Phi Vu is the son of Vietnamese parents who settled in New Orleans. He’s an actor, appearing in “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Happy Death Day” and other films. He’s also a huge fan of Korean-style fried chicken, so he started his pop-up OPPA to focus on it. For more information, visit @OPPA_kfc on Instagram.
Gambit: How did you get interested in Korean fried chicken?
Phi Vu: I was in ninth grade the first time I cooked my own fried chicken. I was over at a friend’s house. I was like, “Dude, I want to make Hooters.” We started gathering flour and batter and trying to replicate their hot sauce.
Then in 2014, I went to New York City and discovered Korean fried chicken and was like, “What the hell is this?” It changed my life. It brought tears to my eyes.
I tried to replicate it. But it was really hard. I didn’t have any experience.
I think around 2019 I tried again, and there were more sources teaching people how to make it. It was pretty decent.
Gambit: What’s special about Korean fried chicken?
Vu: I’ll tell you the secret: The integrity of the crispiness and crunchiness withholds after you add the sauce.
Korea is a big food place at night. You’re out chilling, and you just want to eat and drink. The food is fried chicken, and you notice the chicken is still crispy. That’s why it’s so big.
The batter is big. It’s a wet batter, and you use different ratios of flours. I have a secret ingredient. You can’t just toss wet batter into a fryer or it’ll stick together.
You let the batter drip for seven seconds. Then you put it in the oil gently and control the temperature. You’re not just tossing it in a big basket.
You put it in the fryer. Then it rests so the moisture can escape. Then you fry it again. It’s double fried. That’s one of the techniques to create the crispiness.
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Gambit: How did you start the pop-up?
Vu: We started around October with a different name, and then renamed it OPPA. I was experimenting before we debuted it.
I did a pop-up at Feng Cha. The menu was basically fried chicken and soy garlic sauce and spicy sauce and fries. The kimchi aioli was great. My wife made Korean banana pudding, which was really good.
Soy garlic is the standard sauce. The right amount of garlic balances it out so it’s not sweet. I also do yangnyeom sauce. That’s the most famous one in Korea. It’s gochujang (chilies)-based. I experimented with other sauces and did habanero and black bean, which is authentic to Korean cooking. I took that sauce and put it on the chicken, and it became jjajang sauce. I love these flavors. We tried Japanese curry one time, but it didn’t work.
I don’t make my fries, but I double fry them to make them crispier. I also serve kimchi aioli as a dipping sauce. I do daikon too. That’s like pickles.
I kept doing pop-ups to gauge the chicken’s crispiness and get comments. I am trying to build up a following. I am going around to festivals and getting more feedback.
There are Korean fried chicken companies in Atlanta and Houston. I want to be the first in New Orleans. My journey is just beginning.
I am in love with Korean Fried Chicken. The logo is my own art and design. My job is to change people’s idea of what Korean fried chicken is and bring it to the community. You have to have some good stuff. This is something special I am bringing to New Orleans.
