It's funny how timing and seasonality will drive our cravings. One real interesting thing, at least for me with having the Big List is to notice habits. For instance, I was recently wondering how Bonchon was doing and decided to drop by for the lunch special….if it still existed. When I took a look at the list, I noticed that all my visits were in January. Granted one of them was a take out visit….but that was in January as well! And I also realized that I hadn't been to Bonchon in three years!
So, I decided to drop by for lunch and arrived a few minutes after 11. Man, the exterior of the place is looking kinda worn down.
It was almost strange to see tables and chairs in the place. The last time I was here, everything was stacked and moved to the side, making it a huge cavernous space.
I went and ordered what I'd enjoyed the most during my visits; the lunch special 8 piece wings soy-garlic, with pickled radish as the side, now priced at $13.45. For some reason, I was craving kimchi, I hadn't ever tried it at Bonchon, so I went with a side order ($3.15). The young man working was very efficient and quite nice. And soon enough my wings arrived.
Man, I forgot how much mul kimchi is provided. These weren't as sweet as I recalled and provided and was a good foil for the sweetness in the wings.
The baechu kimchi actually wasn't bad. Slightly fermented, good spice, I was rather surprised.
As for the wings; well it's a personal preference; I prefer crisp over highly battered and too crunchy. I enjoy smaller wings with a good skin to meat ratio, rather than jumbo, meaty, and often dry wings. This is why I had enjoyed getting the wings from Bonchon. So, how did these fare? Well, it seemed to be more "sauced" than I recall, though it was evenly coated. The sauce seemed a bit sweeter as well, I would have enjoyed a bit more pungency. The coating was crisp, but I'm glad I had this onsite since I don't think it would have stood up as takeout. The wings were moist, the meat tender, though I did see some black spotting, which can lead to off flavors, but this was fine. And for some reason, it brought back memories of our "KFC" visits to places like Kkanbu and Mirak in Seoul.
Well, in the end, perhaps I'll find a new K(orean) F(ried) C(hicken) place in the future, but for now Bonchon will do just fine for a yearly (January) fix!
Bonchon
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
So, tell me, where are you getting your "KFC" fix these days?