BBQ Chicken

After a few days of tacos, cinnamon buns and burgers it was time for a meal that was healthier. I noticed a restaurant down the street from my house that heralded the health of its food and made sure to play up the use of pure olive oil. I knew that Los Angeles was somewhat known for its health food, but it was finally time for me to get with the program. I walked confidently into BBQ Chicken, who’s t-shirts proclaimed it “the world best chicken family restaurant.”

It took me a long time to look through the menu and decide what I wanted, but out of the category of Olive Luxury Chicken I decided to go for the chicken strips. The woman behind the counter was nice enough to tell me that I could upgrade my order from four strips to five for the low, low price of zero dollars. There were so many different combos on the menu that two of them offered such similar things at the same price. Each meal was cooked fresh so I sat down at a table and listened to the Korean pop music while I waited for my food.

When the chicken arrived it was served with French fries, honey mustard, ketchup, and a knife and fork. I put aside the knife and fork and bit straight into the first French fry. It was well crisped but still large enough that one could actually taste the potato. The fries were great when dipped in the honey mustard, which was not as sweet as it is sometimes served. When I first bit into the chicken it was a little too hot for me to actually eat so I was forced to take a slight break and soak up some more Koreapop. When I was finally able to eat the chicken I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the breading was thin enough to not interfere with the taste of the chicken but substantial enough to have kept the meat very moist. The breading was also seasoned with enough red pepper to give it some kick, but not enough to make it painful to eat.

Health means different things in different places, but this experience had certainly taught me that I have no idea what the Koreans think is healthy. Since I have been concentrating on names recently, the second thing that I am still unclear about is what the Koreans think is barbecue. Categorical concerns aside, I really enjoyed the meal and think it is well summarized with a quote from the restaurant wall:

BBQ Chicken

10970 Le Conte Ave.

Los Angeles CA, 90024