By Delayna Earley
The Island News
A new Asian inspired restaurant is opening in Beaufort that will feature fried chicken and boba drinks.
Chick ’N Boba will open in Beaufort Town Center soon, according to a release sent out by the restaurant.
The restaurant is the third restaurant opened in northern Beaufort County by the Lin family, who also own Yummy Hibachi and Sushi Bar in Port Royal and the House of Tang Chinese Restaurant on Ribaut Road.
According to owner Dan Lin, Chick ‘N Boba will offer hibachi to-go, boba and Asian, or Chinese, fried chicken.
Boba – known also as bubble tea – is a relatively new beverage to the Beaufort area, so locals may not be as familiar with it. The drink, which usually consists of a milk tea with of balls of tapioca that you drink with a large straw, originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and eventually made its way to the U.S. sometime in the 1990s, according to the release.
As for the hibachi, the restaurant will not have hibachi grills and chefs there to cook in front of customers, but instead will have a variety of hibachi dishes that will be available for dine-in or carry out.
Shrimp, steak and chicken hibachi dishes will all be available for purchase and, according to the release, will only take about 15 minutes to prepare.
“Just like the quick turnaround ordering from our menu at our House of Tang with the same hibachi quality from our chefs at Yummy,” Lin said.
Lin also said that one of the main staples of the new restaurant will be their fried chicken, but don’t expect standard southern fried chicken – this will be different.
According to the release, American fried chicken has more batter with the taste mostly in the batter, while Chinese, or Asian, fried chicken has a longer marination time, is crispier when served and is flavored with a variety of different spices and marinades that include ginger, nutmeg, chili sauce, and soy sauce.
The restaurant will also have a functioning takeout window from which they plan to serve customers.
The owners are putting the final touches on the restaurant and hope to open sometime in March.
The new Asian fusion restaurant will open in Beaufort Town Center at 2121 Boundary Street, Suite 108. It is the former home of Clean Eatz and J. Lee’s Coney Island.
Hours will be Wednesday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. They will be closed on Tuesdays.
They will also be available through DoorDash delivery.
For more information about the restaurant, go to www.ChickNBobaSC.com.
Delayna Earley formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
