MELBOURNE | Anyone who’s travelled to Korea knows that as a general rule of thumb, the best places to eat are those that do one thing, and do it well. Bandak Chicken, Melbourne’s newest Korean fried chicken spot, opened in June this year and follows that philosophy. I popped in for What’s On Melbourne to take a look.
Bandak Chicken is owned and operated by classically trained, former Vue du Monde chef, Jayden Park, and radiographer turned restaurateur, Kathy Kim. Together, the duo have created a 10-seat, primarily take-away spot that’s all about serving up the best possible Korean fried chicken.
Chicken is delivered fresh each day, and everything from the coating to the sauces is prepared on site from scratch. The menu is simple, choose from either whole of half, bone-in or boneless chicken, or a serve of wingettes and drumettes. After being brined for 24 hours, the chicken is crumbed and single fried until it’s juicy on the inside, with a light, crispy exterior.
Flavours include Bandak original; sweet and spicy; smoky hot; soy, honey, and garlic; and lemon pepper. All chicken comes with a serve of pickled radish, and you can add optional sauces like ranch, and buldak (spicy chicken) mayo. Add a side of chilli cheese waffle fries, or cheddar cheese corn ribs, and your good to go.
The chicken is heavily, but not overly, seasoned, and is packed with flavour. Garlic, and fragrant flavours features heavily, and gloves with your order means you can dig in without getting messy.
Bandak Chicken is fully licensed, so along with non-alcoholic drink options like Galbae (Korean pear drink) and Bong Bong (Korean grape drink), you can also enjoy Korean beer and soju.
Bandak Chicken
203 Rosslyn Street
West Melbourne
Victoria 3003
Australia
Telephone: 0493 382 042
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Wed – Mon: 4:00pm to 9:00pm