The Bird is the Word at Wah-Gi-Wah


Craig LaBan finds spectacular chicken dishes at Spruce Hill’s Wah-Gi-Wah. In particular he sings the praises of chicken Chargha, a Pakistani take on fried chicken.

Served as an entire bird on the bone that’s butterflied wide open, the Chargha’s flesh is deeply scored and crisped beneath a vivid orange crust that’s more spice rub than batter, worked into a penetrating marinade of yogurt and lime that reaches every nook and cranny. The scoring speeds cooking and makes for handy eating, too. I easily tugged away plumes of juicy meat and let the flavors snap my eyes open as the aroma of citrus swirled into currents of ginger, cumin, and garam masala curry, with a lingering hum of chile spice. At only $12, this is not just one of the best flavor bargains around. It’s one of the best fried chickens, period, in a town that has been riffing on the genre quite nicely over the last few years.

Wah-Gi-Wah [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Wah-Gi-Wah [Official Site]