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January 7, 2020 by Ron Wen

Chicken Bee, Durham – Offering Amazing Korean Fried Chicken on 9th Street

Chicken Bee in Durham - nctriangledining.com Chicken Bee in Durham – nctriangledining.com

One of the more exciting food trends we’ve seen over the past several years is the emergence of Korean food and in particular, Korean fried chicken. This delicious, double-fried poultry was brought to the area first by Soo Cafe out in Raleigh. And over time, Korean fried chicken has slowly been added to many menus of restaurants that serve Korean food. But I admit that I was excited to see what Chicken Bee could do since it specialized in Korean fried chicken. So it was time to head off to Durham’s 9th Street to see what Chicken Bee is all about!

Dining room at Chicken Bee in Durham - nctriangledining.com Dining room at Chicken Bee in Durham – nctriangledining.com
Dining room at Chicken Bee in Durham - nctriangledining.com Back bar at Chicken Bee in Durham – nctriangledining.com

While Chicken Bee is conveniently located on 9th Street, it sits at the very northern end of the street in the newer section past Hillsborough and Markham Avenue. Given the newness of the building, Chicken Bee is pretty light and bright inside with a basic but modern cafe decor. Primarily smaller 2-tops and 4-tops throughout the dining room. In the back sits a small bar with a couple of TVs for entertainment. The usual crowd here is mostly Duke students looking to get their chicken on or take-out orders for workers heading home. Chicken Bee has a classic Korean fried chicken menu similar to Bonchon (a chain) offering up KFC but also a handful of Korean dishes and even some Japanese ramen. Everything’s pretty much $7 to $15 on the menu so it’s affordable eats here. Along with the food, Chicken Bee offers a handful of beers-wine along with some Korean soft drinks.

Mandu appetizer at Chicken Bee in Durham - nctriangledining.com Mandu appetizer at Chicken Bee in Durham – nctriangledining.com
Seafood pancake at Chicken Bee in Durham - nctriangledining.com Seafood pancake at Chicken Bee in Durham – nctriangledining.com

For appetizers, I definitely recommend the mandu (Korean dumplings) glazed with some soy-garlic sauce. While they are vegetarian, the mandu here are perfectly fried (similar to gyoza) and wonderfully delicious. With 8 to an order, you should definitely be sharing these with friends! The Korean food seafood pancake doesn’t fare quite as well, a bit greasy without a ton of taste so I’d probably pass here and save my stomach for more important things. But given that it usually takes at least 30 minutes to get fresh Korean fried chicken, an appetizer or beer helps immensely with your wait.

Half and half Korean fried chicken at Chicken Bee in Durham - nctriangledining.com Half and half Korean fried chicken at Chicken Bee in Durham – nctriangledining.com

And more important things at Chicken Bee is of course, their signature Korean fried chicken. Offered as soy-garlic or spicy garlic in 6, 10 or 20 pieces, I’d go the half and half route to taste a bit of both. The Korean fried chicken is served with your choice of two sides, choose from cole slaw, white rice, pickled radish, soda, or kimchi ($3 extra). While you may wait a bit for you fresh KFC, it’s totally worth it! When they drop that plate in front of you, it’s hard not to jump right in but be careful it’s probably just out of the fryer. And Chicken Bee was nice enough to provide these plastic finger covers to neatly eat your KFC, first time I’ve seen them. But once you dive into the chicken, it’s really hard to stop eating! Plump flats and drums lacquered with delicious soy-garlic or spicy garlic sauce are equally wonderful. The wings here are meaty and perfectly cooked, the skin is crispy and pulls off the meat a bit. Really wonderful bar eats but yeah, probably not the healthiest thing you’ll eat this week.

Korean fried chicken with rice and radish at Chicken Bee in Durham - nctriangledining.com Korean fried chicken with rice and radish at Chicken Bee in Durham – nctriangledining.com

And service? There have been some complaints, the restaurant is still pretty new along with the staff. And I know there has been some stress in getting patrons to understand the KFC cooking/frying process which just takes some time. But if you’re patient, dinner here is well worth the wait for this chicken deliciousness. I’m in Durham often for dinner and other than Hutchins Garage and M Pocha, Chicken Bee is a craving that I get whenever I visit. So despite its faults around service, you’re going to get great Korean fried chicken at a very reasonable price here at Chicken Bee. And that’s plenty good enough for me when I’m choosing a place to eat in the Bull City.

