If you're too intimidated to trek down to Archer and Wentworth avenues, Yum Cha adequately introduces you to the genre, albeit at a premium.īut why not head to Chinatown? No need to be scared! Most dim sum restaurants now have illustrated, bilingual menus.Įntering its 20th year in 2015, Phoenix Restaurant has firmly settled into its role as Chinatown's reliable default.
#CAI DIM SUM CHICAGO PLUS#
But the combination works on some ridiculous level, better than I'd care to admit.Īs for standard dim sum fare, it's on par with Chinatown, plus a roughly 35 percent upcharge. Then there's the foie gras-topped egg custard tart - an idea so outrageous that it makes you want to hit somebody. "Buddha" chicken wings with shrimp dust? It's fried to an expert crisp, and the briny shrimp dust works with the sweet and sourness. Roasted bone marrow topped with braised oxtails is frighteningly rich, but a side plate of pungent ginger-scallion sauce balances out flavors, and the pillowy baos do an effective job sopping things up. But indulgent as it is, some combinations work.
At first this felt like cheating, a sly way to overcharge in this affluent neighborhood. The gimmick here is dim sum with downtown ritz, which often translates to highbrow ingredients such as foie gras or truffles. Service has improved, clean plates and tea refills now come quickly, and the waitstaff converses about dishes with relative proficiency. I'm pleased to report Yum Cha - a collaboration between Chinatown's Phoenix and Mount Prospect's E+O Food and Drink - has rebounded to acceptability. Several months after that, I subjected myself to visit No. I had relegated Yum Cha to my "you're dead to me" list. 2, the pork shumai was completely raw in the middle, a first for this Cantonese man, and a replacement order took so long, we gave up and left. On the first visit, the food arrived cold and servers seemed confused by simple requests.
My first two experiences at Yum Cha were nothing short of disastrous. A $15 Cantonese meat platter equates to three bites each of barbecued pork (char siu) and roasted duck, but these are apotheoses that make you say, "Ah, this is how it should taste."Ī mile south of The Peninsula is Yum Cha, tucked inside a network of Lakeshore East high-rises overlooking Grant Park. For $18, you're paying for craftsmanship. A simple clay pot of fried rice is offered for $18, yes, but it's an exquisite rendition - minced wagyu beef, scrambled egg shards and individual, slick granules of long-grained rice, not a clump in the bowl. Witness the intricate washboardlike pleats in the black truffle and lobster dumplings, a sign of deft, careful hands. Yes, ingredients like wagyu beef and XO sauce are guaranteed crowd-pleasers, but the technique exhibited by chef Ivan Yuen's team is impressive in its understated touch.
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