RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT
/The West End Journal’s barely managing editor lost a week in October while his computer was
in for repairs. So we decided to dip into our archives for a few of our regular features,
including this story about CHIMEC Fried Chicken & Burger from two years ago.
ChiMec Chicken and Ma Dang Goul Korean restaurants owner Eric Chang.
CHIMEC FRIED CHICKEN & BURGER
When thirteen-year-old Eric Chang’s family moved to Canada from his native Korea in 1989, it’s likely that the furthest thing from his mind was someday owning a popular fried chicken outlet. But life happens!
A year ago Eric purchased Ma Dang Goul Korean restaurant from family friends who had owned it for 25 years. Prior to that, Eric and his father ran a sushi restaurant on Georgia at Seymour for nearly 20 years. So restaurants were a family tradition.
Not long after taking on Ma Dang Goul (the name translates as a deep and beautiful valley) an opportunity arose to take on the restaurant space right next door, and Eric seized it. West Enders will remember the space as a long-time Thai restaurant, and then in rapid succession an Egyptian and Donar outlet. Eric opted to go for something completely different, and until that point lacking in the neighborhood — fried chicken and chicken burgers. With of course fries, onion rings, and gravy on the side.
ChiMec is a common phrase in Korea, a combination of the Korean term chikin, meaning 'fried chicken', and maekju, the Korean word for beer — and yes, ChiMec is fully licensed and you can have a cold beer with that chicken!
The COVID-19 pandemic followed hard on the heels of ChiMec’s opening at 835 Denman, but Eric’s particular style of crispy fried chicken, prepared from a recipe he developed himself, quickly drew a loyal following in the immediate neighborhood and there’s every reason to hope that ChiMec will weather this storm and be a local favorite for years to come.
Say “hi” from The West End Journal next time you’re there.
