Downtown Durham's restaurant scene just got a new addition: a Korean fried chicken joint.
Michael Lee, the restaurant's chef and owner, launched M Kokko next to his already-popular restaurant M Sushi three weeks ago. Located at 311 Holland Street, the restaurant occupies a space the size of a C1 bus and only serves five items, priced between $8 to $12.
He opened the two restaurants adjacent to each other so that they would be easier to operate.
“When we came from Raleigh to Durham, we had five different concepts in mind. M Sushi was the first one and it concentrates on seafood. M Kokko concentrates on chicken, and we’re planning to open up three more,” Lee said. “Basically, what we’re doing down the road is concentrating on each protein group.”
He plans to also launch "M BBQ" and "M Taco" within two years.
Lee started his career as a chef in 1995 working for a Japanese restaurant. Since then, he has moved around a lot—to Arizona, California, Colorado and Louisiana—to learn different recipes and experiment with new ingredients, he explained. Of his various food ventures, Lee noted that M Kokko has been particularly challenging.
“M Kokko is one of the trickier ones because everyone has their own favorite type of chicken dish, and being that, I would expect a lot of criticism," Lee said. "But that’s good because the point of each new concept is not creating a perfect menu, but for me and our staff to learn better about each recipe and how to cook it.”
Although Lee is Korean American, he emphasized that the concept behind M Kokko was about more than just his heritage. His customers are diverse, and he is open to trying new ideas. Many people who notice the Korean name of the restaurant and come expecting something traditional are pleasantly surprised, he added.
Several students also expressed their satisfaction with the food. First-year Hyungbin Jun and several of his Duke friends visited M Kokko Friday and compared the chicken to food they ate in South Korea a few months ago.
“The price was good and the taste was similar to Kyochon chicken, which is one of the most popular chicken restaurants in Korea,” Jun said. “It didn’t really remind me of Korea though. Something was different from South Korean chicken, but it was good.”
Despite the fact that there are other Korean fried chicken restaurants around the Triangle area, Lee said he does not feel a sense of competition. In fact, he encourages people to try different restaurants because he said it is important that people explore different tastes. Nevertheless, many Duke students, such as first-year Austin Jia, are excited to visit M Kokko.
“I’m going to go try it out as soon as possible!” Jia said. “I like Korean food, so I’m really glad there is now another restaurant I can go to in Durham. I’m excited.”
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