BurgerMary in her review quite accurately highlighted not to go for the flavour ones as after a couple bites they get harder to eat, but probably as you will do after reading this, I had to learn from my mistakes, yada yada yada, I got a flavour one. 

Inside

Extra source

Decor

I ordered a Hite, Korean beer, a half chicken original flavour, and 6 chicken wings sweet soy garlic. The beer was light and nice, even the slogan is clean and pure. The chicken was great, nicely fried, tender and juicy inside, the wings surprisingly after the second one I couldn't care less for the source, sorry sauce. 

Beer and nibbles

Chicken time

Wings time

Nice place, simple food, finally I discovered the Colonel secret came from Korea, probably Frank Costanza brought the recipe. 

Colonel secret?

That reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Fatigues” 

George: Dad 

Frank: What are you wearing, an athletic sweat suit? 

George: What are you doing here? 

Kramer: Well, he came by to pick up his check for the banquet hall. You know I got a hundred and eighty-three responses? Oh, it's going to be a rager 

Jerry: Kramer, how are you going to cook Jewish delicacies for a hundred and eighty-three people? 

Kramer: Yeah, you're right. That's a lot of pupkitz. Hey Frank, you know anybody who can help me cook? 

Frank: Cook? No, I don't know any cooks. I don't know anything about cooking! 

Kramer: What's the matter with him? 

George: My dad was a cook during the Korean War. Something very bad happened, ever since you can't get him near a kitchen 

Kramer: Shell-shocked? 

George: Oh yeah, but that has nothing to do with it

Gami

T: +61 3 9671 3232

Korean Cuisines

Approx Damage: AU$ 20pp

Neighbourhood: CBD

Melbourne

---

View Larger Map Get Directions View Bird's Eye

---

Naru Everyone is Welcome

A few months back I was invited by my friend Sarah to a Korean restaurant Naru, I couldn’t resist and I immediately said yes. They described themselves as traditional well being retaining distinctive flavours and natural seasoning. In my opinion it is traditional flavours with an international twist to make it more globalise and modern.

First sign that the food was going to be good was that the place was full, second sign most of the people in the restaurant were Asians. Naru delivered as expected. First Gun Mandu (hand made dumplings) and Ke Sal Ssam (Traditional Korean Pancakes with crab, mixed salad, slice courgettes, carrots, mushrooms with mustard honey sauce), and for main I tried the Korean crunch chicken mixed with surprising dressing.

If you like Asian flavours go and try the Korean cuisine, and you might bump into Frank Costanza’s Korean girlfriend as in the Seinfeld episode “The Understudy” where Elaine wants to take Frank to the parlor to tell her if the Korean girls in the parlor are making jokes about her.

Frank: I had an affair with a Korean woman.

Elaine: Uh, Mr. Costanza, I …

Frank: No, I feel I need to unburden myself. I loved her very deeply. But the clash of cultures was too much. Her family would not accept me.

Elaine: Mr. Costanza, I, …

Frank: Maybe it was because I refused to take off my shoes. Again, the foot odour problem. Her father would look at me and say, "eno enoa juang ". Which means, "this guy, this is not my kind of guy".