Gang Jung Chicken Cafe

Last Friday I had a hair appointment in the H-Mart area in Carrollton. I rarely venture over there anymore so I got some of my friends to meet up for dinner in that area. There are so many new places to try!

I wanted to go check out Gang Jung Chicken Cafe. They specialized in Korean fried chicken, which I love!! I never got to try BonChon in Dallas, although I was told it wasn't good anyways. Now, I've had BonChon in Korea and it was sooooo good.

Gang Jung Chicken Cafe
2680 Old Denton Rd # 156
Carrollton, Texas 75007
(972) 306-3100
Price: $-$$

This place is pretty new. Opened in the fall of 2013. It's located in the same corner as Spa Castle. It's a cute place. Not very big. Wooden tables and benches, a very typical Korean look. You order at the counter and pick up the order at the counter.

5 of us got there around the same time so we went up to order. The guys behind the counter were very nice and tried to explain the menu to us. There were 2 sides to the menu: Gang Jung and Fried Chicken. From what I could understand, Gang Jung is still fried but the sauce on the chicken is more sweet and comes with rice cakes. Spicy Gang Jung is spicier than Crazy Spicy Chicken which confused us. Because if you call something craaazy spicy, I expect it to be hella spicy. haha. I found the menu a bit confusing but the guys were patient and gave us recommendations (despite a little lacking in English). They also let us taste the different spicy sauces. They said we should get 4 mediums to share between the 5 of us. And that comes with 4 sides.

Here are the sizes and prices:
Small (Chicken breast or wings; with 1 side) $8.99~
Medium (Chicken breast or wings; with 1 side) $13.99~
Large (Chicken breast or wings or whole chicken; with 1 side) $17.99~

So we took their recommendation and got a mix of spicy and non-spicy flavors.

Spicy Gang Jung (garlic, red chili, soy sauce, capsaicin, hot powder). We chose Chicken Breast for this. 

This is supposedly the spiciest of them all. It was just spicy enough for me, but I eat pretty spicy in general. My friends that don't eat spicy couldn't handle it. I didn't think it was insanely spicy though. The chicken breast was amazingly juicy and tender. The chicken pieces were quite large. The batter was a little thick, but was crispy and partly softened by the sauce. I liked the batter but some friends didn't care for it. This also included fried rice cakes which was awesome! I loved the added texture after it's fried. The sauce flavor did have a certain spice/flavor that was interesting. The whole night I was trying to decide if I liked it.

Crazy Spicy Chicken (corn syrup, soybean sauce, garlic, hot sauce, capsaicin, hot powder). We got these in Wings. 

This was my favorite. It was also spicy and sweet like the Spicy Gang Jung, but it didn't have that extra spice. The wings were pretty large and juicy. I will definitely get this again. With the different sizes, the number of chicken breast pieces and wings are different. You get fewer wings to chicken breast per order.

Soy Garlic Chicken (soybean sauce, soy sauce, potato starch, onion, garlic, garlic powder, soybean oil). We got these in Wings. 

One of my friends wanted sweet, so they recommended this. This was my second favorite. It was definitely sweet, but worked very well with the garlic. Again, the wings were nicely fried and very juicy.

Green Onion Chicken (deep fried chicken with green onion in creamy green onion sauce; soybean sauce, onion, garlic, mustard, garlic powder, caramel syrup). They said this is their best seller and is very good with Chicken Breast. So we took their suggestion. 

The bottom is basically regular fried chicken and topped with a ton of shredded green onions. Probably my least favorite out of the bunch. The chicken was fried well and very moist but it was lacking in flavor, especially when it's next to all these awesomely sauced other flavors. The sauce comes on the side. It's a little sweet, slightly creamy and has a mustard-y, horseradish-y flavor. The sauce is much needed for this and was able to make it more unique. I'd skip this next time. I wonder why it's their best seller?

French Fries $2.50~ We also got an order of fries. They made some extra so they gave us another order for free! How nice! :) The fries were good. Paired well with the chicken.

