I have found a new addiction and the dealer is Zankou Chicken. For years my friend Bernadette would tell me about it. Actually, damn her, she only mentioned it in passing. Never really selling it to me so I thought that it was just like Koo Koo Roo or something.
Only trying to find something different to do for lunch did I decide on venturing over to the scary-busy intersection of Sepulveda and Santa Monica (which always seems to be under construction). I tried to cheat the lunch rush by ordering over the phone. But the gruff lady on the line said that they don’t take orders for anything less than $100 and that they were fast anyway. Preposterous!
But sure enough when I got there, no sooner had I placed and paid for my order when they called my number. Damn, they ARE fast!
I ordered the quarter white chicken ($5.48) and it came with some pita bread, hummus and pink pickled turnips with chilies. The chicken was disappointingly dry but I just slathered the infamous garlic paste and hummus on each piece before I stuffed it in my mouth. The roasted skin was a delicacy. I wish there was more of it. They should sell a side of just the skin. Mmm!
For a drink, I got a can of mango juice only cuz it spoke to my Filipino-ness and besides, how often do you see mango juice at a fast-food joint?
Overall I was pleased with my first Zankou experience and I’d like to try their wraps eventually. For now, I think I’ll stick with the white meat chicken, only next time I’ll kick it up a notch with half a chicken instead of a measly quarter. What was I thinking?
But I love how the food is surprisingly cheap and oh-so savory. I’m definitely going to add it to my repetoire of “Foods That I’m Addicted to.” Right up there with the Outdoor Grill’s barbecued tri-tip, In-N-Out’s cheeseburger and Cold Stone Creamery’s Mud Pie Mojo.
1716 S. Sepulveda Boulevard #101
West Los Angeles, California
(310) 444-0550