Just as quickly as trends emerge in K-pop, so do culinary linguistics. For instance, love for chicken in South Korea began after the Korean War with the most accessible of foods, a whole roasted chicken (tongdak-gui).
With the Western influence of KFC entering the market in 1984, vendors picked up on the fried chicken concept and by the time the 1988 Olympic Games rolled into Seoul, the phenomenon of market-style fried chicken (sijang-tongdak), was everywhere. The chicken was chopped up but still referred to as a whole chicken because, unlike the Western tradition of offering choices, to avoid waste, customers couldn’t pick only the pieces they wanted.
As a favorite late-night snack meant to be enjoyed with beer, “chimek,” short for chicken and mekjoo (beer) came into favor about a decade ago, and now, with millennials’ determination that this combination equals godly status, a new name has emerged: “chineunim,” combining chicken with Haneunim, a reference to God.
Steve Lee knows a thing or two about Korean fried chicken. He was the owner of Chicken Factory on Keeaumoku Street beginning in 2017, at the height of the chimek era, before deciding he wanted to share more of the family-style cuisine he grew up with in Busan. So he closed up shop and recently opened Steve’s Chicks in Kunia Shopping Center.
Perhaps there’s a disconnect between the restaurant’s name and aim. People might get the wrong idea and believe it’s a Korean hostess bar, but it’s a place where families are welcome to enjoy not only chicken, but also comfort favorites ranging from army stew to tteokbokki made with ingredients he would serve his own family, including non-GMO chicken and tofu, steroid-free pork, organic greens and no MSG.
The environment befits K-pop fans, with a BTS wall for taking selfies, and three screens showing K-pop and American music videos. The contemporary music that fills the restaurant has nothing to do with what’s showing on the screens.
Of course, chicken remains a prominent part of the menu with original fried chicken (seven pieces, $21.95; 10 pieces, $25.95) served plain, and sweet-spicy sauced yangnyeom-style seasoned chicken offered in mild, mild-spicy and spicy versions (seven pieces, $23.95; 10 pieces, $29.95). If in doubt, go for the mild-spicy because the strongest version does pack a lot of heat. If you really like fiery foods, there’s also the Volcano Devil chicken (10 pieces, $31.95) that includes the Scoville Heat Scale toppers of habaneros, ghost peppers and Carolina reapers.
What would be new to most is the cheese powder-dusted snow chicken ($29.95), an ode to Koreans’ passion for chicken and cheese. You can also order a round of plain fries ($11.95) or snow fries ($15.95) also coated with the cheese powder.
If you prefer your cheese melty, gooey and creamy, one dish not to be missed is the hot stone chicken, meatballs of chicken thighs served over cheese sauce. There is a plain version ($31.95) topped with more shredded Parmesan, and an organic garlic and honey version ($31.95) with cinnamon. It’s a flavor bomb when dredged through the cheese, minced garlic and pesto.
There’s always a surprise when ordering an appetizer of kimchi ($9). Chef Lee prepares kimchi daily and you never know when you might get a cabbage, daikon or cucumber version. He might even surprise you with a batch of one-year aged cabbage that’s surprisingly mellow.
The kimchi helps to refresh the palate after a round of fried chicken. Also performing the same task is a sea snail salad ($34.95) mixing cabbage, crunchy cucumbers, onions, green onions and carrots with a gochujang-vinegar sauce.
A K-style meal would not be complete without a boiling pot of tteokbokki ($35.95), the soft rice cakes served with ramen noodles. This family-style hotpot dish may not leave you with anymore appetite, so for me it’s always a tough decision to make between tteokbokki and army stew ($39.95 medium, $49.95 large), another lasting Western-influenced tradition dating to the Korean War.
The army stew starts with pork broth and Lee’s signature dashi water flavored with anchovies, oysters, dried fish, vegetables and konbu. Into the pot go ramen noodles and the processed meats that kept many people alive during the war:
Spam, luncheon meat and hot dogs, for many a comforting concoction.
You will definitely need to make a couple of trips to try all the specialties, including kalbitang ($55, serves three to four), sweet shrimp and tako-filled seafood pancake ($24.95) and fried pork rib sets. Lee’s updated version of ssam has plain fried ribs ($39.95) or spiced ribs ($46.95) served on the bone to cut up at the table and enjoyed taco style, layered over a flour tortilla with lettuce and dipped into a sweet honey-mustard sauce.
For dessert, the fried pancakes hotteok ($5) drizzled with chocolate syrup are a joy.
Steve’s Chicks
Kunia Shopping Center,
94-673 Kupuohi St., Waipahu
Food: ***½
Service: ***½
Ambiance: ***
Value: ***
Call: 808-680-0005
Hours: 3 p.m.-1 a.m. Mondays to Saturdays; 3 p.m.-midnight Sundays
Prices: About $120 for four
Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).
