Kyochon

Korea’s best chicken diner

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

With fresh food made of natural domestically-grown farm products, coupled with 20 years of know-how, using healthy oil exclusively for deep frying, Korea’s No. 1 chicken restaurant is definitely a must-try. Proffering naturally-aged meat that’s low in sodium, with neither glacial acetic acid nor sodium saccharin, diners get to eat the pure goodness of poultry as it should be.

“We make three promises. First, we won’t make fast food. Each dish has a time for preparation, storage temperature and cooking. There are no shortcuts. Second, we only use what’s natural and organic. And third, we only make healthy chicken with honesty,” enthused general manager Watari Mendigorin, during the store’s opening launch.

Starting from humble beginnings occupying a floor space of about 30 sq.m in 1991, Kyochon today owns more than a thousand stores in Korea alone.  What once was a lone outlet in the province of Guni has grown into a giant global brand.

“We cook food only when it’s ordered using fresh, not frozen, chicken. Kyo-chon literally means “start in town.” With this pioneering perspective, Kyochon started the double fry style of cooking with oil really meant for deep frying. The first fry takes water out of the food. The second fry takes the oil out from it,” informed marketing manager Chanky Tiangco.

Kyochon has become a nationwide everyday favorite in the Land of the Morning Calm. Double-frying and piece-by-piece sauce coating are time-consuming but these are the necessary processes for the brand’s nutritious chicken.

“Because we value quality ingredients and customers’ health the most, we only use domestically-grown, natural ingredients. Our chicken contains the lowest amount of sodium among the industry players, by naturally-aged meat without curing.

“Kyochon’s menu came to perfection by the combination of good ingredients grown by the wind, sunlight and soil, then preserved by state-of-the-art facilities, together with our chicken specialists’ research and passion,” shared brand ambassadress to the Philippine market Lydia Lee.

There are three chicken dishes to choose from: the spicy Red series that’s glazed with original hot sauce from Korea’s hottest red peppers; the sweet and crunchy Honey series that’s marinated for 24 hours in special seasoning then fried to perfection and coated with natural honey sauce; and my favorite Original recipe series that’s simply coated in an exclusive blend of soy sauce and garlic. Really yummy!

Eco-friendly is the basic interior concept of every food outlet. Every Kyochon restaurant is built with natural materials, providing comfortable ambiance to relax and feel Nature even in the heart of cosmopolitan cities. Other must-tries are the authentically-spiced Kimchi Rice and the healthful bowl of Green salad with grilled chicken strips. For the latter, you may opt for the mandarin orange or blueberry dressing.

Kyochon F&B is conveniently located at the ground floor of SM Megamall Bldg. B. Outside of Korea, its other outlets are found in mainland China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the US. For more information, simply visit the company Web site, www.kyochon.com.