Pelicana Chicken (Robson)

It goes without say that there are a bleep-load of KFC joints all over the Lower Mainland.  I'm not talking about Kentucky Fried Chicken either, rather, I'm referring to Korean Fried Chicken.  Once upon a time, it was merely a menu item at some Korean restaurants and we had late night spots such at Ajuker.  Now, we have several chains in town and a spattering of independent shops to compliment the restaurants that already serve KFC.  I have yet to try Pelicana Chicken and luck would have it, we were invited to try them out, specifically the Robson location.

So Pelicana ups the ante somewhat as they not only serve KFC, but also some classic items too.  Case in point, they have a variety of Kimbap.  We chose to try the Beef and Tuna Mayo.  These were crammed full of ingredients with just enough rice surrounding it.  The beef was tender, meaty and slightly spicy.  Veggies were tender with a bit of crunch from the spinach and pickled radish.  I really loved the tuna mayo as it was creamy, fishy (in a good way) and also a bit spicy.

For our selection of KFC, we had 3 small orders of Spicy Yang Nyum, Original and Soy Chicken.  These large dark meat nuggets were super juicy (literally juice and fat running out of it) and tender.  On the outside, the thin batter was crispy, even after being tossed in sauce.  I loved the spicy yang nyum as it was sweet with a nice kick.  Original was pretty typical with only a light brine on the chicken.  The soy was good too with enough saltiness balanced by some sweetness.

If some of the components of this Bibimbap look familiar, then you would be right.  Smartly using the some of the veggies and the beef for both this dish and the kimbap, they are able use these for more than one item.  This bibimbap was definitely rustic looking, but it ate really well with lots of toppings.  The veggies were well-prepared while the kimchi radish provided some spicy crunch.  We had some gochujang on the side where we mixed it into the rice.  Satisfying.

Staying with rice bowls, we also tried the Spicy Chicken Rice Bowl.  This not only included a chewy rice base, there was a bit of fried noodle and salad on top too.  The spicy chicken did live up to its namesake with a rice red pepper spiciness that had a touch of tanginess and sweetness. I felt the white onions were necessary for texture and taste, but it could've been cooked through just a bit more as it was rather sharp tasting.  Otherwise, this was a very flavourful dish.

Our last rice bowl happened to be the Pork Katsu Curry also with fried egg noodle and salad in addition to the rice.  The cutlet itself was tender while somewhere in between dry and moist.  The breading was crispy while not being particularly greasy-tasting. With the curry on the side, it allowed us to keep the breading crispy until we poured it on top.  I found the flavour to be strong enough that I could taste the curry spices.  It was nicely balanced and not as sweet as the Japanese version.

I know, I know, the Tornado Potato is quite the novelty item that can be found at the Night Market or PNE, but I really like it!  This one was crispy, well-seasoned and we enjoyed picking it off the skewer!  We ended our meal with the Bungeopang stuffed with custard and also sweet red bean paste.  Nicely browned and crispy on the outside, it yielded warm and sweet insides.  Nice treat for adults and kids alike.  Overall, the food at Pelicana is solid and reasonably-priced.  Great for takeout!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Juicy and flavourful KFC
- Solid rice bowls
- Biiiig Kimbap

The Bad:
- Not the best place to eat in, limited seating