Holdak Chicken

Move aside BonChon, there’s a new Chicken place in Manila!

I must admit I’ve never heard of Holdak but I’m not one to say no to Korean Fried Chicken. On Sunday, I dragged my brother out of bed  at an ungodly early hour (1pm) to go check out Holdak in Mezza Residences. We got there shortly after the lunch rush so it was pretty quiet. I think it gets busy, especially on weekdays.

We took our sweet time trying to figure out what to order.

I’m a fan of how simple this menu is. My mom always says a good restaurant doesn’t need an extensive menu. You just need one thing and make it really well. As an added bonus, everything is reasonably priced. Great value for money because the portions are more than plenty.

We settled on a solo meal each. The chicken is juicy, crunchy and doused with the right amount of sauce. It’s boneless so you don’t have to worry about getting your hands dirty, unless you really want to. This chicken really can’t be any more perfect than it already is. Brother and I were instant fans!

Yangnyam – It’s difficult to put in words how this exactly tastes like. To me, Yangnyam is sweet and mildly nutty.

Padak – our hands-down favorite. It is simultaneously sweet, spicy and tangy. You have to eat it with the spring onions which enhance the flavor. Perfect. Brother and I had a solo meal each and then split a third Padak (takaw). We were ready to nap afterwards.

We also ordered Pajeon which is a Korean pancake. This is okay. Not much to say about this because the chicken dominated our meal. This was just extra.

Overall, brother and I loved the food and wished that there was a Holdak closer to where we lived. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that this place expands soon. But, I’d say the chicken is worth driving to and braving traffic for.

Holdak Chicken