Dongpo Impression

-Grubbing in Chicago
Late Night Sichuan Food in Chinatown

The pandemic didn’t completely kill late-night dining, but it drastically shrunk the number of 24/7 spots and permanently shifted restaurant hours into earlier closing times. This was driven by surging labor costs, staffing shortages, and changing consumer habits. It’s slowly getting better but you needn’t look no further than Chinatown for just how few places stay open past 9pm these days. I could count the ones that did on one hand as recently as last year. A few spots have since opened that stay open until 11pm but even still, late night dining in Chinatown isn’t as prevalent as you might think. You basically have a handful of choices after 10pm and today we’re going to visit my go-to option. 

Locals Favorite in Chinatown

Dongpo Impression sits on Cermak and stays open until 12am daily. It’s from the same ownership group as Chengdu Impression and Chengdu Bistro. That restaurant group is spearheaded by Ryan Hu, nephew of legendary Chinatown restaurateur Tony Hu of Lao Sze Chuan fame. All three brands are showcasing food from the Sichuan region of China but the menu varies by location. Dongpo Impression specializes in Meizhou-style cuisine, a distinct sub-regional branch of Sichuan cooking originating from Meishan. Meizhou cuisine features the fiery flavors most people associate with Sichuan food but its overall style is characterized by a balance of savory, sweet, sour, and numbing profiles rather than just heat. As is the case with one of their most popular dishes - Dongpo Pork. 

Dongpo Pork

Dongpo pork aka Dongpo Rou is a classic Hangzhou dish featuring thick, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly braised in a rich and glossy mixture of Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, ginger, scallions, and rock sugar. The dish is named after famous Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo. It's prized for its gelatinous, tender texture and sweet and savory flavors. I haven’t tried any other versions to compare with the Dongpo pork at Dongpo Impression. If you enjoy chunks of pork belly cooked until the fat melts into a soft and gelatinous clunk that’s tender than this is your type of dish. It’s deeply savory and subtly sweet and at Dongpo Impression it’s served with cubed tofu that takes on the flavor of the sauce.  

Squirrel Fish at Dongpo Impression

Dongpo Impression offers all the popular Sichuan dishes like Dry Chili Chicken, Mapo Tofu and Dan Dan Noodles but they also have a nice collection of dishes you don’t see everywhere. Some of them even come from different regions in China such as the Squirrel Fish. This is a Shanghainese dish that’s essentially a whole fried fish doused in a sweet and sour sauce. It’s typically made with a deboned whole fish with its tail still attached. The meat is scored in a cross-hatch pattern and deep fried so the flesh pokes out and curls, looking like the fluffy tail of a squirrel. It’s drenched in a glossy, sweet-and-sour sauce. The version served at Dongpo Impression is pretty good though it’s boneless and includes two pieces of flounder. But my go-to dish of late has been the Yushang Pork. It was put on my radar by John Kessler at Chicago Magazine. It’s a classic Sichuan dish featuring tender slivers of pork stir-fried in a tangy, spicy, and slightly sweet garlic sauce. The version served at Dongpo Impression also includes matchsticks of zucchini and peppers and wood ear mushrooms that absorb tons of the tangy sauce. I could eat this dish over a plate of rice for breakfast, lunch, and or dinner.

Yushang Pork

Dongpo Impression
228 W Cermak Rd
Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 842-7818
Website

Lamb in Chicago

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)
Five of a Kind: Easter Lamb Special

With Easter Sunday around the corner now is a good time to showcase some of my favorite lamb dishes around town. I was curious why lamb is so closely associated with Easter and according to what I read it’s due to religious symbolism that goes back thousands of years - mainly from both Judaism and Christianity. But there was also a real world explanation that spring is when lambs are naturally available as they’re born in late winter/early spring. Historically, it was one of the first fresh meats eaten after a long winter and it became a natural centerpiece for a spring holiday meal. Back when I was a kid we used to have lamb most Sundays at my grandmas house but I wasn't a big fan back then and usually walked down to Pop's and ate an Italian beef and or gravy bread instead. But over the years I've come to love lamb especially when it's grilled over a live fire. I wish the U.S. took lamb as seriously as England where it's common but you kind of have to find spots that serve it in the States. So I've gathered a handful of lamb dishes I've recently ate and would happily eat again. 

