LUST for LIFE

There’s a new kid in town…and it hails from the land of kimchi. It’s BBQ Chicken. BBQ (pronounced as B-B-Cue) is the largest fried chicken restaurant chain in South Korea, and ranks as the country’s No. 1 chicken restaurant.

Earlier this week, my friend, Kelvin Loh, and I were in Desa Sri Hartamas for lunch. As we were circling the area for a parking lot, we came across the recently opened BBQ Chicken restaurant. It’s along the same road as where Penang Village was before it shifted. There was quite a big lunch crowd, and we decided to give it a go. This is the first BBQ restaurant in Malaysia; the second is expected to open in Penang soon.

For my lunch, I couldn’t resist trying the Ginseng Power Crisp. The menu comprises 2 pieces of chicken, served with shrimp-fried rice and mixed vegetables in mayonnaise. Instead of rice, one can choose the mashed potato. Yes, I tasted the ginseng, very light. For those who’re health conscious, I’m glad to say that BBQ fried chicken is much less oily than other fried chicken I’ve eaten.

I’ll definitely return to BBQ to try its other items, e.g. Korean Charbroiled Chicken, Smoked Chicken, Ginseng Smoked Chicken, Teri-Q Stick, Jerk BBQ, Udon, etc. They have some colourful desserts too.

Some say that BBQ is Korea’s equivalent to Colonel Sanders’ KFC. But being of Asian origin, you can expect BBQ Chicken to be different from KFC. For one thing, BBQ uses a thicker breading to fry their chicken. They, of course, use different spices. But the biggest difference is that BBQ uses 100% OLIVE oil. In fact, in Korea, the company’s advertising focuses on health benefits. Yes, BBQ chicken tastes good and it’s healthier eating too. Will BBQ be as addictive as KFC?

I tried to learn more about BBQ from its website but it’s in Korean. There’s an English menu button but it’s not active at the moment. There’s also a Chinese button to view the Mandarin translation – I suspect BBQ has a large chain in Taiwan or something.

Olive Chicken (left) - which Kelvin ordered.

Address: 24 Jalan 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2300 1019 / 2036

(Photos shot with Sony Ericsson W810)