There’s a new chain store that has recently opened in Ulsan, and this time it’s not serving fried chicken, but instead fried pork! That’s right, battered, deep-fried pork with a host of flavors to choose from.
Road Rock Fried is a smaller chain here in South Korea, and they are looking to break into the fried food market. Now, fried pork does have a pretty big history here in South Korea, as Sweet and Sour Pork is a standard menu item in almost every Chinese restaurant in the country. Similar to the Chinese-American dish of Sweet and Sour Chicken balls, but with less batter, sweet and sour pork is a favorite of both students and adults.
One of the problems with the Chinese dish here is that it has become increasing expensive and the portions are actually getting smaller! This makes it harder for students to enjoy that crispy, flavorful, fried pork. Likewise, fried chicken is also quite expensive in many of the chain shops here. That’s where Road Rock Fried comes in!
With three different sizes to choose from, and the convenience of an eat-on-the-go container, it is perfect for both individuals and groups who are craving crispy pork!
Located in the new downtown area of Ulsan, Road Rock Fried has a small shop with a few tables and the kitchen.
Being brightly decorated, I was energized the moment I stepped into the shop.
Walking up to the touchscreen ordering system, I was debating what I wanted to order. I decided to get a cone, or signature size, (the smallest option) of their New Rock Salt fried pork, and a cone of Ggan-poong Garlic fried pork.
Looking around, I noticed that Road Rock Fried also sells two larger sizes, the single bucket and the giant bucket. There are also some burritos for sale, as well as rice bowls.
After ten minutes the fried pork was ready, and I decided to walk to a nearby park to enjoy my dinner, seeing as how the weather was lovely.
The two cones were put into a plastic bag, and while walking to the park, I snuck a piece of the New Rock Salt fried pork. It was SO tasty! Hot and crispy, with just the right amount of greasiness to it!
After getting to the park, I sat down and started to enjoy the food in earnest.
The texture of the pork is very good, and the portions are actually very substantial.
The New Rock Salt Fried pork comes with a light dusting of salty cheese powder, similar to the cheese powder used at KFC here in Korea for some of their dishes. After a while, the huge amount of salt on the fried pork became a little bit overwhelming.
I decided to move on to the Ggan-Poong Garlic fried pork. Ggan-Poong seasoning is used in many Chinese restaurants here as well, and is a spicy sauce added over what is usually fried chicken. There are some places that do pork instead of chicken. The garlic and spicy peppers are very enjoyable together so I do enjoy this flavor usually.
Road Rock Fried does have a good flavor on their Ggan-Poong sauce. However it tasted very salty because the cheese powder was also on the fried pork. This was disappointing because by the end of eating both cones, I felt bombarded by salt.
One of the nice things that Road Rock Fried does is put a little package of gummy bears in the bottom of the cone, so there is a dessert waiting for you when you finish the fried pork.
Overall, the flavor was good for Road Rock Fried’s dishes. However I think that the seasoning powder is overused, and it becomes too much of a good thing. Perhaps the rice bowls might be a better choice so that the salt is cut with something a little blander. The next time I go there I will absolutely be asking no salt powder!
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