__________________________________________________

9 Muses Bar & Grill (Greektown)

We’ll start in Greektown as the Greeks are serious about lamb. Though the area is a shell of its former self with only a handful of Greek restaurants left. 9 Muses Bar & Grill blends into Halsted where it looks more like a bar than a restaurant. It doesn’t look all that Greek compared to the other spots but if you’re familiar with Greek mythology the Nine Muses are goddesses of inspiration for the arts, literature, sciences. 9 Muses on Halsted is a Greek owned bar and grill with a Greek forward menu. I stopped in here with the alderman and his team one day and decided to try the lamb steak which sounded great and it was. Nothing fancy but it’s far from standard. It comes with extra starch in the form of rice and potatoes and has that wonderful taste of char grilled lamb that I’ve come to love. 

Lamb Steak at 9 Muses Bar & Grill
__________________________________________________



Central East Asian Cuisine (Chinatown)

Next we head to Chinatown where the generically named Central East Asian Cuisine sits at the end of Wentworth. This spot is churning out Central Asian food from the lens of the Chinese side. I’ve visited a few times and it looked like hot pot is popular with groups but it’s the skewers that got me in the first time and thats also why I returned twice since my initial visit. I could eat the grilled lamb skewers from here every day for the rest of my life and I doubt I would get sick of them. They pack so much flavor from a rubbing of cumin and other spices along with a trip over charcoal that releases all the delicious fat. They actually have two different types of lamb skewers but I much prefer the smaller ones which are 5 for $5 and listed among the best things we ate in 2025 in a Chicago Magazine feature. They also make a really great samsa here which is a savory lamb pastry by way of Central Asia. But it’s the skewers that always leave me wanting more. Click HERE for a deeper dive into Central Asian food.

Lamb Skewers at Central East Asian Cuisine
__________________________________________________

Momotaro (West Loop)

We went to Momotaro last summer for my birthday dinner. It’s not my scene per se but we’ve been fans of Chef Gene Kato going back to when he ran Sumi Robata Bar and the Boka Restaurant Group was smart to bring him on board. Momotaro is a see and be seen type of place but the Japanese inspired food is the only reason I wanted to go. I thought the sushi was just ok but all the other dishes were hits including anything from the robata bar. Robata is short for Robatayaki which is a traditional Japanese cooking style that involves grilling food over hot binchotan charcoal at different speeds. Chef Kato is a robata specialist and his lamb chops aka Kohitsuji just might his best offering. High quality bone-in chops are rubbed with a mixture of red miso, sake, gochujang, and brown sugar and broiled before a trip to the robata where they take on a wonderfully smoky flavor and some incredible caramelization to go with it. They come served with a cup of white rice and I suggest dumping the rice on your plate and placing the lamb chops on top so that so the juices from it can seep into rice. 

Bone-in Lamb Chops at Momotaro
__________________________________________________



Bocadillo Market (West Town)

Speaking of smoky and succulent lamb I’m so glad to have the smoked lamb sandwich at Bocadillo Market back into the rotation. This place originally opened on Clark in Lincoln Park but ended up moving to Grand Avenue across the street from D’Amato’s and Bari, a couple of Italian delis known for their sandwiches. I’m a fan of both of spots but the smoked lamb bocadillo at Bocadillo Market might be the best sandwich on a block that also includes Tempesta Market. Smoked lamb is seriously underrated and I think the smoked lamb sandwich from here is the best tasting smoked lamb in the city. You almost wish that there was an option to get it as a platter. The sandwich consists of smoked, braised, locally sourced lamb, mojo rojo (Nora pepper) aioli, shaved carrots, cilantro, fresh mint, and pickled green beans on a crisp Spanish baguette. Served with some excellent Patatas Bravas. 

