Ramen News

New Plano ramen restaurant cocks secret weapon: Korean fried chicken

Behold the Korean fried chicken, in all its sweet and sour glory.

Photo courtesy of Bols

A new restaurant serving ramen and bibimbap has opened in west Plano, and that's maybe not even the best part. Called Bols, as in an abbreviated "bowls," it's located at 6505 W. Park Blvd., west of the Dallas North Tollway, in what used to be a Korean barbecue place called Kor-BQ.

Bols comes from husband-and-wife JT and Jacklyn Jeon, who moved here from California; JT has worked as a chef at various Korean and Japanese restaurants in the Los Angeles area for more than 20 years.

Their menu has a Chipotle-esque approach that allows you to build your own ramen or Korean BBQ bibimbap bowl, starting with choice of rice or noodle; broth; and protein from a selection that includes bulgogi beef, chicken, spicy chicken, crunchy sweet chicken, spicy pork, seafood, and tofu.

Toppings include vegetables such as carrot, broccoli, mushroom, and green onion. You can also get extra add-ons such as garlic flakes, dried seaweed, or soft-boiled egg.

If you don't want to build your own, you can also choose from already-composed ramen options including miso, tonkotsu, Korean served with kimchi, shoya ramen, and seafood ramen.

Other items on Bols' menu include "mandu" dumplings in a veggie version or filled with chicken & pork; and bao buns with BBQ chicken, BBQ bulgogi, and tempura shrimp.

They also have tacos, $2.50 each; fries topped with kimchi and bacon; and two kinds of katsu, aka fried cutlets: pork and chicken.

All of this is good news for an area that can certainly use a ramen option as well as a bibimbap spot.

But the secret weapon at Bols is that they also do Korean-style fried chicken. Perhaps you know the kind: crunchy crust and a hot sweet glaze, popularized by the Korean restaurant chain Bonchon Chicken.

Bonchon does currently have one DFW location on 121 in The Colony. Chicken Moto in Richardson and BBB Bop, the mini-chain, also do Korean-style fried chicken.

But there are diners always on the hunt for Korean fried chicken. They'll want to add Bols to their list.

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Opening News

Dallas diner & music venue will open in former Ferris Wheeler space

Courtesy

Pancakes

A new restaurant has been unveiled that will take over the former Ferris Wheeler space near Dallas' Design District at 1950 Market Center Blvd.: Called AM/FM, it'll be an all-day diner and lounge with a big backyard and a stage for live music, and it's from Spune Productions, the music and event production company.

According to a release, it'll open in early January initially with evening hours, cocktails, and a few afternoon soccer matches. Music acts are already booked beginning January 8. More hours will be added down the road.

Ferris Wheelers BBQ, which was also a restaurant with a big backyard and a stage for live music, closed in November after eight years. Spune had already been involved since 2023 to help ramp up the live music side. Now they'll take it over with a fresh new personality and long hours.

They were famous for having a Ferris wheel on-site; an inquiry on its status went unanswered.

The diner will open daily at 7 am, serving "musicians coming off late nights, workers heading into morning shifts, and neighbors who want a place that remembers their name," says the release very poetically.

They've redecorated the interior with a new bar and banquettes that wrap the room. Alongside the renovations inside, the set-up outdoors will evolve over the coming weeks, with extra care given to the concert experience,

Menu
The food at AM/FM will be rooted in elevated Diner classics, with a menu overseen by chef Anastacia Quinones-Pittman (Oh, Hi! Hospitality) that's influenced by Mexican-American kitchens and Nuevo Southern traditions.

Breakfast offerings include huevos rancheros, breakfast tacos, breakfast empanadas, French toast, avocado toast, pork belly toast, and an intriguing twist on pancakes called masa pancakes, made using masa harina AKA corn flour.

Lunch includes a chicken Milanesa Caesar salad, Sonoran hot dog, fried catfish po'boy, kale salad, Cobb salad, and a Mexican twist on chicken noodle soup with fideo noodles.

Entree plates include pot roast, meatloaf, fried chicken, and a weekly pot pie.

The beverage program will aim for accessibility with coffee, cocktails, and craft beer, says Victor Rojas, Quinones-Pittman's partner at Oh, Hi! Hospitality.

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