It’s Friday night and we are in Tustin trying to get a table at Sichuan Impression. Naturally, they are packed. My friends do not want to wait, so we look on Yelp and found OB Square, a restaurant serving anju, or Korean drinking snacks. Having no expectations whatsoever, we settle in and ordered a bunch of food for those in our party who are drinking, as well as the kids.
**apologies in advance for the photo quality**
Popcorn Chicken ($7.95 small/12.95 large) is a huge hit with both young and old. The slightly spicy seasonings dusted onto the fried chicken is pleasant and does not overpower. The chicken is crispy on the outside and remains well executed and moist on the inside.
Cucumber Salad ($8.95) is a welcoming surprise. The smashed Persian cucumbers are tossed with wood ear fungus in a vinaigrette with copious amounts of garlic. It might be overwhelming for some, but we loved how garlicky this dish is. It possesses the right amount of acid, and acts as a great palate cleanser in between bites of fried chicken.
Since we were all hankering for chicken wings, we decide to order two styles. First, OB Chicken Wings ($14.95/9pc) which is a dry, salt and pepper version which is our favorite. The wings are well prepared with the perfect amount of crispiness on the outside and very juicy on the inside. The flavors permeate through the chicken wings and make for a great accompaniment to the beer.
Garlic Chicken Wings ($14.95/9pc), our second version is another story. These wings are first fried, then supposedly, coated in a garlic sauce. The sauce is not garlicky, and surprisingly, the wings were flavorless even when doused with the sauce. I do not recommend this.
We were looking at ramen, but our server suggests we try Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup ($10.95) instead. This champon-style soup noodles is decent, with good broth to noodle ratio. Portions are very generous so make sure you share, or be prepared to take leftovers home.
The favorite of the night is Korean BBQ Beef Stone Pot ($11.95), OB Square’s version of dolsot bibimbap. I love that there is a good amount of nurungji (crispy rice) on the bottom of the stone pot, even though overall, it is a little greasy.
OB Square also offers karaoke, so if you’re into singing the night away, then by all means take advantage of everything this restaurant has to offer. Overall, the food is decent with good service — the servers were all enamored by the toddlers at our table.
OB Square
13832 Red Hill Ave
Tustin, CA 92780
Tel: 714-486-1338
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