Smoked Lamb Sandwich at Bocadillo Market
__________________________________________________



Al Bawadi Grill (Bridgeview)

Lastly we head to the suburb of Bridgeview - the backbone of the largest Palestinian community in the country. Al Bawadi is basically the anchor of Little Palestine. It sits on 87th street just off of Harlem which is the areas main strip lined with 100’s of middle eastern businesses including Al Bawadi which opened in 2008. It’s a big, communal, old-school Middle Eastern restaurant that leans into a Bedouin and Palestinian aesthetic of patterned fabrics, lamps, and a kind of “desert tent” feel that’s a bit over-the-top in a fun way. It’s the type of place where families go to celebrate so it’s a very festive place putting out some really wonderful wood grilled kebabs. I still remember the first time I tried this place and instantly fell in love with the idea of the wood grilled kebab to where it’s now one of my absolute favorite things to eat. I’ve never strayed away from the lamb which I think benefits most from the use of live fire when it comes to the grilling of different meats. The lamb kebabs at Al Bawadi have basically become comfort food for me as I take the drive out at least once a year to eat them. They also have a second location in Niles these days but I like going out to the original as Bridgeview is filled with other Middle Eastern spots to try. I’m currently working on what’s going to be a massive post of newer places to open in the area since the last time I posted from there so do stay tuned. 

Lamb Kebab at Al Bawadi Grill
__________________________________________________

See ya next time @chibbqking

Dan Dan Noodles

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)
Dan Dan Noodles Roundup

I love me a bowl of Dan Dan Noodles. So much so I will travel back to China one of these days so I can try them in their natural habitat in the Sichuan Province. Closest I got was in Beijing where there was satellite location of a famous spot from Chengdu. I’ll kill two birds with one stone by going to see the Pandas there too. The origin of Dan Dan Noodles is said to trace back to Chengdu where it first appeared as a cheap, portable street food sold by vendors who carried the ingredients and noodles on a long bamboo pole (dan) balanced on their shoulders, which is now the dish got its name. 

One of the things I love about Dan Dan is how it varies from spot to spot. Ordering a bowl of Dan Dan is like getting a scratch off ticket. Much like a pot of chili there’s a base most recipes follow but exact ingredients vary. The blueprint for a bowl of Dan Dan starts with thin and chewy noodles served with preserved vegetables, minced meat, and scallions sitting in a puddle of spicy oil commonly made up of sesame paste, chili oil, Sichuan peppercorns, soy sauce, and black vinegar. Though regional variations abound and no two spots make them the same way. Some versions are soupier, other versions come served cold, in Taiwan they use peanut sauce. Lots of spots use chopped peanuts but some do not. Some bowls are spicy while others are savory. The noodles vary from spot to spot too. Chinese wheat noodles are the traditional choice but in Japan they have their own version called TanTan and it’s made with ramen noodles as it’s commonly consumed at ramen spots.

Over the last year and change I tried as many desirable versions as I could find in the Chicagoland area. This isn’t a complete list but it’s the spots that talked to me in terms of trying the Dan Dan Noodles. For now the final count is 15 versions tried across the Chicagoland area and because everybody loves when foods are ranked I’m listing the top five that stood out in terms of quality and then I'll round up the rest in no particular order as I liked all of these versions in one way or the other. 

__________________________________________________

Szechuan Bistro

First stop is in Chinatown at the Richland Center food court. The basement of this building is home to a collection of small food stalls including Szechuan Bistro - my pick for the best Dan Dan Noodles in the Chicagoland area. I’ve written about this place before and you can learn more by clicking HERE. This is likely the most traditional preparation of Dan Dan in town, down to the portioning of the ground pork and the usage of chewy wheat noodles. It’s also laced with a good amount of Sichuan peppercorn and has Ya Cai, both of which are crucial elements when it comes to a good bowl of Dan Dan Noodles. I also appreciate the pricing which as of this being published is still under $10 an order.

Dan Dan Noodles at Szechuan Bistro
__________________________________________________

Sichuan Style Noodle & Mao Cao

Next up we head about 25 miles west of the city limits to yet another Asian food court. This one is called the International Mall in Westmont, it houses a handful of Chinese food stalls. One of them is called Sichuan Style Noodle & Mao Cao. The Dan Dan Noodles from here are very similar to the version listed previously. They use a chewy wheat noodle with a nice amount of Sichuan peppercorn, ground pork and it’s a smaller portion priced at $8.95 a bowl. I’m not sure if there’s any connection between here and Szechuan Bistro but you can’t go wrong with the Dan Dan Noodles at either spot. 

