Bon Chon: fulfilling my buffalo wings dream

I used to believe that I love buffalo wings. When I first saw the ingredients of a buffalo wing on TV, I knew I was going to fall in love with it, the spicy, crunchy, sweet, tangy, blue-cheese taste, I would close my eyes everytime I'd take a bite, or so I thought. So I went on looking for the best buffalo wings in town.

TGIF: so-so

JOHNNY ROCKETS: er....

STEAK PLUS: what's this?

After several more wings and disappointments, I finally gave up. I still couldn't find the best buffalo wings in town. Or maybe buffalo wings aren't that good to begin with. No more buffalo dreams since.

***

Then a friend and I stopped by Ayala Triangle after hearing mass one Sunday, and introduced me to Bon Chon, a restaurant originating from Korea, invading the US of A, and then the Philippines. The New York Times named it "THE BEST CHICKEN IN AMERICA".

The star of the menu is obviously the chicken, which comes in two flavors, Soy Garlic and Hot and Spicy. Since I ordered the 2pcs. drumsticks, I preferred having one of each.

There was a huge crowd inside the small Bon Chon store in Ayala, and people were still queueing outside. I kinda felt ashamed of what I ordered, it was small, compared with the basket of chickens ordered by the tables around us. But I was only there to try, not to feast. First came the perfect blend of iced tea, almost the same as Pancake House's house blend tea, Wendy's iced tea, my friend Miko's house tea, but with a tropical twist to it. It was really good.

Then came my two-piece chicken drumsticks. It looked like a pair of "buffalo drumsticks". I remembered how much buffalo wings disappointed me before but thank you Bon Chon, not anymore.

Bon Chon is not buffalo wings, but it was how I imagined it would be. It was crispy on the outside, tasty inside. I think it would go well with pretty much everything. Rice, bread, pasta, suede shoes and striped pyjamas. We even considered bringing a basket inside the cinema. But Shangrila malls and their strict snack bar policy. Phoey.

I was also able to try out their kimchi coleslaw. Wondering how they got the name kimchi coleslaw? It's kimchi-flavored coleslaw. Not in a million years you would have guessed that!
It's nice to see Korean restos keeping their trademark even with Western food, no? I have yet to try their fish tacos, pork chops in that Bon Chon breading, and also find out how many chicken wings I can consume in one hour. Hence, their chicken baskets.

I couldn't blame my neighboring tables for ordering 24 pieces of Bon Chon chicken, wings or drumsticks. It's either the servings are too small, or the Bon Chon chickens are too darn good. I'd have to go with the latter on this one. I almost didn't notice the thinning crowd inside the restaurant, as I was 101% face down on my plate.

More than the perfect recipe for chicken, Bon Chon has clean interiors, fast and friendly service, and a price justified well by their food. Now that is a good recipe. With a very limited menu, Bon Chon has a lot to offer its customers.

Bon Chon easily gets a spot in my top chicken places in the Metro.

Price: from P45-P400

AYALA TRIANGLE GARDENS
10am to 10pm daily

GREENBELT 1
Sunday to Thursday: 10am to 10pm
Friday to Saturday: 10am to 11pm

MEGAMALL
Sunday to Thursday: 10am to 9pm
Friday to Saturday: 10am to 10pm

ACROPOLIS
10am to 10pm daily

Food :                               *****
Ambiance:                       *****

Service:                   ****

Cleanliness:             *****

Experience:             ****
Value for money :   *****

Servings:                 **