Heading home after work I walk along Spring Garden Ave, a small street spanning one block in North York that’s lined with restaurants. Over the past few years, a couple of the spots have turned over with Mymy Chicken, a chain of KFC shops from Korea, being the newest resident. When I first saw the signage for Mymy going up I was super excited for another KFC spot close to home. Since Mymy opened their doors a few weeks ago, I’ve already been twice.

Atmosphere: Prior to Mymy, the restaurant on Spring Garden was a Korean spot specializing in Budae Jjigae and before that a Japanese restaurant. In it’s latest iteration, the large dining room was dark and cozy with dim lighting and dark food furniture. There were intimate leather booths and square tables that could be pieced together to accommodate big groups. Conversation was lively with beer and soju flowing at tables. On my second visit, the restaurant was packed and I can already foresee long lines in the future.

Service: During our first visit, the restaurant had just opened and we stopped by just as they opened for dinner. Servers were quite attentive and friendly and checked in us frequently. During our second visit, the restaurant was much busier and service was a bit more frantic. Our table was tucked away in the corner so it was harder to get someone’s attention, but when servers did come by, they were happy to help. Side dishes were refilled generously.

Food: After settling at our table and placing our order, we were served a bowl of radish, salad and cup of freshly popped popcorn. Both the radish and salad could refilled throughout dinner. I really liked the popcorn, which had a touch of butter and was lightly salted. It was a great snack to munch on while waiting for our KFC. The salad of shredded cabbage was generously dressed with a thousand island dressing and the radish was crunchy and an excellent compliment to the fried chicken.

Mymy Chicken has a variety of flavours with 6 dry seasoning variations to their basic KFC including cheese, onion, chilli pepper, curry and retro. There was also a selection of saucy flavours. On our first visit, The Hubby and I ordered the half-half of Original and Sauced Spicy. The chicken itself was juicy and the batter was crunchy and well seasoned. I did think the chicken was on the smaller side, but very flavourful. I really liked the spicy sauce, which was tasty without burning off all my tastebuds. Of all the flavours I’ve tried so far, the spicy sauce was my favourite, and one of the best ones I’ve tasted in Toronto.

During our second visit, we also tasted the Onion and Cheese flavour, which were both the Original KFC with an added seasoning powder. The cheese flavour reminded me of nacho cheese and was interesting, while the onion flavour used onion powder. Between the two, I liked the cheese flavour more but was expecting actual real cheese. It was an interesting twist, but I did like the regular and spicy sauce the most.

Overall, I am very happy to welcome Mymy Chicken to North York and am looking forward to many more visits. Next time, I am eager to try to the Green Onion Chicken.

A month before our wedding, I was hit with a huge craving for KFC (Korean Fried Chicken). Fried chicken wasn’t really part of “wedding diet”, but my appetite is stronger than my self control. It helps (or not) that The Hubby also can’t resist fried goodness. So we drove up to Home of Hot Taste for a weekend dinner.

Atmosphere: Walking up to the restaurant, The Hubby was worried. “Are you sure this place does KFC? There’s lots of ads for other Korean dishes”. I assured him we were at the right place. The restaurant was casual and had lots of high, private booths, perfect alcoves for binging on chicken and beer. While we ate, quite a few customers came by to pick up take-out orders. I could see the space filled with families for dinner and shifting to a younger crowd, later at night.

Service: One downside of high booth walls was how hidden we were. If the server wasn’t paying 100% attention, it was sometimes hard to get his attention. Other than this, we were seated quickly, food arrived hot and service was standard. A few weeks later two of our friends stopped by. They tried to order the spicy chicken with the sauce on the side, they meant to order the regular chicken with the sauce on the side. Rather than correcting them or giving them options, the server said the spicy chicken was as is. This may have been a language issue but it would’ve been nice for the server to be flexible, offer ideas, or different menu options if their order didn’t make sense.

Food: For the two of us, we ordered a whole order of Original Fried Chicken with a side of Spicy, Sweet Sauce. I really wanted to try one of their Blazing Fire plates but the price and portion size would’ve been too much food for two people, especially as The Hubby didn’t want anything spicy. The side dishes also looked like full plates, so we just stuck with chicken.

Only two side dishes were served, an iceberg salad and pickled radish. On the menu it listed the cost of ordering additional side dishes ($0.50 for radish). This was a little disappointing, but again not the reason we were at the restaurant.

Our platter of fried chicken arrived with a cup of seasoning (salt, pepper, etc) and spicy sauce. That sauce, holy cow that was spicy. I was glad we ordered the original flavour and I could control the heat myself. Even then, a few drops was fire and my lips were burning. Drenched in the sauce, each bite would have been a challenge to eat.

The chicken itself was juicy, tender and thoroughly cooked. I loved the pieces of dark meat. The batter was light, crispy and not at all oily. I wish the breast pieces were chopped smaller so there would be more delicious batter. Based on chicken alone, Home of Hot Taste and The Fry are pretty close to par. However, Home of Hot Taste does deliver more taste bud scorching and a larger variety of menu items.

