First Look: Get Exceptional Fried Chicken Burgers at Fairfield’s K Crunch

Husband-and-wife team Jaeyeol Ko and Seoryn Lee have spent more than a decade working in restaurants across Australia – Lee front-of-house and Ko in kitchens including Kiyomi on the Gold Coast. Ko and Lee moved to Melbourne just over two years ago and, earlier this year, they opened their first venue, K Crunch on Station Street in Fairfield.

The concept is deliberately focused. The menu centres around Korean fried chicken that’s perfectly crunchy on the outside, yet still juicy and tender on the inside, served with house-made sauces. 

Though the couple is from South Korea, Ko learnt how to make his Korean fried chicken while working under Korean chefs at Poseidon, a seafood restaurant in Hobart that has since become Mr Korea. At K Crunch, Ko tweaked the recipe he learned in Hobart, making adjustments to the brine time and coating. Thigh fillets undergo a strict six-hour brine. The timing, Lee says, is essential for that “perfect bite and texture”. Any longer and the chicken and crumb start to separate. The brined thighs are then coated in a custom seasoning blend made from gochujang and imported gochugaru (Korean chilli powder) before they’re fried. 

Wings and sides including onion rings, hash browns and chips are all excellent. But the shop’s two fried chicken burgers have put K Crunch on the map. “At the end of the day, we aren’t trying to reinvent the burger,” says Lee. “We simply want to make something people genuinely crave. Crispy, juicy, fresh and consistent – that keeps customers coming back for more.”

For the buns, the couple chose Martin’s potato rolls for their “pillow-soft texture and sweet flavour”, explaining that the “other brioche versions we looked at were too greasy,” says Lee.

Instead of overloading the burger, K Crunch keeps toppings fresh and focused with crisp shredded lettuce and pickles, allowing its house-made sauces to do the heavy lifting. The signature burger comes with dill ranch – made from dried dill for consistent flavour – which adds a bright, zesty contrast to the fried chicken. And the Hot Seoul burger comes with spicy mayonnaise, made somewhat milder than versions found in Korea.

Whichever you order, it’ll pair well with the many beers on offer. Choose between local craft beers from Stomping Ground and Moondog; Korean imports including Cass, Kloud and Terra; and Sapporo on tap. Or opt for Korean beverages such as Bong Bong, a popular grape drink, and Milkis, Korea’s fizzy milk soft drink.

Beyond consistency, most important to the couple is creating a welcoming environment for the community. “When we were renovating, local people just dropped by to introduce themselves and welcome us,” Lee says. “We’ve been fortunate enough to build a growing base of local customers. Seeing familiar faces come back week after week has been the most rewarding part. We just want to stay humble and offer the same high quality every single time.”

K Crunch
Shop 2, 83 Station Street, Fairfield

Hours:
Tue to Thu 4pm–9pm
Fri & Sat 4pm–10pm
Sun 11.30am–3pm, 4pm–9 pm

@kcrunch_fairfield

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