Dan Dan Noodles at Sichuan Style Noodle & Mao Cao __________________________________________________

Katy's Dumplings

We’ll stay in Westmont and head to Katy’s Dumplings. Katy’s is known for having some of the best noodle soups in all of Chicagoland. The Dan Dan is a full on bowl of noodle soup with their signature handmade noodles resting in a spicy chili slicked broth with a bright red hue. The price reflects the portion in that it’s a large bowl of soup ($14.95). Aside from the standout noodles which are perfectly chewy the broth comes loaded with Sichuan peppercorns giving it a very nice spice profile (order extra spicy to guarantee this). Ground pork, sesame seeds and stir fried bok choy round it all out. 

Dan Dan Noodles at Katy's Dumplings
__________________________________________________

Akahoshi Ramen

The Tantanmen ($18) at Akahoshi Ramen in Logan Square is perhaps the highest quality bowl of noodles on this list. Akahoshi being the brainchild of Mike Satinover aka Ramen_Lord on Reddit where he shared his journey from Ramen Head to Master Ramen Chef. Tantanmen is a Japanese ramen variant derived from dandanmian aka Dan Dan Noodles. Tantanmen has been adapted into a rich, creamy, and nutty ramen soup with a more moderate level of spice. It’s a staple dish of "Chuka Ryori" (Japanese-style Chinese) and it’s becoming increasingly popular in ramen shops across the globe. The soupless version served at Akahoshi is a top shelf rendition with extra thick ramen noodles that are made on site plus ma-la spice and sesame. It’s topped with seasoned Japanese style pork soboro, green onions, blanched bok choi and it’s best to add a soft boiled egg ($2) into the mix. 

Tantanmen at Akahoshi Ramen
__________________________________________________

Wei Dao Cheng Du

Wai Dao Chengdu is still relatively new. It's stationed next door to 88 Marketplace on Jefferson. The menu is full of Sichuan and Chengdu specialties with a heavy dosage of numbing Sichuan style peppercorns, chili oils, rich broths, and the option to make your order come out extra spicy and numbing. The ability to make it "Mala" is what really stands out here. The noodles themselves are just ok, they’re almost spaghetti like, but everything else about this bowl is spot on. It’s a large serving meant to be shared by the table but I made a complete meal out of it with leftovers for $13.95. 

Dan Dan Noodles at Wai Dao Chengdu
__________________________________________________

Hing Kee 

The Dan Dan Noodles at this dumpling specialist in Chinatown Square are listed on the menu under the ‘Hand Pulled Noodles’. It’s served as a noodle soup and the broth is creamy with a slightly spicy kick although the noodles are a tad softer than you'd expect hand pulled to be. There’s also ground pork, sesame seeds, green onions, and half of a hard boiled egg. While it’s not the most traditional version it’s a very satisfying bowl of soup and a very good deal too at just $9.50 when dining in.

Dan Dan Noodles at Hing Kee
__________________________________________________

Bowl of Fortune Express

Bowl of Fortune opened in Wheeling last year and they opened an express location at J Plaza in Niles not too long after that (formerly Assi Plaza). The express location sits in a food court with a handful of other spots including P Dern's Thai Kitchen. The Dan Dan ($14.95) at Bowl of Fortune is a soupier version but not a full on noodle soup. The broth has a nice spice going for it and the alkaline noodles are thin and chewy. The ground pork is browned well with green onions and bok choy added on top.

Dan Dan Noodles at Bowl of Fortune Express
__________________________________________________

Noodleverse

Next we head back to the Richland Food Court for a visit to Noodleverse. This Chinese noodle specialist opened last year with a menu of about 15 different noodle options including Chengdu Dan Dan Noodles ($16.50). I went in blindly since it was very new at the time of my visit but I saw the light as soon as my number was called. This was a very well put together bowl with equal portions of ground pork, Sichuan chili crisp, green onions and peanuts on top of thin and flat noodles with a puddle of spicy oil on the bottom. I mixed it all up and was pleasantly surprised with the final product. 

Dan Dan Noodles at Noodleverse
__________________________________________________

Chengdu Bistro

This popular West Town spot recently opened a South Loop location. I've featured Chengdu Bistro before and I frequent it regularly as one of my go-to spots for takeout. Sichuan style noodle dishes are the star of the show and while I wouldn't list the Dan Dan among their best options I still get it regularly. It comes in two sizes with the small being a true single serving. At around $5 it pairs perfectly with an order of Sichuan string beans and Zhong's Dumplings. The noodles are on the soft side and it's not super spicy but the oil and the pork have good flavor and the bok choy adds a contrasting texture.

