Midtown Lunch

This site has previously had reviews of fried chicken noodle soup and other items from the Korean portion of Cafe Hanover at Hanover Sq. & Pearl, but for some inexplicable reason we’ve shunned the Kyedong chicken. This brand of Korean fried chicken is advertised in a poster in the window and in panels on the wall behind the front counter where you pay. Sandwiched between offerings of pork belly for $40 and whole chickens, there are portions of chicken at Midtown Lunch-friendly prices. Click through to check out the behemoth lunch box it comes in, housing equally oversized pieces of chicken.

I went for the wing/leg combo ($8) and was handed this comically large cardboard box featuring the Kyedong logo and luscious photos of chicken. Apparently there are also locations in Flushing and Palisades Park.

When I opened it and pulled back the tissue paper, I was greeted by three regular-size wings and three gigantic (as in full size) legs. This was on one side of the container and the other was filled with fries, although you can also get onion rings. In terms of value for your money, this is a ton of food.

And how were those pieces of chicken? I opted for the spicy sauce over the soy, and it did not dissapoint in terms of heat. The flavor was like a spicy soy with a touch of sweetness, and although the skin was crispy it wasn’t quite as shellac-like as the version at BonChon on John. I actually liked the wings better than the legs simply because they seemed more crispy because of the skin-to-meat ratio.

The fries were of the frozen variety and completely unsalted. Based on some onion rings I saw in the deli case, though, I think you’re better off with the potatoes. Make sure and grab some salt packets.

This small size could be two meals and if you ordered a medium I would imagine you could split it with someone unless you normally eat more than three chicken legs in one sitting. I can’t say if it’s better or worse than BonChon, just different.

Cafe Hanover, 5 Hanover Sq. (at Pearl), (212) 809-6808