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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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Three Squares

I recently heard about this place in Frisco, took a look at the menu and immediately decided I need to go. haha. Three Squares opened on July 4th so it's only been about 2 weeks. It's located right in front of the Cinemark entrance in Frisco Square.

Three Squares
5680 Frisco Square Blvd. Ste 1400
Frisco, TX 75034
(972) 204-5460
http://www.threesquaresfrisco.com/
Price: $$

I liked the decor. It's very open with large windows so it's nice and bright. They've got a good size patio area too. You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you. I had a hard time deciding what I wanted.. Too many good choices vs debating on whether to stay healthier or not. hahaha. But if you look at the menu, it's easier to be bad than good. :P

I opted for "BFD" Breakfast For Dinner (slow roasted pork belly, sunny side up egg, house made pork hash, sweet potato fries, belgian waffle, maple syrup, horseradish aioli) $12~ 

I love breakfast food any time of day so this is perfect. Plus it's got a little bit of everything I wanted to try. And then of course... PORK BELLY! Can't turn that down. The dish wasn't as big as I was expecting it to be, but that's quite alright. It was plenty filling for me. The pork belly was tender with a nice amount of fat and paired well with the pork hash, which was a tad dry. The waffles were great. Nice and fluffy and the maple syrup just made it better. I think the dish can be plated differently? The egg covering the pork made it less impressive. I had to move things around to get a picture of all the elements. haha. Oh.. and they left out the sweet potato fries so I told the waiter. They brought me an entire side of sweet potato fries. Holla!

Sweet Potato Fries (smoky ranch) $3~

These were fantastic!! Super hot, just made, thick cut. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. I'd say one of the best sweet potato fries I've ever had. And I've had LOTS of sweet potato fries! The smoky ranch dip went really well with it. I also dipped some in my maple syrup! What What?! hahaha. It was awesome! :P

Here are some stuff my friends got. We had a big group so I was able to sample lots of different things! :)

Vinney's Grandma's Chicken Parmesan (breaded chicken, marinara, mozzarella, taleggio, parmesan, fusilli pasta) $13~

This was a giant dish. The chicken cutlet was bigger than my face! It was fried nicely too. And a giant heap of cheese on top... a bit too much I think. haha. But you can always scrape it off, which my friend did. The marinara had good flavor. She ate it all! I was impressed! hehe.

Caprese Pasta (vine-ripe tomatoes, roasted garlic, mozzarella, basil pesto cream sauce, parmesan, fusilli pasta) $10~

This was pretty good. I only tried a little bite but I liked the pesto cream sauce. Throw some bacon bits or pork belly in there and I think they'd have a winner. :P

Tots (horseradish aioli) $3~ The tots were fried well. I liked them a lot.

Housemade Pork Hash (honey baked ham, crispy carnitas, warm dijon potato salad) $5~ The hash on its own was meh. It was kinda dry. It was much better in my BFD. My friend didn't care for it.

Hogs Heaven (slow roasted pork belly, smoky cheddar, grilled red onions, lettuce, tomato, mustard seed ketchup, brioche bun) $10~

They brand their buns... that's pretty cool. hehe. Looked pretty good with the slab of pork belly on there. I didn't like the giant layer of cheddar cheese though. My friend said it was pretty good, not great.

Three Squares Burger (housemade pork hash, smoky cheddar, sunny side up egg, lettuce, tomato, smoky ranch, brioche bun) $9~ This looked awesome. The egg was runny and the yolk poured all over the burger. Yum. haha. I didn't get to try it but I heard it was good.

Philly Chicken (garlic roasted chicken, seasonal farm roasted vegetables, caramelized onions, jalapenos, provolone, mustard dressing, ciabatta) $8~ This looked pretty good too. Didn't get to sample any myself. But my friend really liked it.

I liked the food and the ambiance. It would be a great brunch place. Plus I gotta go back and try their S'mores French Toast! OMG!!! haha. The waiters are all very nice as well. The food took a while to come out but that may just be because it just opened. I'll definitely be back!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Vegas 2012: Carnevino

The last night in Vegas I made a reservation for Mario Batali's Carnevino. I watch him all the time on Iron Chef and The Chew! And I've heard amazing things about his restaurant. 

