Chimac Korean Pub & Fried Chicken
512 Yates St
Victoria, BC

Hours: 11:30am to 1am
Phone: (250) 590-5098

KFC can mean either Kentucky Fried or Korean Fried Chicken. While some will say it’s tough to eat that secret blend of spices, I think the latter is far tastier. The fact the process involves double dipping during the frying process speaks to me. The way the chicken was treated was like a perfect french fry.

Anyone thinking of doing take-out should live nearby so none of that crispy goodness disappears. When considering the many ways this chicken can be eaten, from side-dips to other toppings, I’m definitely coming back to see if my stomach can handle the hot sauces. I was with my bud Jake and we met up to grab dinner and a movie. Because time was tight (he did not get off work until much later), we opted for fast food and ended up at Chimac.

We were really hungry and opted to get a full plate than half. At the same time, the hot pots caught our attention too. When a full plate of chicken may not be completely filling, we made sure the second dish would be more than enough. My eyes literally bugged out at seeing the generous amount of topping put on top. The pieces are boneless and I loved every bite. I can eat this like popcorn chicken. However, a mark had to be lost as I found one piece undercooked.

When our hot pots arrived, we dove into our individual meals. I nearly burned the roof of my mouth since it was that hot. While waiting for that dish to cool, I hypnotically watched the silkworm larvae bop in out of the still boiling stone decanter.

Unlike the reactions from my Facebook post about sampling this dish, my buddy was amused. I’ve been extolling and supporting the virtues of Entomology as the future. People still get grossed out at the thought, but honestly, if there was a blind taste test, I’m sure most will say whatever you gave me to eat is tasty.

When the apocalypse happens and the world is starving, I’ll be happily digging up whatever’s under the ground or hanging off the leaves to BBQ up. Back in Korea, Beondegi is a different recipe I’ll gladly pop in my mouth anytime. The pupae itself was like eating a well-cooked mussel. The nutty aftertaste had me spooning mouthfuls at a time and really not stopping until I could not find anymore. Whenever that bug craving hits, I now know where to go!

The speed of the service is terrific. When you need a waitress, you press the ‘Ringu’ button and the nearby display tells the staff which table is needing assistance. Whether that’s to order more chicken or to pay the bill, I find this technique better than trying to flag down someone at a larger restaurant. Since I haven’t been to Korea and dined there, I suspect this is the future for fast food dining. To import this feature makes coming here for a quick bite easy. This establishment can seat about 24 people in total and I will have to wander by the next time I’m downtown to see how busy it is during a crazy lunchtime. I suspect the average time one spends here is about half an hour.

I’m certainly coming back to try their gizzard hot pot on my next visit. The menu selection is not huge. I’m surprised Chimac does not have a proper website up yet. The beer selection looks decent. They even have a small Japanese selection and as a bar, I imagine they serve up chickens by the bucket loads to go with many a drink. The next time, I’m bringing my friends and it’ll be a grand ol’ party. We’d probably go karaoking afterward too.

4 Blokes out of 5