Out & About #500 | Sikgaek Mississauga + More CoCo - Random Thoughts of a Quirky Blogger

Out & About #500 | Sikgaek Mississauga + More CoCo

11/8/2018

It's hard to believe that we're already halfway to 1000 entries - and that's just with the Out & About local exploration series. Five hundred is a nice number, and a fitting entry to dedicate to munching with orangecane and indulging in relevant fangirl discussions.

Korean Fried Chicken, also referred to as the modern "KFC", was an item that had been exempt from her individual adventures abroad. A bit of research later, we became aware that there was one more contender (besides The Fry) serving up these authentic morsels of satisfaction in the west-end suburbs.

Sikgaek was a destination I had originally pinned to my to-go list after coming across images of their Spicy Chicken with Cheese. Review of the menu revealed an assortment of fried chicken, kalbi and bulgogi dishes, along with a plethora of traditional Korean fare.

The interior of the restaurant was homey, and guests had the option of dining in the main dining hall, or in partitioned rooms for enhanced privacy. Amenities were orderly and shiny, though a bit spotty from years of fatigue.
We were first provided with a small, Stainless steel pot of barley tea. Unlike the chipped ceramic varieties found in Chinese diners, the dented pouring apparatus was light and easy to handle. The provided double-layered cups proved efficient in insulating warmth, such that one could enjoy the warm liquid without succumbing to minor fingertip burns.

We shared a Half Yangnyum and Half Pa Dak combo, which rang in $33 before tax. My favourite starter, UhMukTang (aka fishcake soup or oden), was also selected. The boiled/buttered squid had also piqued my interest, but none of the squid-centric dishes were available.

< Pictured above and below: Half Yangnyum and Half Pa Dak combo (양념 반마리 + 파닭 반마리), UhMukTang (어묵탕) >

A trio of banchan were served shortly after orders were taken. These comprised of kimchi, crunchy bean sprouts tossed in sesame oil, and salty, picked onion slices. Cubes of heavily pickled (read: extremely sour) white radish (무) also made its way over in preparation for chicken consumption. Mr. Chimaek's mixed white/pink radish remains the winner.

UhMukTang arrived first. Contained within the stone pot were soggy triangles of flat fishcake, a handful of springy fishballs, and a hard-boiled egg amidst a clear, bubbling broth. The starchy contents were decent, as was the hard-boiled egg, in spite of its tacky, powdery yolk. The broth, on the other hand, was worth commending: adequately seasoned and absolutely comforting, it easily overtook Daldongnae's disappointing rendition.

Two baskets of piping hot chicken surfaced approximately ten minutes later.

Pa Dak had been freshly fried and crunchy; internal fleshy bits were supple, though the batter was admittedly thicker and drier than expected. Adorning the pieces was a heaping portion of onion threads mixed with gochujang flakes. Oddly enough, this mixture wasn't the teensiest bit spicy.
However, I was less fond of this presentation given that the onion threads and chicken bore little to no sense of cohesion. Should the onions be consumed in entirety before the chicken, the remaining pieces will emerge too barren to handle.

Yangnyum, in contrast, exceeded expectations by means of a superb sauce to batter ratio. The sticky marinade was sweet and tangy - more syrupy than it was spicy. Sikgaek's thicker frying batter paired well with the sauce, ensuring that crispiness, flavour, and moistness was maintained.

One also ought to mention that the restaurant employed a combination of thigh, wings, and breast for their KFC, thus resulting in varying sizes of chicken.

Service was amiable and friendly, and prompt as well. Only one member of staff was found scurrying about the restaurant during a late weekday lunch. In order to grab her attention, one simply needed to suppress the "call" button stationed on the inside of the booth. A cutesy "diiing dong" would ring out, and the waitress would respond with acknowledgement in the form of "네".

Bathrooms were located at the back of the restaurant, adopting the form of super compact, gender-separated stalls. These facilities were upkept and stocked with an adequate amount of toiletries.

In comparison to other Korean restaurants dispersed throughout the GTA, Sikgaek ranks rather high on the list. The dining environment is pleasant and sustenance is tasty (albeit a bit pricey).
While I found The Fry's PaDak more flavourful, Sikgaek definitely takes the cake with Yangnyum. Side dishes were of a good portion for a party of two.

Departing the restaurant in high spirits and a hankering for bubble tea (me), we made a quick stopover at P.A.T. before routing our way to CoCo's newest location inside B-Trust.