Redpepper

If you ever crave Korean food your first stop should be Strathfield, if you are craving Korean Fried Chicken then nothing beats Redpepper for delicious, crispy fried chicken that will leave you wanting more! Although Redpepper’s expanded it’s locations to Lidcombe, North Ryde and Chullora. Nothing beats the OG, why? Keep reading.

Photo credit: @redpepperclub (instagram)

If you have never tried Korean fried chicken before then you haven’t really lived - but that’s ok because I am here to introduce you to the best Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) I’ve ever had. As a Sydneysider I have witnessed the monumental and rapid growth of Asian cuisine including Korean food (no thanks to the rising popularity of Kpop and Kdramas) - every time I watch a Korean drama and see fried chicken my cravings always kick into full gear. The best suburb in Sydney for KFC is Strathfield and Redpepper is the cream of the crop. Let’s get eating!

Seafood pancake

Korean seafood pancake (Haemul-pajeon 해물파전) is a crispy, savoury pancake filled with green onions, white onion and chives with a variety of seafood including but not limited to shrimp, squid, octopus, and sometimes clams. Redpepper’s seafood pancake was bloody delicious - filled to the brim with seafood and deep fried to that perfect golden brown. The pancake wasn’t overly doughy or thick which was fantastic and I just can’t fault this, every bite was delicious!

Vegetable fried dumplings

Although I grew up with dumplings there is somewhat of a difference between Korean vs Chinese dumplings, in Chinese culture we love our steamed pork and chive dumplings as well as soup dumplings/xiao long bao. However the Korean version is usually filled with pork and vegetables or kimchi, we ordered the pork and vegetable fried dumpling which was pleasant and quite crispy. I probably wouldn’t order this again at Redpepper though - if you want amazing dumplings try The Mandoo instead (also in Strathfield).

Black bean noodle (Jajangmyeon)

Black bean noodle (member: $20, non-member: $22)

Jajangmyeon(자장면) or Zha Jiang Mian(炸酱面) is a Chinese Korean (or Korean Chinese) black bean noodle dish that is wildly popular and beloved by all - this dish is deceptively simple, white noodles served with diced pork, onion and cabbage in black bean sauce but the FLAVOUR is insane. Once the sauce is mixed in with the noodles the taste is deliciously earthy, sweet, sour and decadent (we love thicc noods here). The sauce is quite thick and intense which is why it’s usually served with a side of yellow picked radish (danmuji) and kimchi for a hint of freshness. I loved the chewy noods and generous dollop of sauce - 11/10 this is a must try at Red pepper (however note you can also get jajangmyeon at most other Korean restaurants).

Korean Fried Chicken

Original Fried Chicken

The worst-kept secret of what makes Korean fried chicken (KFC) delicious and super crispy is that potato starch is added to the batter, then the chicken is double fried, the second frying also cooks off excess water in the chicken from the first deep fry. If you are a KFC newbie then the OG is a must-try - the chicken is moist on the inside, fried to golden perfection and every bite is umami. The only criticism I have is flavour… I’m a huge fan of intense flavours (think spicy, salty, mala) and this chicken whilst fantastic in texture and crunch was altogether a bit too bland for me.

Spring onion fried chicken

Spring onion fried chicken is one of the most popular options at Korean restaurants but I was a bit nervous about trying Redpepper’s version as it is served with wasabi flavoured sauce and I’m not a big fan of wasabi. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste though - the sauce was less zingy than salty but the addition of spring onions added a refreshing twist to the fried chicken. Highly recommend getting this if you want a bit more savoury sauce and freshness with your fried chicken.

Spicy chilli Fried Chicken

I am the biggest fan of spice and when it comes to fried chicken, the spicier the better! Red Pepper’s spicy chilli KFC is smothered in a special chilli paste with rice cake sticks. I feel like people either love their fried chicken super saucy or dry i.e. just OG fried chicken but I like both - the chilli paste is quite generous so each bite is deliciously spicy with a tingly aftertaste. The rice cakes are cooked to perfection with a chewy and soft texture, the only thing that would make this better is more jalapenos or red chilli pieces to enhance the spice [yes this was only a 7/10 on the spice scale for me but if you are not a spice lover please get the makgeolli ready].

Garlic Soy Sauce

The garlic soy sauce coated chicken is another popular menu item - it is coated in a sweet garlic soy glaze and I believe we got the boneless version. Once again Red pepper is very generous with the glaze and the combination of the salty ingredients (garlic and soy) with that additional sweetness is super umami. If you are into tender chicken coated in a slightly sweet and salty glaze this is for you - also note although the serving sizes doesn’t look too big in photos you will almost ALWAYS have leftovers to take home which is an added bonus in my books.

That’s a wrap on Redpepper, I couldn’t really fault any of the dishes however I have only tried the Strathfield location so my views are limited to the menu items there.

Overall rating: 10/10

Address (multiple locations):

Strathfield: 19 Morwick Street (inside Strathfield Sports Club), Strathfield NSW 2135

North Ryde: 13 Delhi Rd, North Ryde NSW 2113

Lidcombe: 2 Mark St, Lidcombe NSW 2141

Chullora: 46/355-357 Waterloo Rd, Chullora NSW 2190 (Chullora Marketplace)

Website: https://www.redpepperclub.com.au/

Instagram: @redpepperclub