Seoul Bird

Ninja Mike is back! I cycled from Tottenham to Shepherd’s Bush in one hour without a single navigational error. OK, I had good motivation. Judy Joo’s Korean soul food. I interviewed Judy on the phone. Her plan is to do for Korean fried chicken, what KFC did for the American version. She is well on her way!

Judy is the daughter of immigrants. Her mother travelled alone from South Korea to the U.S. in the 50s. Unheard of at that time. Her father grew up in a refugee camp in North Korea and fled to the south in the 40s. This moved me to tears. My father fought in the Korean War. He rarely spoke of it, but he did tell me of a young boy he took under his wing while he was there. A boy like Judy’s father. What if… Regardless, our fathers were there at the same time which reduces our 6 degrees of separation to 2! Seoul mates!

Judy was born in the US and seems to have spent her life making her parents proud. After graduating from Columbia University, she worked for Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. She then decided to follow her heart (love for food) and studied at The French Culinary Institute. Next, she became an immigrant herself and moved to London, working with the Gordon Ramsay Group, The Playboy Club and The Fat Duck. She opened her own restaurant in Soho and became a television celebrity on Iron Chef UK. She now has her own show on Food Network UK, Korean Food Made Simple, which inspired her cookbook of the same name.

This is what immigration does. People migrate to better their lives and the lives of their children. Judy’s story is such a fine example. She IS the American dream. And on top of all that, she is totally glam!!!

Now, with long-time partner Andrew Hales, Judy has opened Seoul Bird. The hope is to turn it into a household name on a par with McDonald’s and KFC.

Most of the menu is based on Korean fried chicken. There are bowls available with rice and veg for the health conscious and vegetarian options as well. I sampled the signature burger (£9). Well I cycled, didn’t I??? Super crispy chicken with a tasty, sticky, spicy, barbecuey and top-secret sauce, fluffy bun, iceberg and red onion. It hit the spot.

Tater tots (£3.50) bring American fusion to the menu. Deep fried mini hash browns. Too processed for my taste, but the dipping sauce was fab. Gochujang (red chili paste) mayo. I would dip just about anything in it.

A side of kimchi (£2.95) was light and delicious. Not too spicy and full of gorgeous probiotics! I washed it all down with homemade iced green tea with yuzu. Very well balanced and beautifully packaged.

With a full belly, I cycled home. It took 2 hours and I got lost 8 times!

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