Arisun

Food was meh at best. Service could be a tad nicer too. Edit: stomach ache next day :/

Have been on a Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) binge this year after discovering how ridiculously amazing it is.
We wanted to go to Chinatown on Christmas Day so decided it was time to give Arisun a go. We could sit outside with the dog so this was a plus for us. The only thing was they put us right in the corner, even though it was quiet, so we were out of their way but also out of everyone’s way except customers coming to view the menu. The staff did ignore us quite a bit. They welcomed Koreans with loud greetings, served them before us even when they came in after us, and let them sit wherever they wanted. They gave them water, but I had to go inside looking for jugs of water and cups.
The chicken was the same price that you get at other KFC places in Sydney. The sauces were very tasty (Soy for one and Sweet and Spicy for the other). The spicy chicken was indeed a little spicy which is good when that’s what you order! Chicken was tender but pieces a little smaller than other KFC I have been to. They are charging for a «whole» chicken but it definitely was not. Was hard to find and determine all the pieces as well.
The skin while very crispy was a little thinner and less crunchier than I prefer. While there were no leftovers, I would say definitely other KFC like Sparrow’s Mill and Red Pepper are much better so far to me!

Had the sweet and spicy chicken and the soy sauce chicken.
Both were good, chicken skin was crispy while the meat being juicy and tender. The sweet and spicy sauce was nice and fairly hot while not being overly sweet like other places usually are. The soy sauce was a nice basic sauce that complimented the chicken well.
A couple of small gripes, usually when you order a Korean fried chicken at around $ 33, it’s always been a full chicken that has been cut up and fried. I highly doubt that we got a full chicken or these two chickens we had only had one wing and one leg each???
Also the staff made us (non-​Asians) sit in the corner of the restaurant wedged between a big menu sign where people would keep coming over disrupting us while they browsed the menu at the entrance of the restaurant, but whenever a Korean person would walk in, they were told they could choose wherever they wanted to sit. Also we were one of the first patrons for the day, yet while having quickly made our decision of what to order (it only took us a couple of minutes), Korean people that came in way after us who were also treated much better than us, also got to order and get their food well before us, and they were all given complimentary table water while we had to go up and find our own water and cups and bring them back to our table ourselves…
Other than that the food it self was pretty good. But I still believe in my opinion that the Sparrows Mill in the city and Red Pepper in Strathfield do much better Korean fried chicken and actually give you a whole chicken when you order a whole chicken.

Just two things you need to know about Arisun. Well, perhaps three. Get the spicy BBQ pork and the Korean fried chicken with sweet and spicy sauce. Sure, they have other really good dishes, but none will give you mouthgasmic pleasure like these two. The pork is right on the razor’s edge of being almost too spicy and must be sprinkled with crack. Even with your mouth on fire, you keep going back. The fried chicken is crispy, juicy and very flavorful.
Oh yeah, the third thing. Get the «big beer», a self-​service keg that can get 2 – 3 people well sauced.
Arisun was the most packed restaurant in Sydney’s Chinatown district the night I visited. That should tell you something.

It was my usual Friday lunch adventure time — I was craving Korean food and my friend suggested this place because of the jumbo sized black bean noodles. Get out of here! It was actually very very large and I’m not just talking about the bowl that it came in. The large serving is probably enough for at least four, or in my case six, when you order of the dishes as well.
We had ordered pork belly with kimchi and rice, which may be quite spicy spicy for some people but for me it was the perfect amount.
What I do love is their fried chicken. Mind you it’s not cheap ($ 32) but the quality of the food was pretty high. The fried chicken was crispy even though it had been covered by an amazing sweet and spicy sauce — which once again, might be a bit spicy for some but to me, it was pure bliss. Unfortunately I had to return to uni, otherwise I would’ve ordered beers. You seriously can’t have Korean fried chicken without beers, it should be illegal or something haha.
Either way, this restaurant is pretty top-​notch if you’re looking for some snacks, drinks and just a crazy ass photo with a large bowl of jajangmyeon.

Arrived Saturday night at 6.30 and had no trouble getting a table for 5. We over ordered not realising how large the portions were. Food overall was delicious and arrived promptly. The stand out for my wife and I was the BBQ beef. Very sweet. The KFC looking chicken was tasty and was not greasy. We also enjoyed the chicken strips seasoned with red and green chillies and the icy chicken noodles. Great eats to be enjoyed here.

