Be prepared for the biggest queues ever at this crazy popular Korean fried chicken joint in 1 Utama Mall
The crowds are so thick around this place that you’d think a BTS member was dining inside. From the day it arrived at 1 Utama mall, K Fry has seen unprecedented popularity and enthusiastic queues. At last, it was time for me to see what the fuss was. On this day, the queue was only “sorta big” as opposed to “apocalypse levels big.”
Ambience & Amenities
This restaurant has thought of everything. They have an electronic ticket system to handle the massive queues. There are lots of menus in the waiting area so you can decide what you want now and use this dead time productively. A dispenser with a delicious, sweet lime beverage is there for you to whet your appetite. When you finally sit down, on the table is a small bucket for bones, lots of napkins, and even disposable gloves for eating your chicken!
There are no toilets in the restaurant, but there is a sink for washing up near the back of the restaurant. There’s soap to be had, and a hand dryer if you need it. Look for the area where the staff is wiping up clean plates. If you’re walking into the restaurant, it will be on your left side. There are two mall washrooms very close to K-Fry. The first is directly across from the main restaurant entrance. The second was outside across the cloister. Go out onto the patio and look straight ahead – you should see the bathroom signage a bit to your right.
Menu
The K Fry menu is big and filled with Korean favourites and interesting fusions, but nearly every table was ordering the chicken Bumbuk, K Fry’s unofficial signature dish of Korean fried chicken, fries and lots of cheese.
Many of their colourful drinks look like libations at first glance, but they’re all non-alcoholic. Water is free and comes in a 1.5L jug, so you don’t need to keep bothering the wait staff for refills. You can get it iced or room temperature.
Click on any menu picture to enlarge
Food
The Honey Yuja Tea (RM5.50) comes in a mason jar whose size is generous considering what it costs. When ordering it cold, it’s a crisp and light beverage, but you can also get it hot. At the bottom of the drink, you’ll actually be able to see pulp and shreds of Yuzu orange peel.
The Cookies Madness (RM17.90) was a sight to behold when it was set on the table. There was a caramel drizzle throughout the glass and a mountain of whipped cream piled high and slowly sinking down the sides. Two pretzels and mini cookies each topped off this sugary cloud. Every sip was heavenly – richly sweet milk with whispers of gingerbread from the cookies. So indulgent! This is an entire dessert that you suck through a straw, so make sure you have the room in your stomach!
The K’razy Spicy Cheesy Fried Chicken Bumbuk, Spicy Intensity (RM56.90) comes with a showy performance before you get to eat it… as it should for that price! The server will place a portable hob on your table with the three meal elements on it. After removing the chicken and the fries, they will fire it up to melt the mound of mozzarella that remains on the cooking plate. It takes only a couple of minutes before it’s a gooey mess, artfully folded onto itself or stretched high into the air by your tableside chef.
Your chicken will then be placed back onto the cooktop, where each piece will by hypnotically wrapped in fibrous-like mozzarella. There are a dozen total pieces of chicken. After cheese-ing the first six, the server will then give you the choice of taking the remaining six in their original form (for some variety in your meal) or making them cheesed as well.
The end products are large, crunchy pieces of chicken wrapped snugly in warm cheese. It’s delicious – saucy, cheesy and succulent. The outside is a tight little package, but the chicken inside is delicate and can easily be picked apart. Watch out for the occasional chunk of gristle in your chicken. The cheese is not stringy like pizza cheese, but more of a rubbery texture that “snaps” when you tear away a bite.
Since almost everyone watches the chicken and cheese show until the end, by the time you’re digging in, the cheese has sufficiently cooled. If you want long tendrils of mozzarella, you’ll have to grab a piece as soon as the server puts it down onto the plate. The fries are good but definitely an afterthought compared the chicken. They’re saltier than normal and there’s some sort of orange dust on them, so my guess is that it’s a cheese seasoning.
There are three intensities: mild, spicy and extra spicy. I had the notion that Korean food was never that spicy, so we got our chicken “spicy” thinking it would be a gentle burn. Let me tell you: the “spicy” is no joke. I’d like to think my spice tolerance is typical for a Malaysian, but I will say this was damn spicy. For the first ten minutes of eating, I was panting, dabbing away snot, and so thankful that I had gotten a milkshake to placate my fiery tongue. If you’re someone who only dabbles in spicy food, do not get this spicy version.
With the amount of cheese that is going to be consumed, the deep-fried chicken plus a side of fries, this is a very heavy meal. Expect to begin feeling full very fast, and after what seems like very little food. Factoring in its price, the point is to share the Bumbuk with at least one other person… though, it will be impressive if you can actually demolish this entire thing by yourself.
Saturday Worthy?
Whatever you order, this will be an expensive meal. The Bumbuks are undoubtedly the reason for K Fry’s buzz and are the thing to get. Yes, they’re costly, but it doesn’t make sense to queue up for an hour just to get kimchi fried rice. In this case, you’re paying for an experience that, thankfully, also tastes good. I’m already dreaming of the time when we can go back.
Price for 2 Pax: RM93.15
Cheesy Bumbuk Spicy Yangwin: RM56.90
Kookies Madness: RM17.90
Honey Yuja Tea: RM5.50
10% Service: RM8.03
6% SST: RM4.82
K-Fry Urban Korean
Address: 1 Utama Shopping Center, Lower Ground Lot 221A, Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Daily: 11am – 10pm (last order at 9pm)
Alcohol Served: No
