Bao Chick — Restaurant in Irvine

First time I tried, absolutely loved it. It was arguably the top 3 fried chicken sandwiches I've ever had. The batter and breading was so well fried, it was so crispy throughout. The meat, juicy and flavorful, combined with the refreshing lettuce, made it a culmination of flavors in a sandwich. The guy server, who always feeds the guests a free dumpling, always makes small talks with you. He seemed like a chill guy! After many more visits did I realize his chillness depended on his mood, which could swing like a pendulum. Some days he could be the most cordial person ever, smiling and offering me plastic gloves to eat my sandwich, other days he'd be mad grumpy, which often involves blank staring and dismissive attitude, conveying 'what are you doing here' despite having made an online order and picking it up. The turning point came on the day I picked up an order from a neighboring food stall (which he talked badly about from our previous conversations). As I sat and ate in the food court, he stared at me the entire time. It’s funny because I could sense a burning glare from him in the distance, and making eye contact every time I looked up validated my suspicion. The next time I made an order at Chicciety, my dining experiences were no longer the same. He was dismissive, as if holding a grudge that I betrayed him... and he gave me 1 glove on purpose. When I requested another one, he angrily tossed it across the table. As always, I just want to grab my food and go! I came for the sandwich, not for the attitude. Apparently I made him lose trust in humanity by ordering from a neighboring...

This spot is located on the premises of the Trade Food Hall as well as seven or so other food spots and a bar. There are quite a few chairs but it does get busy and packed, especially during weekends. Parking can be hard to find due to all the business in the area but thankfully the times I've been here I've found at least one available parking spot. I had a chicken breast sandwich with a side of fries.

The chicken breast in my sandwich was huge and did not expect it to be that big. I'm used to getting tiny chicken breast pieces so this was a great surprise. The breading was nice and crunchy, and the ingredients in the sandwich worked perfectly along with the mayo sauce they provided on the side. You get to choose between a breast or a thigh. The chicken sandwich was larger than an average chicken sandwich. It was not greasy, the chicken itself was nicely cooked and flavorful. It was one of the best-tasting chicken breast sandwiches I've had this far. 5/5

The fries were so good, they were made and seasoned to perfection. The outside of the fries was crispy and the inside was soft. 5/5

Customer service was decent, the young lady who took the order answered the questions I asked and appeared to be nice about it and didn't appear bothered.

The man who brought out the food was nice and...

While waiting to order, the man I'm assuming is the owner quietly handed me a grilled bao to sample which already put me in a good mood. Initial thoughts were that the skin was a little tough and the filling a bit bland, even for someone like me who is very sensitive to sodium level in food and appreciates food on the blander side. If anything, the sampling helped me rule that out of my order. I ordered the chicken sandwich with breast meat and the xiao long bao. I was mostly excited for the xiao long bao, but it was kinda disappointing. The filling was bland like the grilled bao and the skin was soggy at the bottom so half of them broke apart as I picked them up. The chicken sandwich though was amazing. I ordered it spicy, but the spice level was low so I really appreciated them providing a side of spice powder. The chicken breast was hearty, juicy and flavorful. The breading was prominent but not heavy with a good crispity crunch, like a ligther Popeye's chicken breading. I'm already thinking about it again and would definitely go back for their chicken dishes and use the money for the baos on...