Featured as MEGA FASHION HALL: 10 BEST New Restaurants @SMMegaMall in 2014!
KYOCHON, which started the double-fried chicken craze in South Korea in 1991, is finally in the Philippines! But Filipinos are not that familiar with the brand despite its #1 double-fried chicken status in Korea.
(For reference, BonChon was founded in 2002 but they are more popular because they were first to enter New York in 2007, while KyoChon entered Manhattan only in 2010. Similarly, BonChon had a head start in Manila in 2010.)
The double-fried chicken technique was invented to remove the fatty oils from the chicken and still make the skin crunchy and flavorful. KyoChon takes pride in the fact that their chicken has no glacial acetic acid, sodium saccharine, and MSG. They also use canola oil with zero transfat to fry their chicken. 🙂
I’m happy that they are finally here in Manila!
KYOCHON Philippines
Upper Ground Floor, SM Megamall Building B, SM Megamall,
EDSA corner Julia Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong City
Telephone: +632 997-3333
Website: www.kyochon.ph
Facebook: Kyochon
Twitter: @KyoChonPH
Instagram: @KyoChonPH
Operating Hours: 10.00am to 9.00pm
Kyochon’s first flagship branch opened at the Ground Floor of SM Mega Mall Bldg B, near the new Fashion Hall.
It exudes the same ambiance of their restaurants in South Korea, with a modern industrial look, wooden tables and chairs, and big light bulbs.
Love the caged stone accents, which provide a clean rough wall texture.
KYOCHON MENU: Original Series | Red Series | Honey Series | Soonsal Series | Combo | A la Carte | Salad & Side Dishes | Beverage | Kyochon Story & History | Kyochon’s Chicken Love Story
The menu is simple, with 4 fried chicken choices and optional side dishes.
The entire store showcases its official endorser, K-Pop Star Lee Min Ho.
We did a taste test of the different variants, and here’s what we like…
✮ Original Series – Wing/Middle Wing (5 pcs. – P149 +5% service charge). Crunchy and crispy chicken coated in our exclusive soy garlic glaze. Warning: Highly Addictive!
The original is the best because you can taste the soy garlic flavor, not only from the skin but from the juicy meat inside. The wings are small with crunchy skin, not oily, and bursting with flavor on each bite.
It’s recommended to eat it with Kimchi Fried Rice. 🙂
✮ Red Series – Wing/Middle Wing (5 pcs. P149 +5% service charge). Glazed with the original hot sauce made from Korea’s hottest red chili peppers! Recommended only for the brave ones.
This is really spicy, just the way I like it! I hate it when restos offer a chili version but tone it down for non-chili lovers.
It should pair well with a Korean beer like Cass, but they unfortunately don’t have any authentic Korean beers on the menu. 🙁 I hope they import them.
Honey Series – Wing/Middle Wing (5 pcs – P149 +5% service charge). Marinated for 24 hours in our special seasoning then fried to perfection and coated with natural honey sauce. Sweet and Sticky.
This was really sweet, but the flavors were just on the outer layers. It would have been nice to also taste the flavor in the meat.
Soonsal Series Strips (Small Size 4 pcs. – P149 +5% service charge). Bonesless chicken breast stripes coated in special rice batter that you won’t find anywhere else! Comes with a choice of 3 dipping sauces!
This is the Korean version of chicken fingers. It just tastes ordinary. Best for the kids or if you like eating your chicken without the mess (like when watching a movie).
Glad to have Marvin Conanan of Purveyr join us for the KyoChon taste test!
I love KYOCHON‘s Original Series and Red Series Chicken Wings. Order the Kimchi Fried Rice if you are going for a heavy meal. Budget about P200/head.
In the future, I do hope they offer authentic Korean Beers to complete the experience.
The Megamall branch is quite busy because it’s near the entrance of the mall and the new SM Fashion Hall. Best to go during non-peak times to avoid the crowd. Please open more outlets soon. 🙂
Thanks to the restaurant group that brought in BreadTalk, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, ToastBox, Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen, and Chops Chicago Steak House for finally bringing KyoChon to Manila!
KYOCHON Philippines
Upper Ground Floor, SM Megamall Building B, SM Megamall,
EDSA corner Julia Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong City
Telephone: +632 997-3333
Website: www.kyochon.ph
Facebook: Kyochon
Twitter: @KyoChonPH
Instagram: @KyoChonPH
Operating Hours: 10.00am to 9.00pm
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: Our meal was courtesy of #MegaFoodTour @SMMegaMall. Read Our Awesome Planet Complete Disclosure Policy here.
P.S. Love the wet napkin with transparent gloves because this chicken is definitely best eaten with the hands!
Mas masarap ba ito sa 4 Fingers or Manang’s? Yung Bonchon matagal nang nag degrade ang quality eh.
We had the chance dine out at kyochon yesterday and much to my dismay, kyochon chicken is overrated. The wings is overcooked, making it a bit challenging to chew. The soonsal series chicken strips (which they claim is marinated in their secret marinade for 24 hours) is bland and nard to chew also. Very disappointing 🙁
Kyochon (UP Town) is overrated. They microwaved our food and, when asked about it, they freely confront a customer as if it were a presidential debate. Never ever going back. Very bad customer service.