On May 2, Gunpowder and Empire, Empire founder Harneet Baweja will open a Thai fried chicken restaurant in Spitalfields Market, called Fortune Fried Chicken. Its branding, a splash of bright blue, yellow and red, is meant to mimic the street vendors of Bangkok, Baweja says.
Heading the kitchen will be Jane Alty, best known for being the co-founder of Peckham’s longstanding Thai favourite the Begging Bowl. Fortune will be her first project since she left the Peckham restaurant last year. Alty had previously cooked at Bibendum, Racine and David Thompson’s Nahm.
The restaurant, which will be for walk-ins only, will offer takeaway as well as dine-in service.
Thai fried chicken, which originates from Bangkok, differs from other battered chicken owing to its preparation. The chicken is marinated overnight in a blend of soy, fish sauce, garlic and coriander, and then is lightly coated with rice flour. From there, it is deep-fried slowly, and is known for its delicate, crisp skin.
In Fortune, guests will watch the chicken be prepared in front of them, on traditional tamarind wood chopping boards, and will be offered the choice to have the meat hand-pulled off the bone or not. It will then be topped with golden garlic and served with sticky rice and a fresh som tam papaya salad.
Besides the fried chicken, the restaurant will also offer a chicken burger with tamarind sesame glaze, spicy green papaya salad and mayo, which will be served in a soft potato bun. Five hundred of these will be given away free during the restaurant’s soft launch on April 30, which will be followed by 50 per cent off the menu on May 1.
Baweja said of the new project: “Every time I visit Bangkok, my first stop is always for Thai fried chicken. Each vendor has their own take on it and I’ve spent years searching for the perfect version.
“After months in the test kitchen, we’ve perfected our recipe and Spitalfields Market feels like the perfect location to bring it to life.”
Fortune Fried Chicken will open for soft launch on April 30, opening fully on May 2, in Spitalfields Market, E1 6AA. For more information, follow @fortunefriedchicken
