Nashville takes Seoul by storm in the form of hot chicken sandwiches

Food & Travel

Published: 20 Jan. 2022, 16:39 Updated: 23 Jan. 2022, 13:06

Nashville takes Seoul by storm in the form of hot chicken sandwiches

The Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich served at Le Freak, a chicken sandwich restaurant in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul. [@IKOOCHOI__]

Nashville Hot Chicken is gaining popularity in a country which has high standards for fried chicken.

In particular since last year, Nashville Hot Chicken sandwiches are becoming the trendy must-try dish among the nation’s young people. Even Dunkin Donuts and fast food restaurant Mom's Touch have added their own versions of the sandwich to their menus, although the reviews remain mixed.

In its traditional form, Nashville Hot Chicken is a piece of chicken that is first brined and then marinated in buttermilk before being deep fried and brushed with spicy oil. The fried chicken is seasoned with brown sugar, various spices and a heavy dose of chili peppers, mainly cayenne. In the sandwich form, the chicken is served with pickles, white bread and either lettuce or coleslaw.

The end product, in today’s world, is a hefty-looking sandwich with a large piece of crispy chicken sticking out on all sides, which also fares well in pictures to post on social media platforms.

In search of the Music City’s soul food, the Korea JoongAng Daily visited three restaurants that specialize in Nashville Hot Chicken sandwiches to see what they had to offer and try to understand the growing popularity behind the spicy sandwich.

1. ckbg.lab

A Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries and mac n cheese balls at ckbg.lab in Itaewon, central Seoul. [LEE JIAN]

Located on a basement floor of a white three-story building in Itaewon, central Seoul, the location of ckbg.lab is pretty easy to miss, in part due to the fact that its signage is far from eye-catching.

Just follow your navigation app and head down two flights of stairs where you'll be met with a rather small modern space booming with trap music that seem to be amplified by the shiny metal counter tops and tables reflecting the sounds.

The open kitchen, which takes up about half the restaurant’s space, is busy with employees hauling large chunks of chicken out of the deep fryer.

ckbg.lab’s CEO Yoo Yong-wook, 35, explained that he chose the location because he wanted a place that could serve as both a restaurant and a lab.

“I think of ckbg.lab as a laboratory as well as a restaurant,” said Yoo. “It’s a place where my staff and I study food and develop new recipes. In that sense, the current location of ckbg.lab makes perfect sense.”

The interior of ckbg.lab in Itaewon, central Seoul. [LEE JIAN]

Yoo’s name is familiar among local foodies, especially meat lovers. His first restaurant “Yoo’s Barbeque Lab,” which opened in 2020, is so popular that reservations are full up to March this year.

Yoo, a self-proclaimed barbeque fanatic, also appeared on tvN’s entertainment program “You Quiz on the Block” last year to talk about his restaurant.

He opened ckbg.lab in December.

When asked what sets ckbg.lab’s sandwich apart from other Nashville Hot Chicken sandwiches in Korea, he answered “indulgence.”

“My goal was to make a sandwich that would satisfy people’s guilty pleasures,” said Yoo.

“I wanted the fried chicken to be extra juicy and greasy — so much so that the grease just completely obliterates the bun when customers take a bite out of it — and the coleslaw inside the sandwich drenched in creamy mayonnaise.”

In this way, ckbg.lab’s Original Chicken Burger which is priced at 9,800 won ($8.20) is the closest to the traditional southern dish which also doesn’t hold back when it comes to the grease.

The chicken is coated in chili oil before being placed on the bun so that with each bite, bright red liquid mixed with the meat’s juices flow between your fingers and drips onto your plate.

A piece of sliced cheddar cheese is placed on top to add more richness.

ckbg.lab’s burger is particularly popular among visitors with a preference for spice thanks to its use of cayenne, paprika and pepper.

Of the four different spice levels that customers can choose from, level two is deemed the sweet spot for customers who appreciate a kick.

Three sides — corn salad (3,500 won) chicken tenders (4,000 won) and mac n cheese balls (5,000 won) — and two types of fries — potato (4,000 won) and sweet potato (5,000 won) — are also available to tame the heat.

2. Rocka Doodle

A Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with a side of corn salad at Rocka Doodle in Itaewon, central Seoul. [LEE JIAN]

Opening its doors in 2018, Rocka Doodle was the first Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich joint in Korea.

Its main location in Itaewon, central Seoul, carries a distinctly 80s and 90s New York street vibe with vintage posters and stickers that crowd every corner of the restaurant.

“It may not be in line with the southern dish that we are serving, but it's the way I like it,” Rocka Doodle’s CEO Sohn Se-yoon, 32, said with a slight chuckle.

“I’m a big fan of New York street culture.”