01. Fresh Burger

Rating/Price: 4.5 $
Why? Great burger, loose patty, good poutine
Must Order: Prime Fresh Burger
Good For? Burgers, quick meal

 

02. The Fry

Rating/Price: 4.5 $$
Why? Crispy, juicy, well spiced Korean Fried Chicken
Must Order: Half/Half KFC Combo
Good For? Big groups, beer and fried chicken

 

03. DaiLo

Rating/Price: 4.0 $$$
Why? Innovative menu, authentic Asian flavours, sickasianfood
Must Order: Big Mac Baos, Whole Fried Trout
Good For? Big groups, dates, late night bar, snacks and cocktails

 

04. Bar Isabel

Rating/Price: 5.0 $$$
Why? I wanted seconds of everything on the menu
Must Order: Roast Bone Marrow, Whole Sea Bream Ceviche
Good For? Dates, small groups, cocktails, late night meal

 

05. Yasu

Rating/Price: 4.0 $$$$
Why? Unique dining experience, refined atmosphere and hard to find sashimi
Must Order: Omakase
Good For? Couples, small groups, special occasions, sashimi enthusiasts

 

06. Gourmet Malaysia

Rating/Price: 4.5 $
Why? Rich authentic flavours, buttery roti
Must Order: Crispy Butter Prawns, Curry and Roti
Good For? Big groups, family dinners, casual meal

 

07. The Stockyards Smokehouse and larder

Rating/Price: 5.0 $
Why? Darn good fried chicken
Must Order: Fried Chicken Dinner Platter
Good For? Takeout, small groups, quick meal, comfort food

 

08. Emma's Country Kitchen

Rating/Price: 5.0 $
Why? One of the best buttermilk biscuits ever
Must Order: Buttermilk Biscuit, Pancakes
Good For? Small groups, brunch, breakfast

 

Honorable Mentions:

• Khao San Road – 5.0 $$
• Pho Dau Bo – 5.0 $
• Porzia – 5.0 $$$
• Dumpling King – 5.0 $
• Jacobs & Co – 4.0 $$$$
• Taro’s Fish – 5.0 $$
• Oyster Boy – 4.5 $$$

Did I miss your favourite restaurant? Let me know in the comments.

Last Updated: 12/30/2014

Opened late this summer, Dakgogi is another North York restaurant specializing in Korean Fried Chicken. The Fiance and I stopped by on a Thursday to indulge in some fried goodness and a pitcher of beer. We were the only diners until another couple walked in at the tail end of our meal, which was surprising because we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

Service was friendly and we didn’t have any issues ordering in English. I liked the chickens painted on the wall and the cute hand drawn ones on the menu. Our order was simple, choosing to go with the Large Combo that comes with a whole fried chicken and pitcher of beer for $37.99. We decided to split our order with half plain and half with Korean sauce. Between the two, I liked the Korean sauce while The Fiance prefered the plain ones.

Before the chicken arrived, a complimentary cabbage salad was served. The raw cabbage was refreshing and cleared the palate but there was a lot of thousand island dressing. A combo platter could easily have fed 3-4 people with an appetizer. The chicken itself was crispy and the batter tasty. Dakgogi’s beer selection was simple but growing. Currently they offer 905 Lager and San Miguel in addition to domestic brands.

I’m not sure why the restaurant was so empty when there’s lines outside the Fry just a couple of blocks south. It may be the location in between condo buildings that there’s a dip in foot traffic, but if you’re craving KFC, Dakgogi deserves a visit. With 1/2 priced wings on Mondays and Tuesday, it’s a great time to check them out.

On my way to work, I noticed a change in one of the restaurants along Yonge. A neighbour of Nome and Kenzo, previously an Italian restaurant, bore a simple new sign with the name “The Fry”. After reading a blog review and finding out they specialized in KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), my next dinner out was decided.

Atmosphere: The interior decor of The Fry hasn’t changed much from the previous occupants. The wooden tables and booths seem a dated but the lighting has been dimmed and the music turned up. Another difference was how full the restaurant was. We were lucky to get a table before the line started forming outside and the queue was steady throughout the night. Diners ranged from young families to boisterous friends all enjoying the fried chicken and pitchers of beer.

Service: I only saw two servers taking care of the floor who were responsible for seating guests, taking orders, serving plates and clearing tables. Our order arrived quickly and hot, but it was a busy night and it was challenging to flag down one of the girls to refill side dishes or water. The service was professional but another body could have eased the rushed vibe and made time for a warmer interaction.

Food: Korean Fried Chicken differs the most from North American style in the cooking process. KFC is fried twice, resulting in a crunchier, less greasy skin. I found the chicken pieces were also smaller and more tender than at Western bars.

Every time I’m hungry I make the same mistake of listening to my stomach over my brain. The menu lists all different ways KFC can be enjoyed with different sauces, portions and cuts. There are also beer and chicken combos at three different price ranges. Since both The Fiance and I were hungry, we thought we needed at least a Large portion of the chicken and ordered the Half and Half Beer Combo C. This combo allowed us to try two flavours and wash it all down with a pitcher of domestic beer. We chose the dry and classic sauce options.

After we placed our order, a sectioned plate with side dishes was served along with our pitcher. The three side dishes provided was an iceberg salad, pickled radish and macaroni salad. I’ve always loved sweet pickled radish and the cubes at The Fry were perfect, crispy, sweet and sour. We ordered refills throughout our meal.

The chicken lived up to all of my expectations and more. The skin was crispy, well seasoned and the meat tender and moist. One of the best pieces of fried chicken I’ve had in Toronto. I enjoyed the tangy classic sauce while The Fiance preferred the dry option. Both were excellent and I can’t wait to go back to try the spicy sauce. All cuts of the chicken were used, which resulted in some boneless pieces and a nice ratio or dark and white meat.

I do have to caution that a large portion is too much chicken for two people. We were one piece away from finishing our meal, but it was a belt-loosening, wish I had worn stretchy pants kind of finish. Next visit, I’ll be prepared.