Frying high

SOUTH KOREAN POP culture is not limited to music, soap operas and fashion – it is also making waves in cuisine. While most think of Korean barbecues, its fried chicken is becoming much more popular.

Hong Kong-based Ben Kwon, an American-born Korean, knows fried chicken from both worlds: he grew up eating his mother’s home-made version and that of American chains and bars in Korea. He decided that Korean-style fried chicken was the winner.

“Coming from the US, I’m used to KFC or Popeye’s, but there’s a distinct taste to Korean fried chicken. It’s lighter and not heavily battered. It has more character,” says Kwon.

“I like it also because it’s one of the things that I would grab with friends. It’s a very social thing. The place is usually more like a bar setting, because you go there for chicken and beer. The more traditional places are closer to a bar than to a proper restaurant, which means that they sell a lot of bar food, too. I guess the dingier the better,” he says.

Koreans love their fried chicken so much that they have a catchy term for it – chi-mek, a combination of “chicken” and “mekju” (beer). Chi-mek refers to one of their favourite things to do when hanging out with friends.

Small Korean shops often come up with their own recipes to make themselves stand out. And added bonus is the wide range of beers, or even better, draught beers, along with soju and rice wines.

Kwon’s favourite place used to be Chill Out Sports Bar in Central. After it closed, it didn’t take long for Kwon to find new spots, most of which are in Tsim Sha Tsui.