Bonchon means “my hometown” in Korean, and the goal of this New Brunswick eatery is to bring Korean comfort food to customers around the globe.
Jinduk Seh founded Bonchon Chicken with the goal of sharing one of Korea’s favorite comfort foods with the world, fried chicken. With years of experience cooking Korean cuisine, he perfected a fried chicken recipe that is juicy, crispy and flavorful, according to Bonchon’s website.
The restaurant, which opened in June 2013 at 1 Penn Plaza, New Brunswick, has utilitarian décor in an airy, clean space.
Chicken is the star of Bonchon’s menu, offered in the form of wings, drumsticks and strips. Although the boneless white meat chicken strips are very good, I recommend the wings and drumsticks for maximum crunch factor
Shrimp Shumai comes with five pieces of shumai, served on a bed of baby lettuce with honey mustard mayonnaise and sesame seeds.
After choosing the type of chicken, customers have the choice of soy garlic sauce, hot sauce or half and half flavors.
I ordered the lunch special, for $7.95, available daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Customers have the option of eight wings, four drumsticks, eights strips or a combo of four wings and two drumsticks.
The special also comes with a side of pickled radish, coleslaw or steamed rice.
Since the food is prepared fresh, it took about 20 minutes for the chicken to arrive.
The fried chicken was crunchy, savory and sweet. With the crispy skin and light breading, Bonchon’s Chicken delivers a “crunch” that can be heard around the world.
When asked how Bonchon prepares their signature wings, New Brunswick franchise owner Henry Choi was reluctant to share.
“This is our trade secret, and [it is] no easy task to achieve the perfect crispy crust,” he said. “Lots of time, effort and planning definitely contributes to making the skin paper thin and crispy.”
I ordered my wings half with soy garlic sauce and half with hot sauce. The soy sauce provided a depth and balance to the savory chicken and the garlic flavor was not overpowering.
For those who want a “kick” in their chicken, Bonchon’s hot sauce glaze is the way to go.
It wasn’t spicy at first, but the heat hit after the third bite. Luckily the pickled radish calmed down my taste buds.
The acidity and slight sweetness from the pickled daikon radish complemented the savory wings.
In addition to their famous chicken, Bonchon also serves traditional Korean fare such as Bibimbap for $8.99.
Bibimbap, which means “mixed rice,” is traditionally served with steamed rice, assorted vegetables, red pepper paste and a choice of protein.
The bulgogi bibimbap at Bonchon came with thin slices of rib eye steak, pickled radish, sautéed carrots, julienned yellow squash, steamed spinach and a side of red pepper paste.
The crunchy carrots and pickled daikon paired well with soft rice and tender beef. The beef was seasoned well and had a mix of sweet and salty flavors.
Even more, a light sprinkling of sesame seeds added a nutty flavor to the dish.
Although I enjoyed the bibimbap, the temperature of the should-be hot dish was warm at best.
I was also disappointed to find that the dish lacked a raw egg as advertised on the website. Traditional bibimbap is served in a hot stone bowl in which raw egg is cooked against the sides of the bowl.
Nonetheless, the bulgogi bibimbap is a winner with its contrasting textures and flavors.
Bonchon’s Shrimp Shumai can be fried or steamed. This appetizer came with five small pieces of shumai and was served on a bed of baby lettuce topped with honey mustard mayonnaise and sesame seeds.
The shumai was soft but lacked flavor and had no discernable pieces of shrimp. For $3.99, I expected a more generous, higher quality portion.
For students on the go, the restaurant offers delivery and pickup services.
“We can even cater to those who have difficulty finding parking by offering curb side pickup on Church Street directly behind our location,” Choi said.
Overall, Bonchon serves fresh food with a mix of Korean, Japanese and Chinese influences in a clean environment.
If you enjoy fried chicken, Bonchon’s crispy soy garlic and hot sauce glazed chicken will increase your expectations of fried chicken. I recommend you to order the biggest size you can because this chicken is addictive.
Originally published in The Daily Targum
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