For all my fellow Chicken Tender lovers… There is a new kid just at the edge of Koreatown on Pico and Western, KozyKo!
We drive past this spot a lot. It used to be home to an interesting concept called Sopita. They literally sold cups of Ramyun (like Nong Shim) all dolled up. It was cheap. It was fast. And if you like that sort of thing (which a lot of folks do), it totally hit the spot. But they only had indoor dining (Like those roundy ramen bar things) and so they just could not survive the pandemic with the concept. We noticed that KozyKo moved in and honestly at first, it seemed to be your typical cheap rice lunch place. It had fried chicken, but lots of other stuff too.
Well in the past month, they stripped down the menu. Gone are the Korean Plates. It’s Tenders, it’s Chicken Sandwiches, it’s Korean Corn Dogs. So I took a look at their yelp and when I saw the tenders… I knew I had to go… and they lived up to how good they looked and sounded…
I got the two tender combo which gives you two tenders, Fries, Texas Toast, choice of dipping sauce and slaw (I chose the Kimchee Slaw)
Holy cow this was good. The batter was so crisp and light. But it never steamed or got soggy. The tender was delicious and juicy. They were an excellent size, served pipping hot (So beware that first bite) and cooked perfectly.
I opted for the Apple Sweet Chili Sauce. It was very good. Not like Mae Ploy, a bit sweeter, chili was powder not flake and less vinegary, but still super tasty. Will try the Garlic Soy sauce flavor next time.
The fries I came were good, thin fast food style. The Kim Chee Slaw was interesting, it was very much a slaw (Not like chopped up Kim Chee from the jar), but with all the punch of Kim Chee. But my favorite of the combo was the Texas Toast. It was SO buttery. Total Sizzler Cheese Toast Vibes…
P. got the Sandwich
He got the original with no sauce. The same super crisp and light batter. It was quite large but as you ate it, it was well balanced. It did not fall apart and the pickles were super good. Not those awful industrial pickle chips most use.
The items came fast and the service was great! There is a small lot that is pretty easy to get in and out of. It’s still is an indoor only operation. But they aren’t too busy and we sat in the far corner of the ramen bar and was very distant from other customers. We will be back…
