We Had Lunch at Chan Chan Food House in Irvine, California
As we transition our lives and business to Southern California over the next few months, Aaron and I will be traveling back and forth between our home near Kansas City and our new place in Newport Beach. Thanks to technology, other than a few hours’ travel time on a plane, we don’t lose any productivity. Even then, I find those hours are often highly productive, anyway, since I usually read or write during the flight.
Today, we were in Newport Beach knocking some things off our task list. We haven’t had a chance to really explore anything in the surrounding area, nor do we expect to until at least a couple of months after we’ve completed the move as we need to execute it with speed and precision, but we did figure that we could take our lunch break to check out one of the local Korean restaurants. We settled on a place called Chan Chan Food House in nearby Irvine, California. We didn’t know what to expect but the food looked delicious and the reviews were good.
When we arrived, it was packed. We put our name on a waiting list outside but were seated in under a minute. After being handed menus, we were told we needed to go to the counter to actually order and pay.
We ended up deciding to get a small order of sweet garlic chicken tenders (which is 8 pieces) and a small order of ChanChan spicy sweet soy chicken tenders (which were also 8 pieces). We opted for water to drink (it was self-serve to side, where you could choose between cold water and hot water) and were served two simple 반찬.
여보세요! 오늘, 우리는 한국 식당에서 먹었다! Okay, it’s been awhile since my last Korean lesson so that is about as much as you are going to get from me at the moment. Here is where you order. There was a lot of take-out business … food being brought up and put in boxes and containers, then bagged for folks coming in and picking up their lunches. It was really exciting to see all of the activity. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as the feel of a successful business when it is bustling with customers. There’s a rhythm to it … and energy in the air as everyone goes about their task with purpose that makes me really happy.
The 반찬 … Personally, I thought the pickled white radish was perfect. It tasted like they marinated it in a sugar vinegar solution of some sort, which is similar to a dish my grandmother made with cucumbers when I was growing up so it was strangely familiar. It mixed especially well with the two chicken dishes we chose as it was a great contrast to the flavors.
This was the ChanChan chicken. It was wonderful. It tasted like the sauce was honey-based with a touch of cinnamon in it. There was also a tiny bit of spice and the fresh green peppers sprinkled over top were a nice touch. The chicken quality was really high. You can tell they get the good stuff.
These were the sweet garlic chicken tenders. They were really indulgent and delicious without the garlic being overwhelming. The best part was dipping the chicken in the huge pools of sauce that were in the bottom of the basket. For those who can’t get enough of the sauce, you can order extra for only $1.50 more.
We ended up taking some of our chicken home because this was too much food for the two of us to eat in one sitting. It’s also clearly a calorie bomb; there is an almost guilt in eating it as it’s the sort of place you go because you are craving something wonderful and you are willing to make the nutritional sacrifice to leave your table happy and full. We managed to off-set it with portion control and exercise but know what you are getting into before you go.
The whole thing, with a 20% tip, was around $31, making it a great bargain. It’s easy to see why Chan Chan Food House is so popular. We can’t wait to go back and try some of the other dishes. I’m particularly curious about their Kimchi fried rice and RedRed So Spicy chicken. I know they say the latter is hot but Aaron and I survived Maangchi’s Dwaejigogi-bokkeum (돼지고기볶음) so I’m optimistic we can take them.
Edit from Aaron: I would go back tomorrow.