Dan Dan Noodles at Chengdu Bistro
__________________________________________________

SzeChuan Alley

Bridgeport continues to see a surge in Chinese restaurants up and down Halsted street. SzeChuan Alley opened over a year ago and I stopped in to try the Dan Dan Mian ($15.95) around the time period when they first opened. I thought their version with thinner and slightly soft noodles topped with dark browned pork mixed with chopped peanuts and lettuce was a hit but more like a single or a double than a home run. The little puddle of chili slicked oil on the bottom could've been spicier and the noodles were softer than I like but it still hit the spot in a way that Dan Dan almost always does.  

Dan Dan Noodles at SzeChuan Alley
__________________________________________________

Min's Noodle House

We'll stay in Bridgeport and head a bit further south down Halsted to get to our next spot - Min's Noodle House. This place is one of the elder Chinese spots on the block having opened almost ten years ago. As the name suggests the noodle dishes at Min's are front and center with options like their signature Chunking Noodles with your choice of toppings being very popular, as are the Dan Dan Noodles ($11.95). The Dan Dan are unique in that it's loaded with a pork mix that's wetter than most plus lots of lettuce. The noodles are thin and soft and there's a noticeable amount of peanut flavor in the sauce mix at the bottom. Not sure how I feel about the lettuce as it tends to get wet and becomes texturally unpleasing. It's not the spiciest version but you can amp it up upon request. 

Dan Dan Noodles at Min's Noodle House
__________________________________________________

YooYee 

This Sichuan restaurant in Uptown on Broadway became a popular spot right out of the gate when it opened last year. People including myself flocked to YooYee for their spicy braised beef brisket noodle soup made with hand pulled noodles which are very good. The Dan Dan ($16) isn't quite as good but that's not to say you shouldn't try it. I just didn't think it was as well made as the brisket soup. Their Dan Dan is made with a much thinner egg noodle and its a drier version meaning there's no broth. The pork was a bit too dry and the texture was rather monotoned without any peanuts or bok choy. But the sauce on the bottom had a good spice to it and it clings to the noodles nicely.  

Dan Dan Noodles at YooYee
__________________________________________________

Chef's Special

Chef's Special is different from all the previous spots on this list so it's only fitting that their Dan Dan is too. The term "Chef Driven" is overplayed but that's exactly what Chef's Special is. The menu is an ode to the Chinese food that Chef Jason Vincent grew up eating in Northeast Ohio as seen through his culinary lens which also gave us the critically acclaimed Giant in Logan Square. At Chef's Special in Bucktown the Dan Dan Noodles ($17) are unique in a few different ways. They use thick and chewy egg noodles that are stir fried and tossed with a mix of ground pork, sesame paste, peanuts, green onions, and Sichuan peppercorns. The end result is a bowl of steaming hot noodles with great texture and great flavor. You can even personalize it a bit with the trio of sauces that comes with it.

Dan Dan Noodles at Chefs Special
__________________________________________________

Noodlebird

The Dan Dan at Noodlebird in Logan Square is a recurring special that seems to pop up in the summer months. Pretty much everything is solid at this place and that includes the Dan Dan ($15.00). They use long wheat noodles with minced pork sitting atop a puddle of spicy sesame Sichuan sauce and they give their own touch by garnishing it with yu choy, pickled peppers and shaved cucumbers.

Dan Dan Noodles at Noodlebird
__________________________________________________

Lao Peng You

Our final stop takes us to Lao Peng You in Ukrainian Village. This is one of the city's most popular Chinese restaurants outside the Chinatown neighborhood. It's a new school spot that I featured when it first opened. If you ask where to find the best Dan Dan in Chicago odds are at least a few will tell you to go to Lao Peng You. Personally I prefer their dumplings which come swimming in a tangy broth but the Dan Dan ($19) is very good and worth getting when you're craving some noodles. The menu lists chopped pork, spinach, peanuts, soy, sesame, chili oil, brown peppercorns. Upon delivery it looks a bit off with a mound of greens on top but as soon as you mix it all up it starts looking the part. 

