Written by Liam Marshall
The city of Kamloops is a melting pot of cultures. No matter where you wander, you’re likely to come across someone from a different culture, and you have an opportunity to learn about them. The best part of this, though, is the amount of cuisines and dishes that are brought from other cultures right to the heart of the city. Indian food is extremely prominent and can be found from the North Shore all the way to Pacific Way. Other types of Asian food exist in the city as well, like Chinese, Japanese and Korean food.
However, Korean food has an absolutely underrated contender when it comes to producing amazing dishes, and that is their incredible Korean fried chicken. A standard North American fried chicken is usually prepared by putting chicken in a dry mixture of flour and herbs, then dredged in water, buttermilk or eggs, then back into the flour mixture, then fried. Korean-style fried chicken tends to be brined in something like vinegar or mildly salted water, then either a specialized “frying powder” or a homemade frying powder is made, with water added to it afterwards to create a slightly thick batter. The chicken is dredged in this batter then added to a container with leftover frying power and shaken to coat every square inch of the chicken, in which it is then fried. Once complete, it can be served plain or tossed in a sauce, typically a sweet and spicy sauce, and served with rice cakes, also known as tteokbokki.
So, what does this have to do with Kamloops? Some may not realize it, but this delicious treat exists right under everyone’s noses downtown. If you haven’t heard the name Tongdak, not only is it Korean for “whole chicken”, but it is also the name of an amazing restaurant in the city. Located on Victoria Street, it replaced longtime resident Frenchies Poutinerie in the summer of 2020 after their business relocated to Victoria, BC. The restaurant was opened by three Korean women, Yunhee Choi, Hwayoun Eum and Eunha Han. Choi, Eum and Han were all former sushi workers but had decided to open the restaurant after having been in the area for so long. In an interview with iNFOnews back in June of 2020, Choi’s husband, Sangduck Bae, discussed the inspiration head on. “We have been living in Kamloops for more than ten years and there’s a lot of fried chicken restaurants,” Bae said. “But Kamloops (hasn’t) had a Korean style chicken restaurant before, so that’s why we opened in town.”
Their location is considered a prime spot in downtown Kamloops. Victoria Street sees a lot of foot traffic during the year, especially during the summer, due to many nearby clubs, shops and events. While Tongdak started off as a take out only location during the COVID-19 pandemic, their restaurant is part of a small food court that’s shared with two other restaurants, and is now open to the public for indoor seating, allowing for more space for customers to sit down and enjoy their food. For something like fried chicken, eating it right away is usually a better option compared to letting it sit, as there is a risk of the coating not being as crispy over time. However, this chicken always manages to stay crispy, even after a car ride into town from Barnhartvale and back. It even tastes just as good the next day.
Bae was initially worried that customers would be somewhat hesitant to the idea of Korean fried chicken, as it was not a huge concept in a city like Kamloops. He had hoped that the restaurant opening would help introduce people to more Korean culture and food terms. “People never ever heard Tongdak, Goma, Yangnyeom,” he said. “Everything is fresh words, but I believe that people (will) get used to it, like everyone knows what sushi is.”
Despite opening their doors during what seemed like a peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, this did not appear to affect their sales at all, as they are still going strong two years later. They remained optimistic and pushed forward, and found amazing success.
But what are some of the best things to try should you visit this restaurant? Having extensive knowledge of their menu, it’s easy to recommend nearly anything, but knowing that people have different tastes, it feels like there really is a flavour for everybody.
For those who want to have something that has some kick, but is also a mildly sweet delight on the tongue, the Yang-nyeom is considered the gold standard for Korean fried chicken. Yangnyeom is Korean for “seasoned”, and seasoned it is. The flavours mesh together super well, and the sauce with the tteokkboki makes for a chewy, sweet surprise when consumed. Not a fan of spice? The Gan-Jang chicken is a garlic and soy sauce based sauce that is coated in the chicken, and lends a nice sweet and salty flavour. For full sweetness, honey butter sauce is a Korean favourite and an incredible, buttery flavour. Tongdak also makes chicken sprinkled with powders and some sugar, which make for some other interesting flavours. Cheese prinkle and curry prinkle are on the menu, which are both unique in their own right.
However, Tongdak does not stop there with their Korean treats. A very popular Korean snack as well is the gamja hot dog, otherwise known as a Korean corn dog. Unlike the North American counterpart, a gamja hot dog is breaded a bit differently and can have other things in the breading, such as ramen or potatoes. Along with this, the hot dogs tend to be a combination of half hot dog, half cheese stick. Once deep fried, these gamja hot dogs are dusted with granulated sugar and usually covered with mustard and ketchup. Taking a bite into these, you get a really nice cheese stretch that cannot really be replicated in any other way, and is an incredibly unique take on what some consider a carnival style food. These are sold at night markets in Korea, and Tongdak happily sells them as well.
“Once you bite our chicken, you’re going to love it.” Bae said.
All of this would kick off the Korean fried chicken business with a bang in the city and it has only continued to grow since they opened. Chicko Chicken, a franchise, opened its doors next to Save-On Foods in Sahali. Sahali Tongdak would open right near Superstore, and Nara Korean and Japanese Restaurant also offers Korean fried chicken on their menu as of now. Tongdak currently boasts great reviews online, with their Google reviews currently sitting at a solid 4.9/5 stars, and heavy praise from many people who stop by. We should be thankful for a local business like this, as they have brought a new cuisine to Kamloops, and we have been better off as a city for it since. Tongdak is a must try for anyone who hasn’t had it yet, and if you have had it, always go back for more, and support your local eateries.
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