By: Ishrak Ramzan
Just about everyone has probably had fried chicken at some point in their lives, with its crispy breaded exterior and its hot, juicy interior, it is arguably the archetypal comfort food. However, Vons Chicken is anything but ordinary, and with its diverse menu of Korean style fried chicken, everyone is sure to find something to enjoy.
The first item I ordered was their regular crispy chicken, which featured a light and fluffy coating with herbs and spices. I would say that this was the item that I enjoyed the most; it featured traditional flavors, but was still innovative. The chicken inside was cooked all the way through, but not to the point of being tough and stringy.
Next, I got a serving of the crispy yang nyum chicken: (fried chicken tossed in honey, gochujang (a type of Korean chili paste), and spicy sauce). This was another good item, but compared to the crispy chicken, it had a few flaws. I felt like the chicken itself was a bit too thick considering the amount of coating there was, which made the dish feel unbalanced. The sauce also felt too sweet, overpowered by the honey in it, rather than being a mix of sweet and spicy flavors as it was advertised.
The third chicken item that I decided to try was the eponymous Vons chicken, which unlike the other two items was oven baked, rather than being fried. Tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce with notes of garlic, I actually liked it a lot. It worked well as a dish on its own, but I could also see it going well with the different rice side orders on the menu.
Besides the chicken items, I bought a side order, in this case a serving of the sweet potato fries to mix things up. In my opinion, they were cooked very well, with an exterior that was nice and crispy but still having a soft inside, the ideal fry.
Overall, eating at Vons Chicken was a good experience that featured a variety of different takes on the traditional fried chicken. Despite being a bit overpriced, the restaurant definitely feels more like a place where one would get a meal, as opposed to a snack or a quick bite to eat, and I think it serves that purpose well. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interesting in trying a fresh take on the classic fried chicken.