Dan Dan Noodles at Lao Peng You
__________________________________________________

See ya next time @chibbqking

Cold Noodles in Chicago

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Cold Noodles

If you’ve seen the weather report for this week you know it’s going to be a hot one. Every News Channel meteorologist in town is going to end their weather segment by telling you to stay cool and I’m going to show you how do that when it comes to eating. Cold noodles have become one of my favorite things to eat during a heatwave. According to a little bit of digging I did cold noodles first became a thing during the Tang Dynasty around 700 AD. So the story goes there was an empress who liked eating noodles with her lover but she would sometimes burn her tongue due to them being so hot. So she requested cold noodles and today they’ve expanded into many different types. They’re particularly popular in China’s Sichuan Province which is known for its high humidity in summer. What I love about a batch of cold noodles is they’re much more filling than a salad but equally refreshing. Let’s take a look at five different versions I’ve tried around Chicagoland going back to last summer. 

__________________________________________________

Moon Palace Express (Chinatown)

Our first stop is fittingly in Chinatown - where there’s an abundance of cold noodle creations to be had. My favorite in the area are found at Moon Palace Express which is a takeout operation connected to Nine Bar which I previously featured HERE. Nine Bar replaced the dining room of the 50+ year old Moon Palace but they kept a portion of the menu and offer it for takeout. I love the Shanghai Cold Noodles made with thick and chewy wheat noodles tossed in a spicy peanut and sesame sauce. At just $8 an order it’s one of the cheapest and most satisfying meals in Chinatown.

Shanghai Cold Noodles at Moon Palace Express
__________________________________________________

Central East Asian Cuisine (Chinatown)

Next we make our way down Wentworth to the only Central Asian restaurant in Chinatown right now. Central East Asian Cuisine opened a year and a half ago and in case you missed it I did a report earlier this year on the sudden surge of Central Asian restaurants opening in the Chicagoland area. Central East Asian Cuisine is definitely one you want to check out, especially if you like charcoal grilled skewers of lamb and the savory baked pastry known as Samsa (made with lamb and onions). They also serve up a popular form of cold noodles called Shihezi Cold Noodles. They feature a spicy and tangy flavor profile and are sometimes called LiangPi but the exact description can vary, it’s generally understood as a type of cold noodle dish with ingredients and flavors common to the Xinjiang region of China (Shihezi is a city in Northern Xinjiang, China). The defining feature of this dish is the noodles are made from a dough that is rinsed to separate the starch from the gluten. The starch is then used to make the noodles, which are steamed or boiled and served chilled. The version at Central East Asian Cuisine has a ton of sliced cucumbers, plus and minimal heat but it still hit the spot on a hot night. That said I’m still searching for a version as good as I had in Milan of all places.  

Shihezi Cold Noodles at Central East Asian Cuisine
__________________________________________________

Chengdu Bistro (Wicker Park)

Let's head to Wicker Park where Chengdu Bistro serves up an excellent version of Sichuan Cold Noodles - Chili oil sauce, Sichuan peppercorn, scallions, and sesame are tossed with chewy noodles at one of my most visited restaurants in town. I often order from here when I don’t know what else I want to eat as I can always eat noodles and or dumplings. These are by far the spiciest batch of this bunch due to the abundant use of Sichuan peppercorns. Click HERE for my complete report.

Sichuan Cold Noodles at Chengdu Bistro
__________________________________________________

Lao Peng You (Ukrainian Village)

Next stop is Lao Peng You in Ukrainian Village where just about everything is good including the cold noodles. The brothers behind this place are cooking up family recipes tracing back to their grandma but so I was told the cold noodles are a creation of the brothers themselves. They mix soy sauce, peanuts, carrot, cucumber, turnip, celery, bean sprouts, cilantro, and chili oil tossed with their chewy house noodles. I almost always get the pork and dill dumplings which are served in soup but sometimes it’s too hot for that and the cold noodles make for a great substitute. Full report HERE. 

Cold Noodles at Lao Peng You
__________________________________________________

S.Y Chef (Lisle)

Last stop takes us out to Lisle where The Morton Arboretum resides. We needed something to eat after waking around there last summer and I found the perfect spot in S.Y. Chef. Their menu listed “Colorful Wide Cold Noodles” which caught my eye as that’s a dish I had previously enjoyed at a long gone place called Homestyle Taste which was on Halsted in Bridgeport. Cold wide rice noodles are mixed with a delicious peanut and sesame sauce and tossed with a ton of cucumbers and such at this spot just five minutes north of the Morton Arboretum and for those wondering, yes, there is a connection to the old Homestyle Taste in Bridgeport. They make very good fried dumplings here too. 