Sides:
Daikon Radish. Pretty standard. The radish is a little sweet, a little tangy and helps cut the spiciness and greasiness from fried chicken. It's quite refreshing.
Corn Salad. It was like coleslaw with corn in it. I liked it with the chicken. It was good to have some veggies with all this meat!
Rice. Steamed rice. Pretty standard. haha.

So while we were deciding what to order, another friend showed up and ordered before we even noticed. :P He got a medium Parmesan Chicken (deep fried chicken covered with parmesan powder). He chose Wings. 

We all shared. These were quite popular at the table. I feel like it was the first to disappear. I thought it was ok. I prefer the Korean sauces and stuck to the other ones more.

OMG. We killed it all. There was nothing left. I just kept eating, and eating, and eating. Anything fried is always so addicting. It was a lot of food too... I'd actually say we'd be ok with 4 mediums among the 6 of us... I really enjoyed our meal though. I hope to go again soon. :) I'm so happy that we have good Korean fried chicken in Dallas again. Just a warning... if you don't like sweet and savory, this is not the place for you.

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Nobu - Chef's Tasting

A while ago I bought a deal on Living Social for a 6 course chef's tasting at Nobu Dallas for 4 people. I've been to the original Nobu in NYC and was not impressed at all but this deal was pretty damn good. Plus I had an additional discount on Living Social so that knocked the price down even more! Turned out to be about $46 a person after tax and tip. I think we saved over 50%!

Nobu
400 Crescent Court
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 252-7000
http://www.noburestaurants.com/dallas
Price: $$$$$+

I have never been to the on in Dallas. It's inside the Crescent Court Hotel (beautiful btw, if you haven't been). You can either park in the self parking garage and get your ticket validated at the restaurant, or you can do valet... I think it's like $4 if you are dining there.

Our reservation was at 7:30, and we got seated immediately once we checked in. The place is much bigger than I imagined and the decor is great. A lot of great accents on the walls and dim mood lighting.

I went with my fiance and 2 other friends. One of my friends was running late so we ordered our drinks and waited for her (for as long as we could... haha). My fiance got a hot tea. I loved the teapot. 

And my other friend got some sort of cucumber drink.

Finally we told the waitress to start serving, we were too hungry to wait any longer! XP

1st Course: Yellowtail Sashimi (jalapeno slices, soy sauce). 

Very nicely presented. We were a little worried about the portion size since we were all very hungry. And usually tastings have smaller portions, right? The yellowtail was super fresh. The waitress recommended us eat a piece with a slice of jalapeno and a cilantro leaf. I don't like cilantro, but the combination works. It was a good start.

My friend made it before the 2nd course came out. Seared Salmon (Japanese spicy sauce, shaved radish). 

Really good salmon. Fresh. I loved the spicy sauce, even though it wasn't really spicy. And the super thinly sliced radishes added a nice crunch and lightness. I liked this better than the first dish.

3rd Course: Miso Cod (with eggplant). 

I love miso cod. So much flavor and usually melts in your mouth. This one met the expectation. It was delicious. I even ate the eggplant! (I'm not a fan, usually.) I said I would love to have some rice to go with this and others agreed. So we got a bowl of rice to share. Great combo. I ate very slowly to savor it all. Best dish of the night, although so far everything has been delish!

4th Course: Tenderloin (with Peruvian anticucho sauce and spicy sauce). 

 

We were all worried we would still be hungry after this meal, but this course started making me change my mind. haha. The tenderloin looks small but man, I was getting full! I would've liked the meat more medium rare, it was closer to medium. But it was still super tender. I really liked the flavor on the meat. The duo of sauces were interesting. I'm not sure if I liked either of them. I think the meat can hold its own without the sauces... The charred pepper was actually quite spicy when you get to the part with the seeds. It added a really nice heat to the dish.

5th Course: Tuna and Yellowtail Roll (with avocado and spicy sauce). 

