Chir Chir

Fried chicken is a big deal in Korea; there’s a fried-chicken shop on every city corner. One of the biggest chains is Chir Chir, with more than 200 stores across Korea, Taiwan and now, Australia.

The chain is well known for stretching the idea of what Korean fried chicken can be. Unlike most Korean chicken chains, the most popular dish here isn’t soy sauce, chilli or regular fried chicken (though they do have regular, spicy and garlic flavours). It’s Nest Snow, a tower of Cajun-spiced chicken tenders topped with whipped cream, cheese shavings and broccoli. There’s roast chicken as well; one with an intensely garlicky sauce and another with a spicy American barbeque sauce and a sour-cream-stuffed potato.

Currently, the Burwood store is probably the only Korean fried chicken franchise that doesn’t sell booze (the idea of chimaek, chicken and beer, is central to Korean fast-food culture) but that’s soon to change with a menu of Korean beers, soju and rice wine. There’s some localisations too; incoming Australian beers and a fit-out that’s more dependant on Korean iconography and kitsch touches than the other Chir Chir stores.