KFC with an Asian twist is coming to Covent Garden next month

On the Dak will open in Covent Garden in early February, and will the seventh restaurant for Lee, following Koba, On the Bab, and the recently opened Mee Market.

Focusing on ‘dak’ (Korean for ‘chicken’) the site on Monmouth Street will serve four different varieties of Korean fried chicken, including sweet soy; Seoul spicy; garlic and onion; and original. Diners will have the option of small, medium and large sizes.

Aside from the fried chicken, On the Dak will serve chitang chicken noodle soup; chibun barbecued chicken with cabbage; and chibab chicken with salad and rice.

Vegetarian options include a mushroom and soy ‘chibab’ on rice, as well as side orders of kimchi, pickled garlic and salads.

“Koreans love chicken, whether it’s fried, in soups, on noodles or with rice, and in all my restaurants chicken dishes are among the most popular,” says Lee.

“I wanted to bring all my favourite chicken dishes, plus some new ones, under one roof.”

Asian takes on fried chicken are becoming increasingly popular in the UK. Operators are opening sites across the capital serving the dish including Wing Wing (which is set to expand this year), Bimbimbap, Jinjuu, Chick’n’Sours and Shackfuyu.

Linda Lee moved to London 12 years ago after operating several successful restaurants in Seoul.

She opened her first London restaurant, Koba, in 2005 in Fitzrovia. Her next venture was Nizuni, the now closed five-storey Japanese restaurant on Charlotte Street, followed by Nizuni Go in Marylebone (also now closed).

She has since launched On The Bab, now operating at four sites.