For some reason I had it in my head that this was a 5 course meal. So I was a little confused when they served us sushi for what I thought was the last course. I quickly found out it was 6 courses. hehe. Score! I was officially full by now. This was a big course! I am determined to eat it all. haha. Really beautiful rolls with the thin slices of radish around the outside. The pyramid presentation is cool too. And the colors from the fish and avocado made me think of a painting. Delicious too. I loved the radish on the outside because it gave it a crunch and freshness. The only complaint is that their wasabi wasn't strong enough! :P

6th Course: Miso Cappuccino (milk chocolate miso brulee, vanilla ice cream, candied pecans, cappuccino foam). 

For our last course, we saw a waiter carrying these around earlier and peaked our interest. Miso cappuccino? How cool! It came in a cute little cup. I loved the presentation. The foam was puffy on top and looked so good. I kept forgetting it was foam and expected it to be more like a mousse consistency. But it really was foam. Super light. But to eat it, you scoop all the way down so you get all the layers. The candied pecans added a crunch, a much needed texture. The miso brulee at the bottom was the best layer. Rich and sweet. It was a really great, and unique dessert. I didn't get much of the miso, but I think it mostly added a slight salty element so that it brings out all the other flavors. Now give me a giant mug of it!!

This was a great meal. Completely different than my initial experience at Noby NYC. (Everything tasted the same there for some reason, and ridiculously overpriced.) I'm glad I got the deal. This is not a cheap restaurant and I don't know if I would pay $20+ for any of our starting dishes... I wonder if a la carte dishes are slightly bigger in portion. But anyways, I got a great deal. The food was delicious. I loved the decor. And we were all stuffed afterwards! Service was also really good. Sometimes the waiters bringing the food aren't very good about describing the dish but that's probably my only complaint. The manager came over after to scan my deal and she was super friendly. Asked for our opinion of each course and told us what the chef's thought process was for each one. I like learning about those things. Makes you appreciate the creations more.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Mian Cuisine in Plano

Went to check out this Taiwanese noodle place in Plano (by 99 Ranch) on Sunday. It seemed to have decent reviews plus we don't really have that many good Taiwanese restaurants in Dallas so I wanted to try it out! 

Mian Cuisine 
121 W. Spring Creek Pkwy. #311 
Plano, TX 75023 
(972) 517-1688 
http://miancuisineplano.com 
Price: $ 

The place was pretty packed on a Sunday night. The decor was pretty standard as far as Chinese restaurants go... nothing fancy. The menu looked pretty good. I wanted to try so many things. Sorry I don't remember most of the prices but everything was under $10. 

But the first thing I noticed is that service is pretty lackluster. The water I ordered never came. I had to ask twice. And then the water glasses were never refilled until I asked them again. But it didn't really phase me. This is almost expected at Chinese restaurants. I know it's a terrible expectation but they tend to hold up to the stereotype. :( However, I'm there to try the food, the service is secondary. 

I got the Chili Beef Noodle Soup $6.99~ 

Since they are known as a noodle shop, I should try the noodles, eh? It was a huge bowl! There was a ton of noodles...more noodle ratio to meat. But I loved the texture of the noodle...cooked al dente and had that nice chewy bite. Many people compared this place to King's Noodle in Richardson and said it wasn't as good. But I thought it had more flavor than King's Noodle plus the noodles were cooked better. The meat was tender and the broth was actually spicy! It also had a hint of sweetness from the daikon that was in there. I liked it a lot. My mom makes the best Beef Noodle Soup in town, hands down, but I'm ok with this one as well. I'd order it again for sure. 

My friend got the Pork Chop Rice. 

Which is usually my go-to but I wanted to try their noodles. But this way I get to try the pork chops as well! hehe. It comes in a bento box, the portion size is pretty decent. The pork chops were pretty thin but were cooked well and I liked the seasoning on the batter. Reminded me of flavors in Taiwan (and being a Taiwanese restaurant...it SHOULD, right? haha). Not too bad! 

