Anshul’s career as a chef has taken him around the world, but his Casey Korean takeaway restaurant is now home. Photo: Tenele Conway.
South Seoul, a Korean fast-food style restaurant that opened in the Gunghalin suburb of Casey in 2022, is pushing the boundaries of good service, and it’s all down to owner Anshul Chandna’s desire to put the art of hospitality front and centre of his food business.
“We underestimate the power of service. People often open a restaurant and are so focused on the food they forget about the service, but the service is why I’m here and what has kept me in hospitality for over 25 years,” Anshul tells Region.
With a beaming smile, a high five for the kids and an enthusiastic handshake for many of his regulars, watching Anshul in action is like watching Rudolf Nureyev dance the Nutcracker: practised, artful and inspiring.
And just like you didn’t see a Russian ballet simile coming in a story about fried chicken, I didn’t see Anshul’s background story coming, and it left me even more in awe of the man.
Anshul’s career as a chef has taken him around the world. From his 5-star beginnings with The Park Hotels in India, to Starwood Hotels in the US, where he found himself working for Westin, to becoming the executive chef at Boffins at the Australian National University and a stint at a 3 Michelin star restaurant in Spain called Azurmendi, it appears that there is little Anshul can’t do.
Anshul hopes to take his fried chicken around Canberra. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Eventually, though, Anshul found himself starting a family in Canberra, which drove a desire to do business on his own terms.
“When you work for an employer, you are working within guidelines, whether it’s KPIs or food costs and labour costs. When you’re on your own, you can make your own decisions,” shares Anshul.
Anshul chose to make the step to self-employment with the burgeoning South Seoul brand, as he saw a desire for something new and fun in Casey and also recognised a lack of Korean restaurants in Canberra.
With Casey currently home, he has big plans for his Korean fast-food outlet and has no intention of stopping at just one.
“There’s room for this to grow in Canberra. I am planning to grow this into multiple restaurants. I think there is scope for four of these in the Canberra region.”
With his sights set on Queanbeyan, Woden and possibly somewhere down south, Anshul’s Korean food may become more accessible to Canberrans over the coming years, and to give you a sneak peek of what you’re in for, here are my recommendations.
The fried chicken comes in four varieties. A mix of on-the-bone cuts with the wings and drumettes combo. There are also boneless tenders, boneless thighs and poppin’ chicken.
South Seoul is dishing up fried chicken with a big smile. Photo: Martin Conway.
For me, it’s all about the wings and drumettes. There’s nothing like chicken cooked on the bone for juiciness, and when combined with the crunchy fried skin, it’s a winner.
You then need to choose between OG and spicy. The spicy option is fairly mild, and I like both flavours.
The sauce choice has a greater impact on the eating experience than the OG or spicy coatings. Anshul is always happy to help you pair your chicken with the perfect sauce, so feel free to follow his guidance when ordering.
It’s easy to get laser-focused on the fried chicken at South Seoul, but there’s a full Korean rice bowl menu as well. Start with the beef bulgogi for a beginner’s introduction to Korean food and work your way through to the panko prawns, spicy pork or the golden curries.
There is also a range of small and affordable sides, including hot chips, onion rings, pickles and slaw.
In fitting with Anshul’s accommodating personality, he isn’t afraid to customise dishes for diners, a trait that I discovered when I overheard a diner ask if they could have a custom chicken fried rice, Anshul responded with a beaming and enthusiastic “Of course”, and together they talked through the desired ingredients to go in the dish.
Anshul tells me his philosophy for hospitality is that it can never be pretentious; it must be genuine, and it doesn’t get much more genuine than that.
South Seoul is located at Tenancy 13/15 Kingsland Parade, Casey and is open 7 days a week from 11 am until 9 pm.
