Ajuker Fried Chicken – Permanently closed

This post is long overdue. I once swung by my favorite dining partner, Diona, a.k.a. TitaFlips and as we hanged out, a craving started forming. To be correct about it, it was Diona who started craving something Asian. She was still pregnant then and the lil’ boss inside her agrees when she goes for familiar Asian flavors. Going through Urbanspoon, Ajuker Fried Chicken,  a Korean restaurant by Bloor and Bathurst caught my eye. What peaked my interest was that almost all that I read said something about the restaurant’s fried chicken to be amazing but different from most fried chickens out there. I just had to know why. Being Korean, it was an easy sell to Diona.

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Sidestepping all that construction up by Bloor, I reached the front of the restaurant before Diona and her mom, Lina. I must say the curb appeal might turn people away as it was overridden with faded images. Walking in, we were the only people inside. That doesn’t mean they have a slow business. I did see people come in and pick-up food. It was a good sign then that it is popular with the locals.

Taking one booth, Diona, Manang Lina and me decided to split the large platter of fried chicken, splitting the chicken in two varieties. We also went for a savory vegetable pancake and spicy kimchi flavored noodles. As we waited, complimentary pickled turnip was provided. It was rather addicting and was so much help to appease my burning palate when I tried the spicy noodles. The pancake was surprisingly very pleasant and that too relieved the heat of the noodles. As you can imagine now, the noodles were my least favorite. Not that it tasted bad. While the flavor was good, the burn was too much for me.

As for the fried chicken, it was indeed a surprise in flavor. It was nothing like the other fried chickens that I have enjoyed before. It has a different flavor base. It had hints of cinnamon, five spice and prolly a medley of a lot more that I cannot identify. It had never occurred to me to use cinnamon with chicken but I find it surprisingly awesome! The chicken too had a light crispy batter and the chicken was very well marinated.

So the next time you crave fried chicken, consider a walk on the unusual side. It would surely be a pleasant surprise.