We also got the Hand Grab Scallion Pancake. 

They also have the regular scallion pancake but this kind is better in my opinion. It's looser and more "fluffy". It was a big portion for 2 people to share. Nice crispy top layer and good texture throughout. Yum! 

So I also read online that they have pearl milk tea for $1...so I had to verify! Yes and no... it's a dollar if you spend a specific amount and the lady wasn't very clear on it. But since our dinner was pretty cheap we were only able to get 1 for $1 the 2nd cup was like $2 and some change. Still not bad. But... it wasn't good. Really sweet (artificial tasting) and the boba was not good. I'd save the dollar and go to Fat Straws or something. hahaha. 

Anyways, it was a good dinner overall. I'm glad this place is much closer to me than King's Noodle. So now if I want Beef Noodle Soup and my mom isn't here... I know where to go. :) 

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Chicken House

Chicken House
2625 Old Denton Rd., Ste 620
Carrollton, TX 75007
(972) 242-5500
Price: $$

This past Sunday, I went with a couple of people to check out the new Chicken House in Carrollton, in the H-Mart Shopping Center (Old Denton and 191). It's located next to the new frozen yogurt place, My Cherry-o.

Initially we thought it was a Korean fried chicken place (which we got sooo excited over cuz it's SOOOO good!) but were told that it was different. Still wanted to check it out though.

Walking in, the decor was pretty cool, and every table had this giant pan/skillet thing in the middle. Not your typical Korean BBQ grills. There's also seating on one side of the restaurant where you sit on a platform...like Japanese style. :) We chose to sit there.

The menu was pretty small and located on the walls. They only offered chicken...hence this name "CHICKEN House". We weren't quite sure how things worked but we looked around and saw all the other tables cooking things in that pan. Looked sooo yummy! We let the waitress advise us on how to order. She was super nice. Initially
we thought it was charged per person (since that's what was stated on the menus), but it's actually "per order". She told us that for 4 people it was enough to get 3 orders of their Chicken Galbi $14.88~ (per order). Then we also added Rice Cakes and Sweet Potatoe $1.88~ (each order).

Usually in Korean restaurants they give you a lot of small plates. Here we only got kimchi and spicy daikon. Which is fine, since kimchee's my favorite thing anyways. We also got some lettuce leaves and bean sauce.

The waiter (I think also part owner?) showed up with a giant plate of raw ingredients: cabbage, sesame leaves, chili paste, chicken, rice cake, sweet potato, onion, and green onions. He dumped the whole thing into the pan. We waited for the pan to heat up and I started mixing all the ingredients with the giant spatulas. Man...it was hard work!! And super hot from the heat of the pan.

A few minutes later, he came back to help stir for us. While doing that, he told us that this was the first one of this kind of restaurant in the US (although I found on Google today that there's one in Hawaii...). Also, he said the pan weighs 17 kilograms. It's pretty massive. Being the professional, he was doing a much better job mixing it all than me. hahaha. Soon the flavors and colors from the sauce/paste was infused into everything and the smell was just fantastic. After about 15 minutes of mixing, he told us that the veggies and rice cakes were ready. And once the sweet potatoes were done, then the chicken is done too. Usually takes about 20 minutes for the chicken to cook through.

It was delicious. I really liked how there were so much veggies in the dish. With the lettuce wrap and bean sauce it was even better. The kimchi was also very good, nice and crisp, good flavor. When everything is almost done, they bring over a big bowl of rice with sliced veggies in it. They dump it into the pan with some more chili paste and mix it up to be fried rice. The rice gets a nice crispy crust on the pan, it was great!! (I was too busy eating to take a picture of the rice...sorries. :P)

We also tried their special cold noodles (Chun Chun noodles?). I normally don't like Korean cold noodles, but this was super light and refreshing. Really balanced the hot chicken bbq very well.

It was a great meal, and fun too! I was sooo full after. Definitely will be going back in the future. I recommend everyone to go check it out. It's something different! :)

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~