Semi-hidden Korean Gem by Ellerslie- Wing Chicx

I had an awful time finding this restaurant....mainly because apple maps was leading me to the opposite side of where this restaurant would be. But as they say....don't trust apple maps... After driving around for about 15 minutes, with the maps leading us to Zaika each and every time... We (my boyfriend and I), managed to find this restaurant by turning into Pho Hoa (in ellerslie). We knew it was around that area and thought it would be next to Pho Hoa. But in reality, it was on the opposite side, where the new strip mall/business buildings are. The restaurant is quite small, with about 13 small tables, and on a Saturday night, the restaurant was full. Luckily, we only had to wait 15 mins because many people in the restaurant were finishing up. The interior is really adorable, constructed like a small cafe making the atmosphere very cheerful. 

I saw many people order pop - specifically coke (cola is what they say in Korea), this is quite normal but what wasn't normal is that the coke came in the retro bottles! Upon seeing that, I knew I had to get one since I haven't seen those in so long! And they weren't the small tiny ones that they sell at grocery stores, but the actual 355ml pop can equivalent! As weird as it sounds, I even took the bottle home for amusement. The price tag on this cola was only $1.50! 

The menu had a wide variety of selection ranging from stews to cold noodles to meat dishes, but I am assuming the restaurant is famous for their fried chicken? I mean the name of the restaurant is somewhat related to chicken...and I saw that almost every table had ordered their famous chicken. We settled for 3 dishes: bi bim noodles - $9.99 (cold noodle with sweet chili sauce), original bulgolgi BBQ $14.99 and a half order of their specialty fried chicken with original "wing chicx sauce" - $15.00. The first thing I need to mention about the dishes is that they are decently portioned!! With the unlimited banchan (side dishes- some times they come out with a pea size amount of kimchi, but do ask for more!) and amount of food we ordered (more like misordered haha...), the two of us could not finish everything! We managed to down the noodles but definitely struggled on the bulgolgi and chicken. 

The banchan was really tasty. Everything was fresh, the kimchi had a light crunch to it and wasn't too soggy like some places I have been to. There was a nice balance of flavours - tangy, spicy and sour. The next was something called Kkakdugi - which is a variety kimchi but the cabbage is replaced with white radish. The radish was cut into small bite sized cubes and was crunchy. It was flavored well with salt, chili powder and green onions. The next was a type of Korean coleslaw with a nice creamy salad dressing on top, following with steamed bean sprouts and carrot strips which is lightly seasoned with pepper. In addition to all of the cold banchan, a bowl of congee was also presented. This is surprising to me because I thought banchan were usually cold dishes - this congee was a nice surprise though! It was lightly seasoned with seaweed flakes and sesame oil- adding a nice flavour to something as plain as congee. 

On to the mains! Unfortunately, I did not manage to snap a photo of the bibim noodles...my hands were too quick and once the server placed it on our table I went in for the kill.. The dish had the right balance of sweet, sour and spicy. The cold noodles was chewy and smooth to taste and the vegetables made a nice addition with the crunchiness. My only complaint would be the obscure amount of beef... On the menu it mentioned that it contains beef but it was almost non-existent. Luckily for us, we ordered a lot of meat that night and by the end of the night, I did not care about the missing beef....

We ordered the original bulgolgi, it came out on a hot plate so it was still sizzling when it was placed on the table. This dish for $14.99 was well worth every penny! There was a lot of beef slices enough for a family of 4! Everything was well seasoned and the flavours were undeniable. The bulgolgi was sweet to taste and the vegetable accents completed the entire dish. The meat was tender and I would have gobbled it all up if I could. I would definitely order this again! 

Next, the famous half order of fried chicken with their special wing chicx sauce! The sauce was a combination of sweet and spicy. For me it was a little too spicy, but I cannot handle my spices very well. The chicken was also appetizing and filled me up in no time. The meat was tender as well, but the chicken breast pieces were on the dry side. 

Overall, this Korean restaurant could easily be one of the best in Edmonton! The nice cafe style restaurant keeps things casual with a warm inviting atmosphere. Service was good, menu has a large selection of items (a lot of vegetarian options too!) ranging from bbq meat to noodles to stew to korean pancakes! Everything that we ordered was well made and the prices are affordable ($10-15). I would definitely be heading back here soon to try the other items on their menu! I cannot wait to try the stew and Korean pancakes that they also offer!