Good Fried Chicken, Seoul

When I was little, like 5 years old, fried chicken for me was like ambrosia. Whether they were made at home, or from KFC or Roy Rogers, I did't care. The salty cripsy batter was what I liked. Sweet and sour one made at home was a rare treat. No birthday was complete without fried chicken. (Or at least some grilled chicken).


As I grew up, however, I began to stay away from them, conciuos of the fat. I never really was a friend chicken person until I got to know about Good Fried Chicken, a.k.a GFC. During a rainy spell a few summers ago, I spotted a fried chicken shop where people were lining up outside despite the weather. I got curious so decided to see how good it was. I liked it. It tastes simillar to KFC's Hot and Crispy Chicken. The owner used to work at (whisper)KFC, so no surprise there. Before I go further, I must point out that GFC is not amazing. But it is very good value for what it is.

The packaging is very retro





The piece on the left corner is revealing its flesh and bone under the crispy batter because I took a bite before taking pics.

The shop also has eat-in place, but I never ate there. I think there is 500 or 1000 KRW mark up if you eat in. You can also drink draft beer if you eat in. But no worries if you don't want to eat in but still want that beer. Staff members fill up a plastic bottle for you to bring home.


There are 3 chickens on the menu -original hot and crispy, yang-nyum chicken (original hot and crispy smothered in sweet, sour and spicy chili sauce) and bul-dak yang-nyum chicken (literal translation of bul-dak: fiery chicken. yang-nyum:spice/sauce . Yes, it is original hot and cripsy smothered in bul-dak sauce). I never tried bul-dak variety because bul-dak - it is actually a very very hot barbecued chicken morsels- is too spicy for my stomach. Besides, it is a new addition to the menu. I stick to my favourite.


I must confess that hicken yang-nyum used at GFC is not special. It is similar to other chicken yang-nyum. But I like the idea that it is also sold by a small pot for dipping. But I find it less overwhelming than others. I normally go for orginal chicken with a pot of yang-nyum. I am so not a yang-nyum person but I go for this - still an unsolved mystery in my mother's eyes-.


The oil they use is clean, too. Some shops do not change oil for days -just gross, isn't it?


The shop keeps a pile of chicken next to a fryer. When you place an order, a staff will refry it fo r you- maybe 5 mins. There is a timer for each fryer which beeps when the time is up.


GFC claims to use unfrozen Korean chickens. And it is just ￡3.50 for a whole original chicken and ￡3.75 for yang-num chickens. It used be just ￡2.50 but the price had to be adjusted to inflation I suppose.