We arrived on time and were immediately seated. It wasn't packed at all while we were there. The place was quite big despite what it looks like from the entrance. 

Carnevino Italian Steakhouse - Palazzo 
3325 South Las Vegas Boulevard 
Las Vegas, NV 89109 
(701) 789-4141 
http://www.carnevino.com/home.cfm 
Price: $$$-$$$$$+ 

We were greeted by our waiter with menus and served some water. He later came back to give us a background of the food and their specialties. He seemed pretty knowledgeable of the food. 

After we ordered we were served compliments from the chef. Three Cheese Zeppoli (Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Parmigiano Reggiano). It was light and airy. Not bad, but I wasn't blown away... 

Another waitress came by and served us some Rosemary Focaccia (with whipped unsalted butter and Pork lardo butter with rosemary). OMG. The way she described the pork butter was amazing.. but I was underwhelmed with the flavor. They should put some chopped up bacon in there or something. haha. 

For the appetizer we got the Grilled Octopus (pickled vegetables and limoncello) $25~

This is the main reason I wanted to come here. My foodie friends have told me that they have the absolute best octopus they've ever had. The waiter also recommended this... they've won awards I think? And indeed they should. The most tender preparation of octopus I've had. Tons of flavor... hint of spice, hit of acid, it definitely wakes up your palate. Very very good. 

For the entree I already knew what I wanted. The 2nd reason I chose to come here. haha. I got the Spaghetti Nero (crab, jalapenos, and shallots) $25~ 

I love squid ink pasta and I really wanted to try theirs. I mean Mario Batali is Italian, the pastas HAVE to be good right? hehe. I liked the flavors a lot. The jalapenos added just the right amount of heat. And there was plenty of crab throughout. However, I felt the pasta was a tad undercooked. And I love al dente pasta and this was even a bit under for me. And I'm sorry to say.. I found a few crab shells in my dish. That's a bummer given the caliber of this restaurant, they should be more careful... Other than that I still enjoyed it. But I rather have the squid ink pasta at Spoon in Dallas any day!! 

My friend ordered the Spaghetti Ai Frutti di Mare (slightly spicy with clams, giant shrimp, lobster and calamari) $31~ 

It looked really good with all the seafood on top. The pasta was cooked a little better than mine. But the lobster was overcooked and dry. The sauce had nice flavor though. 

Another friend got the Veal Chop (20oz bone in; Rubbed with special blend of sea salt, thyme and porcini powder) $85~ Natural, pasture raised veal from Strauss Farms. 

He ordered it medium rare but I think it was more medium. Still quite tender but for $85 it should be spectacular. The flavor was light so you can actually taste the meat, which I liked. But all their meat dishes are a la carte which I hate. I think if you are spending big bucks on a piece of meat, the restaurant can at least give you some sides to go with it. We're poor young people so we didn't want to break the bank. hahaha. The $85 splurge was already big enough so it was just basically a piece of meat on a plate. haha. 

We were too full to have dessert. But I wasn't really into trying anything either. I guess I had really high hopes for this place with the celebrity chef I watch all the time plus the recommendations by my friends. I wasn't impressed. I would rather spend my money at John Tesar's Spoon right in Dallas!! And the waiter, even though he was professional, wasn't very friendly. It seemed like he couldn't wait for us to finish and leave just because we weren't dropping bank on this meal. It made me feel like we didn't belong there. Sigh~ The other assistant waitress/waiter were all great though. 

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

LA Trip June2011 - Umami Burger

After hearing many great things about Umami in LA, I knew I had to try it. We went the first night after we arrived in Los Angeles.

UMAMI (URBAN)
1520 Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 469-3100
http://umamiburger.com/
Price: $$

We went to this location because it opened a little later than some of the other locations. Plus it has a full bar. I think each Umami location offers slightly different menu items and the decor is also unique to one another.

It looked like a pretty trendy place. And at 10pm, it was still pretty packed. We got lucky and got a table right away.

We weren't even that hungry since we had a meal on the plane, but since we're here...might as well try some different things right?? :P

We got the special: Truffle Fries $6~