Chicken Omnibus

L and I visited our adorable nephew in Bowness. After a successful playdate, we decided to order dinner from Chicken Omnibus. I’m glad we checked it out, as this is our new favourite place for Korean-style fried chicken. For this post, let’s listen to “Do You Believe in Magic” by The Loving’ Spoonful.

I noticed K-Pop music playing in the background when we entered the restaurant. The interior is bright and colourful. While we waited to order, we looked at the pictures on the menu, which described each item in detail. We ordered the Dak Gang Jeong Combo ($12.99), Chicken Combo ($12.99), and Onion Rings ($5.50).

Our combos came with a pop and a sauce. We each asked for the sauce on the side because we planned on eating our food at home and didn’t want the chicken to become soggy. But after seeing some of the food come out of the kitchen, I told L we would eat at the restaurant.

This small mom-and-pop operation cooks everything fresh. Our food arrived at our table within ten minutes, so hot I burned the roof of my mouth.

The portions are generous. The double-battered fries were piled high on our basket. The coating on the potatoes reminded me of Costco fries. The onion rings looked like it was the frozen type, but it was still good. The batter was thin and melted in your mouth. We dipped our onion rings in the spicy aioli, ranch, and a sweet, spicy sauce.

The star of the show is the chicken. My pieces were juicy and meaty. The chicken tasted real, unlike the congealed stuff KFC sells and superior to the texture and flavour of Popeye’s. The batter was light, crusty, and so well seasoned that I didn’t need any of the sauces. The plumpness of Omnibus’s chicken reminds me of Church’s and LA Chicken in Richmond, BC, but with a crunchier, tastier batter.

L liked my chicken over his Dak Gang Jeong (sweet, crispy boneless chicken). I tried his nugget-like meat, and I also preferred my order of regular bone-in chicken.

L said the food tasted authentic, and Omnibus reminded him of the local places he would frequent in Korea. Omnibus isn’t a chain, and the chef was so genuinely friendly it made me want to return. I heard two customers exclaim this was the best chicken they ever ate. I saw another customer digging into a plate overflowing with katsu (breaded chicken cutlet) that looked delicious.

The next time I have a cheat meal, I’m getting the fried chicken again or perhaps a chicken burger. Hitting the Sauce gives Omnibus two phat thumbs up.

Fast Food · Korean

Yum Yum BBQ – Southwood Corner

July 6, 2021July 7, 2021 Hitting the SauceLeave a comment

I invited Lovegastrogirl over for dinner. She agreed on the condition that she would pick up food. We did the whole Chinese etiquette hospitality battle until she ferociously threatened not to come. I meekly backed down and thanked her. I want Lovegastrogirl to meet my mom one day. She’d meet her match. For this post, and in honour of Stampede, let’s listen to “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash.

Fried chicken is my kryptonite. Lovegastrogirl brought over Yum Yum BBQ from Southwood Corner, her favourite location. I asked her not to bring so much food because the last time she did a fried chicken drop off, I spent the next day hovering over my sink, munching on cold chicken. She laughed and said that was smart move, as the crumbs would go directly into the sink and not my floor.

Lovegastrogirl has a listening problem. She brought over enough food for four hungry people. She ordered L’s favourite chicken – the Shallot Bone-In (12 pieces, $27.99), Beef Japchae ($14.99), BBQ Beef Poutine ($14.49), and Pickled Radish ($1). I reheated the chicken and poutine in the oven and microwaved the noodles. I asked Lovegastrogirl to take a picture for my blog. She floofed up the shallots and stood on a chair to angle her shots while I looked on with amazement at the effort she puts in.

The chicken was succulent and gleaming white. After rebaking the chicken, the teriyaki glaze created a brittle, sweet tasting shell. Some of the shallots were wilted from the reheating, which I prefer because the greens reminded me more of watercress. I like that the batter on Yum Yum chicken isn’t as oily as Popeyes or Wow Chicken.

