Monday, October 26, 2009

Finger Lickin' Good? Korean Style Fried Chicken in Johns Creek
















I am late to jump on the Korean Fried Chicken bandwagon, but I'm there!  I am planning to give a couple of recipes a try in my home kitchen in the not too distant future.  In the meantime, I recently visited a couple of spots to sample their versions.  Both are located in the same Super H Mart-anchored shopping center in Johns Creek.  My first stop: Love Letter Pizza & Chicken.


This was strictly a visit to sample the chicken.  While I was intrigued by their "Asian Style Creation" pizzas (particularly the Sweet Potato variety), I decided to save it for another time.  I picked up a batch of their regular fried whole chicken and the Sweet & Mild wings.  The regular fried chicken was quite good, not greasy and had a delicate, crispy crust.  I only wish that it had a little bit more "oomph" in terms of flavor.  Between the two varieties I sampled, I kept going back for the Sweet & Mild wings.  The sauce has the slightest hint of spice to give it a bit of a kick. There is nothing bland or boring about these wings.  As an aside, I could probably munch on pickled daikon all day if possible-I just love the stuff.  I'm not the biggest fan of mayonnaise so I skipped the coleslaw.

About a week ago I stopped by Johns Creek Hot Wings, located inside the Super H Mart food court.  As luck would have it, they were having a 'weekend special': a whole chicken for $9.99.  I zeroed in on the Garlic Tasty version and went with that.  It took a little longer than usual to receive my order so the nice guy behind the counter threw in an extra batch of their Sweet & Spicy variety at no charge.

The Garlic Tasty: wow!  Some of the best fried chicken (of any kind) that I've ever had.  From the first bite, you get this delightful burst of garlic flavor with a hint of sweetness.  It is absolutely delicious.


Their Sweet & Spicy version packs quite a punch.  It's delicious though, and not so oppressively spicy that you can't appreciate the flavor of the chicken.

Having sampled both places, I'd say that the Garlic Tasty fried chicken is easily my favorite of all the varieties I tried.  While I enjoy spicy foods on occasion, I would probably opt for Love Letter's Sweet & Mild version over Johns Creek's Sweet & Spicy.   You really can't go wrong by giving both places a try-stop by and see which varieties tickle your fancy.



Love Letter Pizza & Chicken
10820 Abbotts Bridge Rd. #350
Johns Creek, GA  30097
(770) 813-8875
Love Letter Pizza and Kitchen on Urbanspoon

Johns Creek Hot Wings
10820 Abbotts Bridge Rd
Johns Creek, GA  30097
(770)476-1205

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4 comments:

  1. You're late jumping on the bandwagon my friend! Korean fried chicken is in a league of its own. There's one in the Assi plaza off exit 109 on 85 (what is that place classified as? Duluth?) that's famous in Korea. Haven't been able to try it out for myself.

    I also have a family recipe for Korean fried chicken on my site if you want to check it out!

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  2. Huh? I thought ToreOre closed months ago. The picture says it all: Johns Creek Hot Wings. So what gives? When I was there, I asked the owner of Johns Creek Hot Wings if they're the same as ToreOre and he said no. He also said that what they serve are not really Korean fried chicken but really American fried chicken with Korean spices.

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  3. Sean, please pass along the recipe-I'd love to try it! I'm going to have to check out the place you suggested at Assi Plaza (I've been meaning to make a trip over there). Thanks!

    Cheeni-my mistake, but thank you for the correction! Incidently, the guy who served me that day was wearing a ToreOre hat-I guess a holdover from the old ToreOre days. As far as the chicken, it seems like Korean-style fried chicken to me but if that's how the owner describes it I must defer to him. Thanks again for your comments!

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  4. I went to the one in the Super H food court today. I did 7 pieces of the Garlic and 7 pieces of the Sweet and spicy, and I dunno. I wasn't impressed at all. Maybe it's the irregular and random pieces if all white meat chicken that I didn't like. I could not tell where to hold the chicken because I had no idea where the bone was. Some pieces had no bones and some had small bone pieces, so you had to be careful where to bite. Just seemed weird to me. When I order drumsticks and wings, I expect all dark meat and know where the bone is supposed to be.

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