Huntington Beach, CA 92646
(714) 968-8900
General:
This place should NEVER sell their Chili Peppa Chicken for "take out." Period.
If this is your first time and you want to order "take out", STOP. DON'T. Read my review first.
If this is your first time and you want to order "take out", STOP. DON'T. Read my review first.
Details:
Chili Peppa Chicken, eat in: today I ordered an identical dish for eat-in and it tasted different. The dish just felt that it got more love today. Sure, it was obvious that the skin would be crispier eaten at the spot. However, everything else was also better. There was more chili kick, mirin nose, and less saltiness. There was also this holy-water like garnish that made a lot of different. It was an unsuspecting plastic bottle called "Chili Peppa Water" (why not "wata" btw?). This concoction was made of diluted vinegar, garlic, and chili. It cut through the saltiness of the chicken creating a more balanced flavor. So, squirt a bit of it before biting your chicken. Potato mac salad also tasted very fresh with a lot of black pepper kick. Upgraded to 4- stars.
Chili Peppa Chicken, to go: two mini scoops of rice, one mini scoop of potato mac. Potato mac is potato-fortified macaroni salad. Potato added more creaminess due to its starchiness. Flavor profile: mayo, light salt, strong black pepper overtone. Not a hint of sweetness. Chicken was dark meat fried very crispy, showcasing the skin and the breading than the meat. Flavor profile is best described as candied fried chicken: fried chicken spiced with savory profile (salt, msg, etc.) then glazed with mildly sweet sugar. Unfortunately, the SALTINESS is off the scale as if the breading were salt and not flour, making the taste imbalance. What also puzzles me, though, is where is the spiciness? I thought that they made the wrong order but the box was clearly label as spicy. Except for some faint pepper in the background, there is no spiciness. The portion of meat is generous, though, two thighs split in halves, as you can see from my picture. Not quite good but is still a notch better than the average mushrooming-in-Socal McAloha offerings. 3 stars.
Chili Peppa Chicken, eat in: today I ordered an identical dish for eat-in and it tasted different. The dish just felt that it got more love today. Sure, it was obvious that the skin would be crispier eaten at the spot. However, everything else was also better. There was more chili kick, mirin nose, and less saltiness. There was also this holy-water like garnish that made a lot of different. It was an unsuspecting plastic bottle called "Chili Peppa Water" (why not "wata" btw?). This concoction was made of diluted vinegar, garlic, and chili. It cut through the saltiness of the chicken creating a more balanced flavor. So, squirt a bit of it before biting your chicken. Potato mac salad also tasted very fresh with a lot of black pepper kick. Upgraded to 4- stars.
Chili Peppa Chicken, to go: two mini scoops of rice, one mini scoop of potato mac. Potato mac is potato-fortified macaroni salad. Potato added more creaminess due to its starchiness. Flavor profile: mayo, light salt, strong black pepper overtone. Not a hint of sweetness. Chicken was dark meat fried very crispy, showcasing the skin and the breading than the meat. Flavor profile is best described as candied fried chicken: fried chicken spiced with savory profile (salt, msg, etc.) then glazed with mildly sweet sugar. Unfortunately, the SALTINESS is off the scale as if the breading were salt and not flour, making the taste imbalance. What also puzzles me, though, is where is the spiciness? I thought that they made the wrong order but the box was clearly label as spicy. Except for some faint pepper in the background, there is no spiciness. The portion of meat is generous, though, two thighs split in halves, as you can see from my picture. Not quite good but is still a notch better than the average mushrooming-in-Socal McAloha offerings. 3 stars.
Loco Moco: the thick home-made beef patty tasted fresh and had a nice chunkiness. Beef gravy moist the patty and brought the flavor. Same note for the potato mac salad. Hands down the BEST loco moco in OC. 4 stars.
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| Chili Peppa Chicken |
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| Half-Size Loco Moco and Spam Musubi |
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