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I had been to the Cherry Hill Sammy Chon's, but the new outpost in Chinatown had me intrigued. Koagies are a pretty great fusion concept and the promise of Korean Fried Chicken meant that I was headed to C-town.
They brought out two dishes of banchan, I suppose they throttle your free snacking when you don't order Korean main dishes. Others around me had about seven little dishes.
I went with a four piece order of the Korean Fried Chicken, which they allowed me to order two ways. Sweet soy, and spicy pepper (Diablo) sauces coated the crispy breaded chicken pieces. Unfortunately, this was not the best rendition I have had. Cafe Soho way up in K-town is significantly better. While the batter was crispy, it flaked off very easily, as though they had not been given the proper rest time to let the batter set up. They were still good, just not as good as others I have had.
I also went with one beef bulgogi and one spicy pork koagie. They are served on a Sarcone's roll and come pretty loaded with meat. The spicy pork (jae yook bokum-style) was far and away the winner. Cabbage, pork, onions and a side of white sauce made for a well balanced sandwich. The spicy marinade really packed a punch and the cool sauce subdued the burn.
The bulgogi was slightly disappointing. Especially compared to the pork. It had okay flavor, but really needed some kind of sauce. It was a bit dry without smothering it in the white sesame sauce provided - and when that didn't pack enough punch, a side of go chu jang was required to really round it out.
It was a pretty decent experience, and I would certainly go again, but I would likely try some of their more authentic food, and mop up those sauces with a pork koagie.
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