Favorite Asian Dishes

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Personal Favorites  

“How do you choose which restaurants to try?” and “How do you decide what to order when you go to a restaurant?” are two questions I often get asked and I figured I would use this week’s post to answer them. The first question is a bit tougher to answer bc I kind of just know what I’m looking for be it a little taco spot on the south side or a big opening in Fulton Market. Basically if the menu intrigues me I’m adding it to my list of spots I want to check out. Things that intrigue me are unique dishes and or regional offerings you won’t find elsewhere. I’ll also look at a restaurants reviews on google, specifically the most commonly mentioned words in the reviews. This is a good way to figure out what a restaurant does well. If I’m looking at a Chinese spot and there’s 50+ reviews mentioning the Jianbing well that’s probably what I’m going to try. I also like to look at the pics bc I know what I’m looking for. For ex. I love the Indian dish that goes by the name Chicken 65. It’s a common menu item at Indian restaurants but not all Indian restaurants do it well. I like the drier versions as opposed to the wetter ones so a quick peek of a pic is really all I need to see if it’s going to be to my liking. It doesn’t always mean I love what I ordered but it’s a good starting point as far as figuring out what to get. The other tool I use as far as deciding where to eat and what to order is the word of reliable food people or those whose food opinions I trust knowing that our tastes align together. These can be friends, writers, and people I know through the social media sphere. So what does all of this have to do with today’s post? Well this week I’m going to feature five spots I visit on and off for five specific dishes. All of them happen to be Asian as I happen to eat a ton of Asian food, in big part due to its diversity but also bc I love both noodles and rice and also dumplings and stir fried vegetables and curries and so forth. So without further ado here are five Asian dishes in Chicago that I commonly crave -

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Hong Huah (Belmont Cragin)

I somehow missed this place back in 2014 when I did a super deep dive on old school Chinese restaurants in the Chicagoland area. I don’t know exactly how long Hong Huah (5924 W. Fullerton) has been open but it’s been around for at least a few decades going back to when local sports radio station 670 The Score was broadcasting out of a studio on Belmont in Belmont Cragin. Some of the hosts like Terry Boers and Dan McNeil used to eat here and I don’t think the dining room has changed much since they were last here. It’s still a family run spot that caters to the neighborhood which is mostly Hispanic these days. I stop in at least a few times a year for the old school potstickers. You know the type I’m talking about? They’re thick and plump and juicy and the good ones are crisped up really nicely and have a slight chew to them. Hong Huah has one of the best versions around and you can’t beat the price ($8). I’ve also enjoyed their mu shu pork as they still make the pancakes in-house. 

Potstickers at Hong Huah 
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Peking Mandarin (Albany Park)

Here’s another spot I missed putting in my epic post on old school Chinese restaurants. Walking into Peking Mandarin (3459 W. Lawrence) is like walking into a Time Machine. From the Zodiac Chinese placemats, to the diner style bar seating and the booths that you sink into, this place just oozes old school American-Chinese and the menu has orange chicken etc. if you want that. But it’s Korean owned so there’s also a bunch of Korean - Chinese staples like tangsooyuk (sweet and sour pork) and jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce). But it’s the shrimp fried rice that keeps me coming back. It’s a terrific blend that’s on the lighter side in terms of color but it’s packed with flavor and always served steaming with a nice sear meaning it was properly cooked in an extra hot wok. Typically I’m a 'no peas in my fried rice' type of person but they only put a few of them in and they don’t distract at all. The carrots are crisp and the shrimp isn't awful. The other thing I love about this fried rice is the chili sauce that’s served with it. Make sure to mix a bit of it in to reach the peak. 

Shrimp Fried Rice at Peking Mandarin 
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Jess Cafe (Belmont Cragin)

Jess Cafe (5819 W. Belmont) is the type of place where there’s just too many things on the menu. So going in blind is likely to lead to disappointment though it’s been around for more than a decade so they clearly have fans. I’m one of them though I’m more of a fan of a specific dish - the beef cubes over tomato rice. This is one of those dishes you don’t see too often. Whenever I see something that’s new to me it catches my attention. I first decided to try this due to a few of the reviews and also bc I could tell from the pictures it was my type dish and that it is. They take tender chunks of beef tenderloin and sear them up really nicely with soy sauce and other seasonings before throwing it all on a big plate of tomato rice. This exquisite Viet dish with French and Chinese influence is the only thing I’ve ever tried here aside from a smoothie. If the mention of smoothies and beef cubes makes you think of Joy Yee, yep me too. There could be a connection but I’m not entirely sure. 

Beef Cubes Over Tomato Rice at Jess Cafe 
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My Place (South Loop)

I’ve featured this popular Cantonese spot before but they’ve moved twice since then. My Place (1906 S. State) used to be in the Chinatown Mall before heading to the South Loop right before the pandemic. Its proximity to Chinatown and a classic Cantonese menu means lots of the areas Chinese residents are regulars. I was first turned onto here by Brian Eng whom some of my readers may know. He lives in the area and is a great resource for restaurants in Chinatown and beyond. The house special Portuguese baked rice with curry sauce has been a favorite of mine since he first put me on. You can get it with fried chicken, pork chops or fish but only the fried chicken is listed as a house special and for good reason. Chunks of dark meat chicken are breaded and fried and slathered in a mild curry sauce with melted cheese and served over white rice mixed with stir fried egg.  

Baked Chicken Rice at My Place 
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China Wok (Lincoln Park)

Our last stop takes us to 2485 N. Clark in Lincoln Park and it comes with a bit of a backstory. Back in 2017 I was put onto a little Sichuan takeout spot on North Ave in Humboldt Park. It was called New China Station and they had a dish called dry chili fish filet that I absolutely loved to where I was preaching about it on a regular basis. As time went by New China Station developed a cult like following and their dry chili fish filet became their signature dish of sorts but then they closed out of nowhere in 2021. It was a big blow to me as I probably ordered their dry chili fish more than any other dish in town during its tenure. I very much missed it when they closed, so much so I went on a mission to find a replacement. As time went on I’d check the menus and sometimes try newly opened Sichuan spots hoping the folks from New China Station would reappear. As time went by my hope began to fade until one day I was driving down Clark and saw a new spot called China Wok. I had to make a mental note bc I already had plans that day but the next day I looked them up online and the menu was pretty similar to that of NCS. Not only that but dry chili fish filet was listed as a house specialty so I decided to try it later that day and I knew the dry chili fish filet from New China Station was back as soon as it was placed in front of me. I was quick to ask the young waiter if there was any sort of connection but he didn’t know so instead I asked the older lady who gave me a take out container and sure enough her husband, the cook, used to own New China Station. Together again at last! I crave this as much as anything. So much so I’ve already gone back twice since being reunited. 

Dry Chili Fish Filet at China Wok 
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See ya next time @chibbqking