By Abigael T. Sidi
Chick Chick, the low-key trendy Korean fried chicken joint at the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 90th Street, is — as is literally painted on the front window — “ALL ABOUT CHICKEN.” So, naturally, the dish I decided to cover is one of the few bird-free items on their menu: the fried rice.
Why would that be?
Reason 1: My big sister, a terminally evolved fried-rice fanatic, strongly recommended I try the dish; that raised an eyebrow.
Reason 2: A few days ago, as I was parsing the NYC Michelin guide for any “Bib Gourmand” – their non-starred-but-great-value recs – located on the Upper West Side, Chick Chick came up, and not only that, but the fried rice was highlighted as one of the dishes to try. That pretty much sealed the deal.
At first sight, Chick Chick’s fried rice doesn’t do much to wow you. Fried rice, fried egg on top, shaved green onion. The end. Other ingredients, none of which are immediately visible, include Chinese sausage, tobiko (flying fish roe), and kimchi (Korean fermented spicy cabbage). Kimchi? Really? While I do enjoy it as an appetizer or banchan (side dish) to a Korean barbecue feast, I wasn’t sure how the ingredient’s over-the-top sourness and tang wouldn’t spoil the entire affair.
Despite my skepticism, I proceeded to follow my sister’s recommendations and sliced through the egg to release the runny yolk, mixing everything together. A first bite and… Oh. My. Goodness. So many flavors, so many textures, left and right, yet somehow blending in perfect harmony. (It turned out the kimchi was cooked down, which greatly reduced its acidity and pop to reveal a new, interesting flavor – more on that later.)
Let’s start with the dish’s textures. There are the slightly crispy yet oh-so-soft rice grains, all perfectly separated, the stamp of a well-executed fried rice impossible to recapture at home. There are the candy-like cubes of Chinese sausage (think diced pancetta or French lardons) which bring some pleasant extra chew, occasionally intermingled with the snap of a tobiko egg or two. And there is the tenderness of the cabbage leaves, the fibrous strings of green onion… Crisp, chew, snap, soft, fiber, all in one bite!
Same with the flavors; the dish is a trip through the whole spectrum. Sweet, salty, sour, bitter, earthy, umami, even a slight residual pungency from the cooked kimchi, all are invited to the party! Yet, somehow, it all makes sense, it’s all part of a greater whole, with each ingredient complementing the other. This, in my mind, is exactly the type of elevated, well-conceived dish worthy of a high-praise distinction such as the Bib Gourmand. I was especially fulfilled by the buttery, caramelized-onion, almost steak-like flavor of the cooked kimchi. This ingredient is ultimately what sets Chick Chick’s fried rice apart, makes it unique. Note that the cabbage is set at the bottom of the bowl, so the initial mixing of the dish is critical to enjoying it in full. Verdict: delicious!
It turns out my illustrious The Dish predecessor, Ava Stryker Robbins, had also visited Chick Chick back in 2023, focusing on the chicken tenders. The way she described the fried bird (of which I tasted the Nashville Hot Chickwich) – i.e., “one of the best [she] had ever had” – says it all, so I won’t elaborate further except to say: definitely worth the trip.
The space at Chick Chick is narrow but deep, with an extended open kitchen counter for bar seating and a row of tiny tables along the opposite wall. (I recommend the counter, more space and you get to watch the cooks work their magic.) The place feels like a neat, modern ramen bar, but the neon chick signs give it a funky vibe.
Chick Chick is open for dinner only on most weekdays (4:30-10 p.m., Monday through Thursday), but also opens for lunch from 11:30 a.m. till 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Take out and delivery are available at these times but, as stated on the restaurant’s website, please use their own delivery platform so they don’t have to split 25 percent the price of your order with an outside delivery company. Lastly, try one of their delicious K&Q or kale Caesar salads for a vegetarian option.
The Dish: Chick Chick Fried Rice ($19)
The Restaurant: Chick Chick, 618 Amsterdam Ave. (corner of West 90th Street)
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This is the place with the “Grade Pending” health inspection notice in the window for over a year.
The “Grade Pending” means they are waiting for the hearing to which the law entitles them to review the inspector’s report. Grades often go up after those hearings. Give them a chance.
No surprise, it’s a B: https://a816-health.nyc.gov/ABCEatsRestaurants/#!/Search/50108954
oh no a B. They might as well shut their whole business down. /s
How I wish I was your age and could eat that rice and FC sandwich on the same day.
$19. I know eggs are high, but $19?
Who cares about that PENDING grade. The best meals I ever had were the ones my mama made me eat fallen from the floor. .
Why I never get sick now.
And tasty!
This place is great.
Chix tenders truly the best ever.
Have not had the fried rice yet but on Friday I will be there!
Much thanks for rec.
Everone knows that salmon is only made delicious by salmonella. Its in the name!!
exactly.
always astonished to see people siding with invisible bureaucrats over real humans trying to make a living and doing a great, albeit not perfect, job at it
This place charges $11 for fries, basic fries with ketchup. At some point I have to say no, I’m not going to do that sorry.
Kimchi fried rice is a fairly common variation on the dish in Korean restaurants, I’d say. At home when making fried rice I use shreds of it to replace chopped aromatics when starting–adding it to the dish from the beginning like that is *not* standard, but I like the caramelized little bits. (I get Kimchee Harvest from the greenmarket, less salty than is conventional, but to my Western tongue a little more balanced for this purpose.)