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Fishtown Fried Chicken: Andy’s Chicken May Answer Your Double-Fried Prayers


I am not a religious man, but I would like to point out that the same month the storied St. Laurentius church was spared from demolition, rumors began swirling of a brand new fried chicken joint opening within eyesight of the looming stone building. I’m not going to say that I prayed for a fried chicken restaurant to open up in Fishtown. That didn’t happen. What I will say is I, and many of my townie compatriots, lament over the absence of some real-deal fried chicken around here. I’m not talking about the $20 chicken and waffle special of the week either.

Fortunately for the Riverwards, Andy Choi is about to unleash his take on Korean fried chicken in the heart of Fishtown when he opens Andy’s Chicken at 2001 Memphis St. Andy wasn’t willing to give me a hard date for opening, but it may be as soon as this Friday!

Andy Choi stands behind the counter of his new restaurant.

Andy Choi proudly stands behind the counter of Andy’s Chicken. Soon he’ll be making your mouth water with deliciously fried chicken when you need it most!/Ptah Gabrie

 

Choi and his brother own and operate a successful sit-down restaurant in the Koreatown neighborhood of Olney. According to Choi, Chi Mac (5533 N. 5th St.) has a successful word-of-mouth following. With one success under his belt, it was only a matter of time before they wanted to expand.

At first, the brothers looked into renting in Center City, but they were soon drawn to Fishtown’s younger crowds and its vibrant food scene. “I don’t know Fishtown,” Choi joked in a thick Korean accent. “Do they sell fish?”

“There’s a lot of young people around, and I decided this is more big market than center city. We decided here is better. We can make our name big here, and if it’s success, we make another one.”

Andy’s Chicken doesn’t have a freezer, and he’s not getting one. All the chicken will be bought daily. “Every morning we pick it up at the poultry shops, then we sell as much as we bought. When it’s sold out, it’s sold out.” Choi went on to give props to the overall food intelligence of the neighborhood. “Customers are smart. They’re smarter than us, so they know what we’re selling. I believe this neighborhood is going to know we use really good ones,” he said.

The former Momento’s Pizza has been transformed to a brand new Korean Fried Chicken restaurant. It’s the new project from restaurateur Andy Choi.

The former Momento’s Pizza has been transformed to a brand new Korean Fried Chicken restaurant. It’s the new project from restaurateur Andy Choi./Ptah Gabrie

Andy’s Chicken is a somewhat stripped-down version of Chi Mac. Up there, you get the full sit-down experience, but here Choi wants to focus on the take-out and delivery aspect. He wants to build up a great word-of-mouth following like he has at his other place. “I’m trying to focus more here than there. I’m the main chef,” Choi said. “I have my partner over there. I taught him everything so, he knows how to do it. I’m gonna be here all the time. This is going to be my main shop.”

The Pennsylvania Dutch are the master fryers where I come from in Upper Bucks County. The breading is thick and crispy. The chicken is juicy and sometimes a little greasy. Ok, maybe more than a little greasy; it’s see-through-the-paper-bag greasy. The important difference is that, with the Pennsylvania Dutch, the chicken is only fried once. This is what you find at most pizza places too. It’s practical, and the chicken comes out nice and juicy. It’s super tasty and leaves you with greasy face and fingers.

When you order fried chicken from many Asian restaurants in Philadelphia, you get a different style. The outside is not breaded as much, but it is much crispier and usually less greasy than its single-fried counterpart. That’s because these places double fry their chicken. When you double fry it, the outside becomes perfectly crisp, sealing in all the juicy meat. This is the kind of chicken you can expect from Andy’s Chicken. As Choi describes: “It’s going to be double fried. It gives you more crunch. If you test it yourself, put it on a paper towel, you won’t see any grease come out from your chicken.”

This provides the perfect vessel for the sauce, which is really the most important element of Korean fried chicken. The Korean style uses the meat as a canvas, and the chef paints a flavor picture through his sauces. The list of traditional sauces Choi rattled off include, but are not limited to, sweet chili, hot and spicy, golden soy, and sweet barbecue. He’s also serving some more American style sauces like honey garlic and Cajun. “We decided to have eight sauces. I still have three more sauces, but I’m not going to open them right now,” Choi said.  “If people like it, and if people want more sauce, then we going to bring three sauces.” He’s also going to be serving kimchi pork fried rice and a 24oz cup of fried rice with beef or pork barbecue topped with an egg. Imagine chowing on that after a night of IPAs!

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