You don’t come here for the great service — it is one of those Asian restaurants where the waiters always seem like they are in a rush or they hate serving you. If you frequent asian restaurants a lot, you will know what I am talking about. If you don’t expect great service, you will be fine!
If you want fried chicken, get a bowl of fried chicken! One bowl is enough for two people (with leftovers if you’re not a big eater) and you could do with one side dish such as rice or noodles.
I have come here many times and have had the different flavours of fried chicken:
— Original: Great — crispy fried chicken with lots of crunch
— Soy fried chicken: This is awesome because of the soy dressing just makes the chicken that little bit more tastier
— Chilli chicken: This chilli is too chilli for me so i didn’t enjoy it. My friends who eat chilli a lot really enjoy the chilli flavour.
You can take your leftover chicken home. Just make sure you ask for a take away container because they try and give you a dodgy little paper bag to put your chicken in (not even the type which is lined with foil). And it took 3 times of me asking for a container to actually get one. I told them I would pay for a container but they gave it to me for free.
You can come here late at night too or just for dinner. It is quite loud and big group’s come here and order the large kegs of beer.
I would come here again because i love fried chicken!

Wow, some mixed reviews here. I must have come on a bad night and ordered the wrong things, as my experience was not great. The only positive thing was the waiters who were good with service, but the money takers were that angry Auntie variety. Doesn’t stand well with Sydney, angry Aunties.
I had a chicken dish and the chicken was overflowing with a really bland orange sauce. Must have been the single un-​flavoursome thing on the menu considering some of the reviews. I did like that they give kimchi with every dish, but I won’t be coming back.
It’s expensive for what it is (tourist prices), the beer is very average and the service is not great behind the counter. Don’t bother.

We went in for the jjajangmyun (black bean noodles), and stayed for the pomegranate soju cocktail. Good quality Korean food, friendly staff.

This place has its pros and cons. Let’s go with the pro first since it’s the reason why I keep coming back despite the cons. Chicken, bloody good, finger-​licking, can-​never-​get-​enough-​of, Korean Fried Chicken. The spicy and original fried chicken is freakin awesome and goes down way too easily with beer and/​or soju.
The cons, the service. Doesn’t matter if it’s a busy or quite night, they never fail to make you feel like you’re a nuisance, troubling them with your demands for food and drinks. Add that to the relatively pricey costs especially at that side of town, it can really put you off them for good… or at least until you’re absolutely dying for their chicken again (I am the latter). If they try to seat you outside the actual restaurants area, don’t do it. It’s a trap to not have to serve you until you walk back into the restaurant to get their attention and kick you out by 9 even though you’re still eating.
If you’re prepared for it and have a back-​up plan it’s not a bad night out with friends for some awesome fried chicken, beer and k-​pop!

Not a fan of the fried chicken here. I’m not sure why everyone likes it so much. It is very, very fried and there isn’t a lot of meat on each piece.
The other thing we ordered while we were here was the dumpling hot pot. This was a very strange dish. It was full of weird, fake-​looking meat and the dumplings were way, way too salty. In fact, the entire dish was just way too salty and sweet. There was very little other flavour to it.

Another place for some korean fried chicken and Soju. A good combination because one is food and one represents good value for booze because one soju which costs slightly more than a beer at a bar is probably the equivalent of 6 standard drinks (So please leave your car at home!)
This place has is also great for a little peoplewatching along Dixon/​Liverpool st as people go backwards and forth to Darling Harbour /​Darling Quarter.
The Korean Fried chicken tastes a little better than NaruOne and the price is similar, except the portions is slightly smaller.

This place is my go to Korean Fried Chicken joint. Their hot pot is pretty good as well. I mean really, how can you go wrong with fried chicken and beer? You just can’t!
The coolest part about Arisun is their wet naps… they don’t start out wet, but pour some water on them and watch them expand, just to clean your dirty hands and face off after digging into some fried chicken.
Sweet and spicy or soy flavoured, the fried chicken here is pretty damn good. The only gripe I have about the chicken here is that it can be bony as they use all parts of the chicken. NaruOne beats Arisun in that aspect, and their pieces aren’t as large as NaruOne’s.
However, when it comes to taste and service Arisun wins. The rest of the items on their menu, like the aforementioned hot pot are pretty good. Can’t go wrong with a lot of the things here, plus they’re open late.

Great fried chicken and generous portions. Beer is VB on tap. I suggest sticking with the $ 7 Korean beers