Nadri Korean Cuisine & Fried Chicken

It has been quite some time since I last visited Nadri tucked away near the Hannam Market on the Burnaby side of North Road.  It is technically a food stall in a very quiet food court, but in reality, it is a restaurant because there is plenty of seating and also there is full-service.  Whatever the case, they really do dish up excellent Korean eats in big portions while doing it for very reasonable prices.  A truly hidden gem that is both a gem and actually hidden!  You might miss it on your first try finding it!

Well, I knew where it was and met up with 3 other foodies for a tasting (Jess, Eileen and Joyce).  Of course we had to start with their well-known house-made Half & Half Dumplings (Pork and Kimchi).  As you can clearly see, the dumpling skin was thin with some translucency.  There was elasticity to the dough, but the dumplings did get stuck to the silicon mat though.  For me, I loved both dumplings, but the kimchi stood out due to the slight spice and tanginess.

Staying with the classics, we also had the Half & Half KFC featuring Snowing and Sweet & Spicy Korean fried chicken.  Unlike the last time I was here, the chicken was boneless.  The picture doesn't do the portion size justice as it was massive!  Loved the crispy batter that was definitely there without being too heavy.  The chicken itself was succulent.  There was no shortage of seasoning as the snowing was completely coated with powdered cheese.  I found the sweet and spicy to be nicely balanced and not too sweet.

If we thought the KFC was a large portion, the Pork Tangsuyook overwhelmed us with a mountain of perfectly fried meat.  The lean pork was still juicy and was coated with starch that was crispy with some appealingly glutinous parts.  Of course the tangsuyook wouldn't be complete without the sweet & sour sauce right?  Well, it was served on the side, as usual, to maintain the crispy integrity of the pork.  The sauce was excellent with the right viscosity (so it adhered to each piece) and being tangy forward with balancing sweetness.

Typically, Jajangmyeon features noodles topped with a black bean onion sauce where you would need to mix the dish yourself.  However, we were served a stir-fried version in the House Special Black Bean Noodles.  There are a few differences other than being pre-mixed.  There was quite the amount seafood added to the mix while I found there was a bit of spice.  Furthermore, this portion size was pretty large.  In the end, this was delicious where the noodles were chewy and the sauce was flavourful being sweet and briny with some spice.

Staying a bit on the same flavour profile, we had the Seafood Fried Rice that sported a considerable amount of black bean sauce on the side.  Hence, we got the same vibes as the last dish except with fried rice.  About that rice, it was moist, yet still dry at the same time.  Good wok fry that made things aromatic.  Lots of seafood hidden within and when mixed with the black bean sauce, we got plenty of moisture, sweetness from the onions and overall savouriness.

Lastly, we had the Galbi Champong Noodles featuring their Instafamous big beef bones (can find this at Kang's too!).  Noodles in this were plentiful and chewy while the spicy seafood broth was briny with a bite.  But really, it was all about the fall-off-the-bone beef that was rich and tender.  Good compliment to the soup and noodles.  As you can see, the food looks fantastic at Nadri.  Yes it also tastes good with all the right textures and flavours.  To top it off, the portions are large and the prices are not expensive.  

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Delicious
- Inexpensive
- Large portions

The Bad:
- Not the sexiest of places, but you come for the food right?
- A bit hard to find