Colorful Wide Cold Noodles at S.Y Chef
__________________________________________________

See ya next time @chibbqking

Asian Noodles

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Noodle Nosh

The origin of noodles are shrouded in mystery but it’s pretty obvious that the Chinese were the first to make them an art. Back in 2005 archaeologists discovered an earthenware bowl containing 4,000-year-old noodles at the Lajia archaeological site in China. So while there’s no single inventor of noodles they more than likely became popular in China before extending off into other parts of Asia and the rest of the world. Here in Chicago we have seemingly endless options for noodles with pretty much every Asian cuisine on offer. But just recently has the city taken its noodle game to the next level thanks to a noodle renaissance of sorts. Back in the day noodles were just a small part of the menu whereas now there’s lots of spots where they make up the majority of the menu. I eat my weight in noodles every year and we've never had better options for slurping than we do right now. 

_________________________________________________

Minyoli

We’ll start at one of the more interesting openings of 2024. Minyoli in Andersonville is a Taiwanese noodle shop serving Juàn Cūn cuisine. It’s ran by Taiwanese Chef Rich Wang who’s on a mission to preserve the fast disappearing cuisine that came about around 1949 when more than six hundred thousand of the Chinese nationalist party’s soldiers moved to Taiwan with families and settled down in Juan Cuns - “military dependents' villages” is how the Chinese term is often translated in English. Wang and his team serve up a small well rounded menu of the cuisine that came from these villages. Taiwanese beef noodle soup (Niu Rao Mian) is front and center along with a plethora of Taiwanese snacks both braised and chilled (Luwei) and also fried. The Taiwanese fried chicken starter is dusted with a sour plum powder - a popular condiment at Taiwan’s legendary night markets. Small chunks of chicken are twice fried in a crisp potato starch with the plum powder going on as soon as it comes out of the fryer for a second time. The first thing you taste is a sweet and tangy flavor that soon turns savory. It’s a crowd favorite and a great prelude to a bowl of red braised beef noodle soup. The broth is made by simmering beef bones along with root vegetables for more than eight hours. The menu also lists both premium Taiwanese black bean soy sauce, and spicy broad bean sauce among the ingredients. You choose between succulent braised beef or tender chunks of tendon with the option for half and half being the way to go. Wheat noodles are made daily and come in two different sizes with the thick and wavy ones used in the Niu Rao Mian. The end result is a subtle but soothing bowl of beef noodle soup with perfectly textured noodles and extremely tender beef. 

Taiwanese Fried Chicken and Beef Noodle Soup at Minyoli 
_________________________________________________

Kajiken

This Japanese noodle franchise was recently brought to Chinatown by the neighborhoods unofficial mayor - Tony Hu (owner of Lao Szechuan). Kajiken specializes in soup-less ramen aka Abura Soba. It’s a chain from Nagoya with more than 40 locations in Asia plus a few more in North America including this outlet in Chinatown Square. I visited last year and enjoyed the “Homura” which includes spicy minced pork, poached egg, menma, scallion, fish powder, nori, and chives. You can customize each bowl to your liking with vinegar, minced garlic, chili oil, soy sauce, and some powdered pepper all of which is sitting at each table. Just mix it all up and start slurping. The noodles have nice texture. 

Abura Soba at Kajiken
_________________________________________________

Szechuan Bistro

The food court in Chinatowns Richland Center basement is always an interesting stop as different food stalls regularly come and go. Szechuan Bistro popped up about two years ago and it didn’t take long for some of us to figure out that it was run by the former cook of Szechuan JMC which has since closed. JMC was a popular stop with locals and Chinatown regulars alike but it closed randomly forcing fans to find their Sichuan peppercorn kick elsewhere. Enter Szechuan Bistro. The menu is loaded with Sichuan classics including my favorite bowl of Dan Dan Noodles in town. Dan Dan are one of the quintessential dishes of Sichuan cuisine and arguably one of the most popular noodle dishes in all of Asia. They first popped up as a street snack in Chengdu back in the 1800’s and these days they’re one of the world’s most well known noodle dishes as Sichuan cuisine has become extermely popular on a worldwide level. There are many iterations of dan dan noodles across the globe but the signature flavor profile should be hot, sour, salty, sweet, and smoky. The sauce should always include Sichuan pepper, a numbing berry from Western China used as a spice. It has a tantalizing citrus, floral, and woodsy aroma and the Dan Dan at Szechuan Bistro is loaded with it. 

