Two Two Fried Chicken - Myeongdong - Seoul, South Korea

Two Two Fried Chicken

Fried chicken has become a part of the Korean culture and it's literally everywhere. It may be a shocking fact, but the Koreans are famous for their fried chicken and many have even proclaimed it to be another version of KFC but even better, known as ‘Korean Fried Chicken’. It is usually eaten with beer and the term ‘fried chicken and beer’ has become the norm. Sharing is a big thing in Korea as they like to enjoy food with family and friends, bringing about the popularity of the fried chicken.

One thing that differentiates Korean fried chicken from normal fried chicken is the process of cooking the chicken. The secret to that ultra-crispy, crunchy, minimal oil and juicy interior fried chicken is a process called ‘double frying’ which involves deep frying the chicken twice. This ensures the fat from the skin is rendered out, creating a thin and crispy outer shell.

Two Two Fried Chicken is located in the shopping central of Korea, Myeondong. It is a franchise outlet and part of one of the biggest chains in Korea with over 500 stores in Korea alone. They have also expanded to a number of locations worldwide. It is relatively easy to spot as the words ‘Two Two’ in are English so you shouldn't have much trouble locating this place.

This small restaurant is family owned and operated.  The male elderly does the cooking of the fried chicken at the front and the female elderly appears to be the waitress as she escorts you to the table and takes the orders.

I love how the menu was in full colour, written in English and had photographic images of the dishes, which made the ordering experience very easy as the waitress spoke limited English. The menu does have options other than fried chicken but we were here just for the fried chicken. 

Side dishes is essential in Korea and here they serve the plain daikon pickled radish instead of the usual kimchi. It was so yummy!

Salt and pepper for extra seasoning if needed. 

As we couldn't decide between the original or the marinated, we got the ‘Chicken Mix and Match (KRW 17,000)’ which allows you to choose two types of fried chicken from a range of marinades such as spicy, garlic or teriyaki. 

We choose the original and spicy. The serving is not the biggest so best shared between two at most, unless you’re not very hungry, then it may feed three. For the price, we were expecting much more chicken. 

The chicken was coated in a light batter and the skin was fried to a golden brown colour, leaving an extremely crispy and crunchy exterior. The interior was still moist and tender but the breast meat was a bit dry. 

 It came with a side coleslaw like salad with cabbage, mayonnaise and chilli sauce. Strangely addictive and really good with the chicken. The perfect side accompaniment.  It was finger licking good.

The chilli fried chicken was drenched with a sweet chilli sauce and we found that it too saucy and a bit hard to eat. Nevertheless, the chicken remained crunchy. 

The original fried chicken was the preferred of the two. Simple and plain but still flavoursome and scrumptious without that horrible greasy after taste. I was amazed at the lack of oil on my fingers as I usually associate fried chicken with a lot of oil but this was near grease free.

Plus the mandatory ‘Korean Beer (KRW 4,500)’ which we later found out was actually German style beer.

The fried chicken here is good but it wasn't the best as parts of the chicken were dry and lacked that juiciness, as the chicken may have been left to rest for too long after the first fry.  However, the positive is the location. In terms of location, it is easy to find and get to so if you want decent fried chicken then this is the place to go.

The Two Two Fried Chicken branch is in Sydney! Their first outlet in Australia is located in the Korean dominated area of Strathfield. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when this came up in Google search. Woohoo! Can’t wait to try their version and see how it compares.

Where?

6-4 Namsandong 2(i)-Ga
Jung-gu

Seoul

South Korea

Phone no: +82 2 2275 2297

Opening Hours

NA

Website

http://www.22chicken.co.kr/en/