Despite being saturated with melted cheese and dark, salty gravy, the fries held up. The barbecued beef was sliced thin and tasty. The ridges in the crinkle fries helps to load up on the toppings.

The sweet potato noodles were sticky and spicy. The noodles stuck together with the vegetables and beef bulgogi, so with each bite, you get a little bit of everything in one mouthful. In both the poutine and japchae, the flavour of the beef stood out.

I insisted Lovegastrogirl take the leftover chicken to Pomp. I did take out one drumstick to eat for later. Some habits are hard to break. Thank you Lovegastrogirl for a delicious dinner. Next time I’ll have you over for dinner and I’ll order fried chicken from Jin Bar or Gorilla Whale.

Pizza · Restaurants

Yum Yum BBQ & Pizza 3000 – Lovegastrogirl does it again!

February 27, 2021May 16, 2021 Hitting the SauceLeave a comment

Lovegastrogirl did it again! She out sauced the Sauce. I haven’t met my match. I met my mentor. In honour of Lovesgastrogirl, let’s play “Oops! I Did It Again” by Britney Spears.

Lovegastrogirl texted me and said she had lunch for me and L. After a brief, masked exchange at my doorstep, Lovegastrogirl told me to go inside and eat while I repetitively exclaimed, “Omigod. Oh wow! This is too much!”

I felt giddy as I opened up my presents. Everything was wrapped and sparkled with gold glitter. There was champagne, pizza, fried chicken, bath bombs, and soaps! I reluctantly put the champagne in the fridge, because as tempted as I was, I can’t drink and work. When I drink alcohol, I have the attention span of a fruit fly. I think that’s funny because when I’m sober, I have the memory of an elephant.

Lovegastrogirl brought us shallot and chili fried chicken from her favourite spot – Yum Yum BBQ. Each glorious box contained around five large pieces of chicken.

The sauce on the chili chicken was sticky and sweet. The thick, crunchy batter was well coated and crackled when you bit into it. This was my favourite of the two flavours.

L preferred the shallot over the chili flavour because the former showcased the freshness of the chicken. The glaze on the shallot chicken was subtly sweet. Neither versions were greasy or overly salty, and both tasted almost as good the next day.

I noticed the wings and drumsticks were larger and meatier than what you get at similar joints, like Wow Chicken and Olive Chicken. The meat was juicy and tender, white and unblemished. The quality of the meat reminded me of Cluck and Cleaver, but the texture was not as dense. To date, this one of the best fried Korean style chickens I’ve tried. The side of pickled daikon was nice because it helped cut into the ‘friedness’ of the food.

L asked why Lovegastrogirl brought us pizza when she already gave us so much chicken. I responded that she’s just like that. She’s like my mother that way – she goes all out. For Pomp’s sake, I hope he has deep pockets.

Lovegastrogirl brought us a donair pizza from Pizza 3000. Iatehere, who is a bit of rebel, anti-influencer, raved about this pizza. He likes that you can get two donair pizzas for $25, and according to him, it is a far tastier option than other more expensive pizza shops. The exception is Annah Island pizza from Spiros. I know way too much about Iatehere’s pizza preferences.

The toppings were proportional to the dough, which was neither thick nor thin. The dominant ingredient was the sweet, creamy donair sauce. The flavour of the tomato and donair slices were secondary to the crust and white sauce. I enjoyed the crunch of the white onions.

L said the donair pizza was a step up from the pizzas we ate when we were students. I beg your pardon L. We still eat Delissio Deluxe Pizzeria, and only when it’s on sale. If you want a basic pie, you can’t go wrong with Pizza 3000.

Thank you Lovegastrogirl for brightening up my week. I can’t wait to drink the champs this weekend. I’m also looking forward to bringing you and Pomp dinner. I’m leaning to order something I haven’t tried before as well as some tried and true favourites. To be continued.