Dan Dan Noodles at Szechuan Bistro
_________________________________________________

Rudy's Ramen

I recently tried the tantanmen at this Noble Square ramen specialist and it warmed me up just right. Rudy’s Ramen is a hidden gem ramenya ran by a self taught ramen chef who specializes in tonkotsu (pork bone ramen). I feel like Rudy’s kind of got lost in the plethora of ramen openings we had despite being named one of the best ramens in town at The Infatuation. While I’ll always love tonkotsu due to it being the first real type of ramen I ever tried (shoutout to Santouka) it’s a bit rich for me these days and not something I commonly crave. So with that I decided to try the Tantanmen which is the Japanese version of Dan Dan. The recipe at Rudy’s starts with a fairly potent pork broth that’s got a very nice Sichuan peppercorn spice profile. It comes loaded with spicy miso minced pork, bamboo shoots, bok choy, scallions, and thin ramen noodles. Go ahead and add the ajitama egg to your bowl.

Tantanmen at Rudy's Ramen 
_________________________________________________

Chengdu Bistro 

Last stop is what’s probably been my favorite opening of the year. Chengdu Bistro opened in May on Division in Wicker Park. It’s owned by the nephew of Tony Hu who also runs Chengdu Impression and Dongpo Impression. The menu at Chengdu Bistro is mostly made up of Sichuan noodle favorites though they also have soup dumplings and entrees like dry chili chicken and Mapo Tofu. But it’s the noodles that make this place stand out. I’ve long moaned about the lack of made on site noodles in Chicago and those days look to be numbered with Chengdu Bistro contributing to the change. Ordering wise there’s lots of good ways to go including spicy beef noodle soup. You choose what size noodles you want and they make them to order. When it comes to beef noodle soup I like ‘em thick and chewy and suggest going with the thickest noodle option, they have a great bite to them and the broth is legit spicy with that distinct taste of Sichuan peppercorns I’ve come to love. They also make a damn good Dan Dan that comes in two sizes including a small for just $5.95.

Sichuan Spicy Beef Noodle Soup 

Dan Dan Noodles

I must’ve picked up the spicy toothsome Sichuan Cold Noodles at Chengdu Bistro a handful of times this past summer when I didn’t feel like cooking on the hottest of days. Yibin Flaming Noodles aka Yibin Burning Noodles are a specialty of Yibin - a prefecture-level city in the southeastern part of the Sichuan province. So they say the name comes from an old wives tale that the noodles were covered in oil that’s flammable but I also read that it’s more likely because back in the day it was common to pour burning hot pork lard over the noodles before serving. Yibin Noodles are similar to Dan Dan with the most distinct difference being the use of alkaline noodles which are chewier than normal. The noodles are mixed with vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and lots of chili oil and topped with minced pork, yacai (preserved mustard greens), roasted peanuts, and scallions. I love how the noodles are tossed hot into the sauce giving it a unique taste and texture. Well worth the $10.95 pricetag.

Sicuhan Cold Noodles

Yibin Flaming Noodle

I've tried most of the noodle dishes at Chengdu Bistro and if I had to pick a favorite it would have to be the Sichuan Za Jiang Noodle with Stewed Pea. When I went to Beijing back in 2018 I visited this famous noodle shop from Chonqing where I waited in line for 30 mins for a bowl of their famous Wanza Mian which ended up being one of the most memorable bowls of noodles I’ve ever had. I’ve been on the search for something similar ever since and the Za Jiang at Chengdu Bistro is the closest I’ve come. At first glance it looks like a bowl of naked noodles topped with saozi (wet minced pork) and peas but a “mixed sauce” consisting of chili oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, huajio (sichuan pepper), roasted sesame paste, and lard lurks underneath. The made on site noodles have a wholesome bite while managing to soak up all the delicious sauce. Think of it as the bigger brother of Dan Dan.

Sichuan Za Jiang Noodle with Stewed Pea at Chengdu Bistro
_________________________________________________

See ya next time @chibbqking
_________________________________________________