YeHee Yang serves a fresh basket of spicy Korean fried chicken at The Fry on Elgin Street. Kelsey Curtis, Centretown NewsPeckish? Elgin Street is now home to the Korean fried chicken joint The Fry, a chain restaurant from Toronto that is riding a global wave of interest in the Asian take on the KFC fast-food staple and opened its first Ottawa location in September.
The pub has been embraced by local diners for its distinctive cuisine, thanks to the rising popularity of Korean fried chicken served with beer.
“We are delighted to welcome The Fry to Ottawa,” said Ian Faris, president of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce. “Offering diverse and distinct cuisines not only highlights the demand for variety, but also the changing patterns of our lifestyle.”
The Korean restaurant serves fried chicken with beer or soju, a distilled rice liquor popular in Korea, and is open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
“Food has no borders,” said Catherine Hou, Fry’s market manager. “Canadians love fried chicken. What (we’re doing) is introducing a new way of eating chicken by adding beer to it.”
Fried chicken with beer has a name — chimaek. It is a compound word derived from chicken and maekju, the Korean word for beer.
The fried chicken tastes similar to Kentucky Fried Chicken’s standard fare. However, the way of eating the deep fried chicken is what makes it different. Customers can eat it by dipping into a traditional Korean sauce, such as spicy sauce and soy sauce. And it is usually served with cold beer or soju.
The rising popularity of K-Pop music and Korean dramas, especially among some youth in Ottawa, could draw them toward trying chimaek at The Fry.
“Chimaek was first introduced worldwide through a Korean drama named My Love From the Star in 2014,” said Yeji Yoo, the receptionist at the Korean Cultural Centre in Centretown. Yoo is referring to a romantic comedy about a Korean actress and her extraterrestrial boyfriend. The heroine specifically liked to indulge in chimaek to celebrate the year’s first snowfall.
“It encourages both fans and non-fans of the drama go to try chimaek, ” said Hyoun Jeong Yoo, a Korean language instructor at Carleton University.
Centretown residents are now in for a unique cultural experience.
“Everything is similar in Ottawa pubs,” said Ryan Rafferty, a regular customer at The Fry. “It is hard to find something different, but here, I am able to drink the Korean soju. I have no idea where they bought them — I don’t think I can buy it from LCBO.”
“The Fry represents a good avenue to have a bit more diversity,” said Tom Whillans, vice-president of the Centretown Citizens Community Association. “As a community, we certainly want to see more diverse (pubs).”
Rafferty said he is interested in Asian culture and food and that he’d heard good things about the restaurant.
“I know it has a good reputation,” he said. “So I asked my friend to eat together when it first (came to) Ottawa.”
The Fry was started by Korean-Canadian chef Jooyoung Lee. He opened the first Fry in 2011 in Toronto and changed the flavour of the chicken to adapt to Canadians’ preference. Within five years, he has opened three more locations.
“Opening up their first store outside Toronto is a sign of the confidence in our local economy,” said Faris.
Hou said the pub sees a mix of Centretown residents and out-of-town visitors who come in during the day, and students and young people at night.
It has 150 to 200 customers every day.
“We eat chimaek for dinner or after-meal,” said Hyoun Jeong Yoo. “It is a way for Koreans to socialize with friends and make time outside, especially during the summer.”
She said the point of chimaek is to make sure everyone has a good time.
“It is not just about food, but a way for celebration,” said Hyoun Jeong Yoo.
Hou said The Fry is planning to open its second location in Barrhaven by the end of the year.
“Korea is a hard-working country; having chimaek is the time for relief.”
She added she is happy to see Canadians embracing a new cuisine and a popular trend from Korea.