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The Korean fried chicken game in Singapore is intense, with so many places selling the dish that it’s challenging to sift through all the options to find the best one. Some say it’s big franchises ported straight from Korea, while others claim homegrown brands have adapted the dish to better suit Singaporean tastes.
When looking at it from a pure numbers perspective, ICG Chicken & Burger in Northpoint Bizhub (not the shopping mall) has the highest rating, boasting an impressive 4.9/5 stars with 865 Google Reviews.
I headed down with gleeful anticipation. Like most Korean restaurants, they don’t only sell Korean fried chicken; their menu also has various other dishes, such as pasta and soup. However, I came with only one goal: to determine if they deserve the title of best Korean fried chicken in Singapore.
What I tried at ICG Chicken & Burger
When evaluating Korean fried chicken, you must first set a baseline. That’s why I tried their Original Fried Chicken (S$6.90 for Small, S$10.90 for Medium, S$15.90 for Large) first. All plates of Korean fried chicken here come in 3 sizes: Small (6pcs), Medium (10 pcs), and Large (16pcs). They only serve tenders, which is rather unfortunate for chicken wing and drumlet fans.
I think the pricing was fair enough, given that you’re paying S$1.15 a piece. I wouldn’t really call this a ‘tender’, as the term usually refers to long strips of chicken, while these were more like boneless chicken pieces. The golden crispy skin of the chicken sounded off a loud crunch as I stabbed it with my fork, which was music to my ears.
I was a little torn on my evaluation of the Original Fried Chicken. On one hand, I loved how crispy and peppery the outer layer of skin was. On the other hand, I feel like the chicken needed more time marinating in whatever flavour rub the restaurant used, as it tasted rather generic. It’s not terrible, but it could be much better.
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Next up, I went for their two most popular flavours. First one is the Garlic Soy Fried Chicken (S$8.90 for Small, S$13.90 for Medium, S$20.90 for Large). The boneless chicken pieces in this dish were comparably larger than the ones in the Original Fried Chicken, and I think it’s to allow for more surface area to capture the sauce. Every piece was evenly coated in a thick layer of sweet soy garlic sauce that glistened under the shining morning sun.
I could tell they really took care when brushing and coating the chicken with the soy garlic sauce. Though I did notice a distinct lack of garlic in the bowl. While I didn’t expect massive garlic cloves, this flavour of Korean fried chicken usually comes with at least a small bit of sliced garlic scattered throughout.
Unfortunately, this also translated to the taste. The pleasantly sweet soy component of the sauce was present in spades, with the faintest hint of garlic in the aftertaste. The skin also maintained a decent crisp after being coated with the garlic soy sauce, which saved me from feeling complete dejection.
Finally, I tried the other fan-favourite: the Spicy Gangjung Fried Chicken (S$8.90 for Small, S$13.90 for Medium, S$20.90 for Large). Korean fried chicken fans will immediately recognise this as Dakgangjeong, or sweet and spicy Korean fried chicken in English. I’m unsure why the restaurant renamed it to Gangjung, but I assumed it to be either a misspelling or an alteration of the name to make it easier to pronounce.
This flavour had the most striking first impression; it had a menacing red glaze covering every piece, slices of red and green chillis resting on the skin, daring me to bite into their seeds. Even as a spicy food fanatic, I felt rather intimidated, knowing my previous experiences with this particular flavour.
Funny story, there were times I could not even finish the dish because of how spicy the Korean fried chicken was. Thus, with shaky hesitance, I took a bite.
The way this Spicy Gangjung Chicken toyed with me was amusing. At first, I tasted a sugary sweetness on my tongue that made me lower my guard. Was the spice missing? I kept chewing, the tender and juicy chicken meat making it so tempting to stuff my mouth full. And then it happened, I swallowed the chicken and was overcome with an alarming heat.
My whole mouth was filled with that signature spiciness you expect from Korean food, and it was relentless. After that, the next bite was just full-on heat.
Final thoughts
It’s tough to determine the verdict. I loved some aspects of ICG Chicken & Burger’s Korean fried chicken, like the crisp of the chicken skin and the heat of their Spicy Gangjung Fried Chicken. However, I think the chicken needs more time to absorb the flavours of the rubs and sauces applied to it.
In the end, I think it deserves a 4/5 star rating, instead of the 4.9/5 stars the restaurant has. As always, this is just my opinion. Remember to head down and check ICG Chicken & Burger out for yourself!
Expected damage: S$6.90 – S$8.90 per pax
Order Delivery: foodpanda Deliveroo
