Let’s start with a little KFC… Korean Fried Chicken… then we’ll go all Chinese, and end up in Sushi-land.
Maniko Fried Chicken, Felipe Vallese 3472, Floresta [w3w: cars.poems.mulls] – Not quite hidden away like the last new spot I posted about in Koreatown, but definitely off the beaten path – a block further on along the same street. What I didn’t know when I first spotted it was whether it was Korean style or Bolivian style fried chicken – given the neighborhood, it could have gone either way… or both.
The place is setup with just a few tables, and is on a couple of the delivery apps, so I’d guess their target is more chicken delivery, but they were open, and we grabbed a table, and checked out the menu. They’re all in on the Korean fried chicken world, but more than just the usual plain, soy, or spicy. They have a solid dozen or more options for sauces. A single order of chicken, we were informed, is approximately 900 gm, or about 2 lbs (why not 1 kg?). Big plus, you can order half and half of any two sauces, and they charge you exactly half of each for the total combo price, no upcharging for splitting it. All of which end up somewhere in the mid-400 pesos for a full order.
Given that the chicken arrived on our table in about 6-7 minutes, and that several delivery orders headed out the door, I’d venture a guess that they fry up the chicken in advance and are either heating it up quickly to order, or are just busy enough that the amount already hot more or less keeps up with their orders. And then they just toss the pieces with your order with whatever sauce(s) you picked. That was backed up by the chicken not being really hot – it was kind of hot on the surface, but inside was just warm, and quickly cooled down so that by the time we finished off the plates, we were eating room temp chicken.
The sauces? We went with the regular spicy, not the super spicy, and it was good, but not much of a kick. More interesting, the garlic sauce, with a hit of honey in it, which was delicious. It’s the sort of place that if I lived in their delivery zone, I’d probably order from again, but of the dedicated “KFC” spots in the two Koreatowns, I’d put it in fourth place out of four, and not overly close to third. If I was going to make the trip to Floresta, I’d much rather eat the chicken at Dagi & Myeoni or AZIT Chickenbar, both of which are within 2-3 blocks of this place.
Coco Resto Bar, Suipacha 833, Retiro [w3w: acid.hats.tenses] – I’ve walked past this place many times over the years, and while it has a sign out front that makes it clear it’s a Chinese restaurant and bar, there was something about it that just didn’t grab me. Maybe it’s looking in and seeing the decor – but that’s my prejudice for how a Chinese restaurant ought to look, no? It also may be that I’ve never seen a customer in the place, while neighboring restaurants are packed at lunchtime. It is expensive for what doesn’t look like a high end Chinese place like Beijing or Central, but hey, it’s right in the middle of the downtown area, so that’s to be expected. [Closed permanently during the pandemic]
The menu doesn’t hold any surprises, it’s got nothing on it that you wouldn’t find on any takeout/delivery Chinese menu in the city. The waitress, and the two cooks who are hanging out drinking sodas, and go back into the kitchen to make my order, are not Chinese. Doesn’t mean they can’t cook Chinese food, but it’s a rarity to see. I order up my most common “test” items – starting with a plate of potstickers. And, they’re not bad. The filling is good – it could use a little more seasoning, or ginger, or something, but they’re good, and they’re cooked right and not oily. 10 of them to an order for 250 pesos, which is a fair price.
On to a main course of Kung Pao Chicken, which I order up “actually spicy please”, and the waitress duly takes note. Apparently the kitchen does too, because those chicken pieces are coated in chili paste. It’s a little different way of making kung pao, there are no whole or sliced chilies sauteed into the mix, but instead, yeah, chili paste, and a fiery one at that. And damn, it’s actually really good, and a whopping portion that I only make it through half of. At 350 pesos for a portion, my first thought was it’s a little pricey for Chinese food, but hey, that’s a stereotype, and it’s really not that expensive given the peso devaluation. Still, I’m glad there’s enough to take half of it home for Henry, who approves of it thoroughly.
Interesting option for Chinese food downtown – I’d still be more likely to walk 4 blocks over to Jing Yue, but always nice to have options.
Okinawa, Belgrano – A new one that popped up on pedidosya for ordering sushi. Why do I do this to myself? Do I really think I’m going to uncover some hidden gem ordering from an online delivery service? Apparently I do, because I keep trying – 14+ years, and I think only twice I may have found a sushi spot worth visiting from having ordered online first. I need to stop. Because this is just more of the same. I don’t even know exactly where they’re located as I can’t find a listing for them in the city, but the delivery guy told me he came from Belgrano. Let’s just all <yawn> together and move on. And say that I’m glad there was a 40% discount on the order for the day, bringing this down to 660 pesos rather than 1100 pesos.