Chicken Bee

810 9th Street #129

Durham, NC 27705

984.888.5561

 

Location on Google maps

Filed Under: Durham, Featured, Restaurant & Bar Reviews Tagged With: Korean Fried Chicken

October 4, 2018 by Ron Wen Leave a Comment

First Take: M Kokko in Durham Doing Chicken Asian-Style

M Kokko in Durham - nctriangledining.com
M Kokko in Durham – nctriangledining.com

As a fan of Chef Mike Lee who owns and runs great restaurants like Sono in Raleigh and M Sushi in Durham, I’m always curious to see what he comes up with next. So of course I was excited to hear that his newest eatery, M Kokko, was doing a soft open last week. Focused on chicken dishes that Chef Mike craves, I really didn’t know much about what M Kokko would be like which made for a fun experience on my first visit. With two friends in tow, we headed out in search of M Kokko on a warm Wednesday evening.

Decor at M Kokko in Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Decor at M Kokko in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

If you haven’t been to M Sushi yet, finding M Kokko is going to be a bit tricky! Head on over to 311 Holland Street and M Sushi which is hidden at the address on the side of a brick building. M Kokko is BEHIND M Sushi and at the back of the building, foodie explorer! As soon as you enter you’ll spot a large chalkboard with some bawk-bawk chicken imagery. Turn the corner and you’ll see it’s a pretty small space here at M Kokko. Maybe 20+ seats and very humble. The menu is very small (5 items) and chalked up on the huge chalkboard, no reading glasses necessary here!

November 2019 Chalkboard menu at M Kokko in Durham- NC Triangle Dining
November 2019 Chalkboard menu at M Kokko in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Choose from a donburi rice bowl, Korean fried chicken wings, a chicken sandwich, ramen and soon dan dan chicken noodles. M Kokko has a small selection of canned beers for your dining pleasure right now but I suspect there will be more options once they settle into a groove. At the table we order up two plates of KFC wings, a couple of donburi bowls and I go with what I suspect will be a boring chicken sandwich. Yep, I hate to order the same item as everyone else and it was too hot for ramen so it’s time for the sammich! We’re warned that the chicken and donburi will take 15 minutes since its cooked to order but not a problem.

Korean fried chicken at M Kokko in Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Korean fried chicken at M Kokko in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Our Korean fried chicken shows up and it’s a lovely looking plate. Six or so flats and drums glistening with garlic-soy sauce along with some rice covered with tomato-okra gravy. M Kokko does a very good Korean fried chicken (Chef Mike is Korean) and a bit different than my other fave, Soo Cafe. While the chicken is equally fresh and well-fried, he goes with a heavier soy flavored glaze and it’s not that sticky. Excellent in its own way and the side of rice is fluffy and tasty. The KFC plate at M Kokko would make for a good meal.

Chicken sandwich at M Kokko in Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Chicken sandwich at M Kokko in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Next up is my boring (not really!) chicken sandwich. While my expectations weren’t sky-high it was a FANTASTIC bite! Served with some skin-on wedge fries, M Kokko amps up the flavor of their fried chicken breast with some aioli and these wonderful, soft sweet pickles. Taken all together with the flour-dusted bun, it’s one of the best chicken sandwiches I’ve tried of late. And at $9, a really good lunch option!

Chicken donburi at M Kokko in Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Chicken donburi at M Kokko in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

My friends enjoyed their donburi and maybe I’ll try it for visit #2. Oh, and M Kokko will be adding chicken dan dan noodles soon (spicy Szechuan noodles). Service was solid and attentive at M Kokko but we’ll have to see how things move along as they get busy. Overall I was really pleased with M Kokko and especially since it was only it’s 2nd day in operation. But I suspect Chef Mike will tweak the menu and operations over time, he’s got a great track record for successful restaurants from what I’ve seen. So rock on M Kokko! You certainly do chicken right and can’t wait to get back for a return visit…

M Kokko

311 Holland Street

Durham, NC 27701

919.908.9266

Location on Google maps

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Filed Under: Durham, Restaurant & Bar Reviews Tagged With: Chicken, Korean Fried Chicken

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