Yum Cha

Every once in a while I have a meal so outstanding that writing a review proves to be a difficult task. My recent meal at Yum Cha is one of those experiences. Instead of ordering off the menu, Chef Rodelio visited our table and explained that he would be preparing some off the menu dishes, as well as some of the restaurant’s signature items. The list was so extensive, that at first my friend Maya thought that Chef Rodelio was going through the entire menu with us.

We tasted 14 different dishes, getting the full experience of Yum Cha’s Chinese cuisine with a variety of Asian influences. We began with the Congee, a savory porridge topped with braised ox tail, scallions, and a small bits of fried shrimp to add a hint of crunch. I thought the texture of the congee was very pleasing, and the shredded ox tail was a successful pairing.

Then we had an off the menu sampling of Yum Cha’s dim sum. Although the sampler is off the menu, each individual item is present on the dim sum menu. Starting at the top, we had the bbq pork bao, steamed shrimp dumplings, crispy shrimp rolls, sui mai with pork and shrimp, and a soup dumpling. The bao was without a doubt the best I have ever had. I also really enjoyed the soup dumpling, something I had never tried before. It’s exactly what the name suggests, a dumpling filled with a pork soup.

A plate of ox tail and scallion dumplings was brought out, convincing me that more restaurants need to be serving ox tail. For those of you who haven’t tried ox tail, you could easily mistake it for short rib. If you like one, you will like the other.

The char sue, a pork dish that translates to “burnt ends” was another personal favorite. The pork is marinated in a sugar dry rub, and then in hoisin, honey, and wine. The ends of the meat were lightly charred, but it was tender in the middle. The combination of the sugar dry rub, hoisin, and honey create a sweet bbq sauce.

Shredded crispy duck was served with frisee, a runny egg, and turnip cake. Chef Rodelio presented the dish at our table, and broke the egg tossing the ingredients in the rich egg yolk.

Next came Philipino style roasted pork with a crispy fried crust served with a black pepper sauce. Chef Rodelio explained that this was something that he enjoyed eating when he was growing up. The pork was one of the more simply prepared courses, but it was perfectly cooked and the sauce was a nice compliment.

After appetizers, we tried a selection of entrees. Fortunately there were 5 of us sharing this feast because it would have been far more food than Charles and I could handle alone.

First came the Szechuan braised octopus with fried daikon cake, green beans, and spicy peppers. I am generally not a fan of octopus because it can be challenging to find a good preparation of octopus that isn’t too tough and rubbery. This octopus wasn’t the least bit rubbery; I wasn’t convinced it was octopus until Charles pointed out the tentacles. Considering that I enjoyed this dish enough octopus isn’t my thing, it would be a real treat for someone who regularly orders octopus.

The udon noodles with thinly sliced beef was my favorite dish of the many that we tried. It was served in a sizzling ceramic bowl and the beef was prepared in bite sized pieces that were loaded with flavor from the sesame and scallions. In my experience, Asian style noodles are often overcooked and lifeless, but these udon noodles were al dente, and they soaked up just the right amount of the flavorful beefy sauce.

By the time the lightly fried silken tofu with bok choy and mushrooms in a ginger sauce came to our table we were getting full, fortunately it was a lighter dish. The mushrooms were thick and meaty and the bok choy was crisp. My feelings towards tofu tend to be lukewarm, but the silken tofu had an almost creamy texture; it was a hit.

The last entree was one of Chef Rodelio’s personal favorites: seafood curry with scallops, sole, and shrimp in a toasted coriander curry and ginger sauce with plenty of onions, served with white rice. This dish was unique since the curry sauce had strong flavors from the toasted coriander and ginger, and it didn’t have the spicy heat that some curry dishes have.

The feast ended with a pair of desserts. The first was mango pudding, in the style of a panna cotta that had a nice balance of fruit flavor and creamy texture and as sweet without being sugary. Maya said that this was her favorite.

The second dessert was warm egg tarts, with a slightly sweet egg yolk custard. These two bite tarts with rich egg yolk custard were a fun end to the meal.

While the food exceeded all expectations, the thing that put the evening over the top was Chef Rodelio. He came out to present each new course to us, and answered any questions we might have, giving detailed information on the spices used, cooking techniques, and cultural influences. It must be said that Chef Rodelio is also just a really cool guy. He is a bit of a culinary legend, and was the chef at LA’s Koi during the height of its popularity. At one point he grabbed a chair, joined us at our table and told us a great George Clooney story.

What makes a meal memorable? Sometimes it is the food, but often it is the experience, the ambiance of the restaurant, the people you dine with, and occasion that brought you together. At Yum Cha, all of these things came together. One way of telling how skilled a chef is, is to ask everyone at the table what their favorite part of the meal was. When people have to debate with themselves to decide which dish they liked best, and when people list several different favorites, you know the restaurant is exceptional because the chef isn’t just doing one or two things well, they are presenting a breadth of cuisine with talent. This was the case with Yum Cha; we had a hard trouble deciding which dish we liked best, and we listed several different favorites. Bravo to Chef Rodelio, Yum Cha is certainly a rising star on Chicago’s culinary scene.