The exterior of burger joint Rocka Doodle at Itaewon, central Seoul. [SCREENSHOT]

The menu in front of the counter lists six levels of spice from zero to four, each with different types of spice like cayenne pepper for level 0.5 and Carolina Reaper for level four.

Sohn explained that Rocka Doodle uses different spices for different levels of hotness.

“So not only do our sandwich get spicier as you move up, but also the taste changes with the individual fragrances that the spices give off.”

The employee taking orders warned that level four is not for the faint of heart but it does keep the spice fanatics coming back for more.

“The Classic” is priced at 7,700 won, with a side and drink with free refills available for an additional 5,000 won.

Served in a basket with a plain white sandwich sleeve, Rocka Doodle’s sandwich is fuss-free and down-to-earth.

The chicken’s crunchy coating unevenly sticks out of the bread, the coleslaw is roughly shredded and a few slices of dill pickle are tossed on top.

Less swayed by the current trends of bold flavors and over-the-top spiciness, Rocka Doddle’s sandwich highlights the flavors of each component while also managing to create a perfect balance with no one ingredient overpowering another.

When asked why he thinks Nashville Hot Chicken sandwiches have become so popular in Korea, Sohn answered frankly: “Well, because we did it well!”

But it wasn't an easy start. Sohn says that many people were against him opening a chicken sandwich restaurant.

“At the time, American-style chicken was not doing well in the Korean market,”

“Franchises that sold it like KFC were facing downturns in sale, and while there were private businesses that sold handcrafted burgers, there weren’t any that sold handcrafted chicken sandwiches.”

But after tasting the sandwich in Nashville, where his parents live, he decided to go with his gut and take the chance.

“Thankfully, it fared well,” said Sohn with a smile.

Following their success in Itaewon, Rocka Doddle opened branches in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, in 2019 and in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, in November 2021.

3. Le Freak

The Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich served at Le Freak, a chicken sandwich restaurant in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul. [LEE JIAN]

Like the song "Le Freak" by the 1970s American band CHIC sings, Le Freak, which is situated in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, is chic.

Upon being seated, the waiter offers a warm towel rather then a single-use wet wipe to cleanse you hands.

Sandwiches are served on ceramic plates instead of in baskets and on the menu, there are fried chat (small) potatoes with truffle oil (6,800 won) in lieu of French fries.

“I had been in the business of food and cooking for a while and wanted to incorporate all those experiences into making an elevated version of a sandwich,” said Chun Myung-ho, the 29-year-old CEO of Le Freak.

With wooden tables and countertops dimly lit by ball-shaped lamps, and booths tightly squeezed in a J-shaped hall, Le Freak maintains a cozy and relaxing ambiance.

A booth at Le Freak. [SCREENSHOT]

Nimbly moving through the array of containers with condiments in the open kitchen, the chefs’ fingers dance to the 40s swing music playing in the background.

Once the vertically sliced dill pickles and lightly dressed coleslaw are neatly placed on toasted milk sesame rolls, Le Freak’s Signature sandwich (9,800 won) is served.

A chef at Le Freak makes a Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich in the restaurant's open kitchen. [LEE JIAN]

Contrary to expectations, Le Freak’s sandwich holds its structure even after it has been tucked into.

The heat, achieved with a mix of cayenne pepper and gochugaru (Korean chili powder), is upfront but not long-lived at level two of three.

Once the kick passes, the sandwich’s most distinctive flavor is unarguably the chicken which oozes juice with each bite.

The secret to this is Le Freak’s own buttermilk.

“We make our own buttermilk at Le Freak since Korea doesn’t sell traditional buttermilk,” says Chun.

According to the Ministry of Food and Drugs Safety, buttermilk is categorized as a livestock product which requires special a contract between countries as well as inspections, making it harder to import.

Using buttermilk to cook chicken helps achieve a crisp coating while keeping the inside of the meat moist.

Fried eggplant served at Le Freak in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul. [LEE JIAN]

Another specialty at Le Freak is its side dishes or “small plates.”

“I feel that sandwiches and burgers can be overdressed and not all the flavors inside are brought out to their full potential,” said Chun.

“So, I took ingredients like tomatoes, mushrooms and eggplant and made them into a dish of their own.”

The eggplant dish (7,800 won) is fried whole, delicately layered with fresh Bolognese sauce then topped off with shaving of Grana Padano cheese and toasted almonds.

The small dish truly offered an elevated experience of eating a sandwich and the usual side of French fries were not missed one bit.

Le Freak offers new menu items every two months that include interesting takes on burgers and specialty small plates.

The restaurant also has deserts — s’mores is a regular menu item and coconut pie is currently the dish on rotation.

Le Freak can also be found inside two department stores in Korea: The Hyundai Seoul in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul; and Shinsaegae in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers (86.9 miles) south of Seoul.

The locations above offer a more causal menu that does not include small plates.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]