I have only been to the Furama on Argyle . . . and only once. And that one time was enough for me to decide to never return. We went for dim sum and everything was very greasy and many items not even warm. Although one of my friends who joined me for the meal swears that the dim sum is usually better, I am not willing to take that chance.

My experience with Furama on Broadway/Argyle was exactly the same as BR's, granted it was many years ago. I got a couple of recommendations, so I went, and it was bordering on awful. Flavors were lousy, fried items were soggy, and many items were cold. The only upside was that it was dirt cheap, which is what I suspect drove the recommendations, but I felt it wasn't worth wasting a meal there at any price.

Of course, this was one visit and, as mentioned, it was many years ago.

I took a girlfriend to Furama (N. Broadway) for dim sum a few weeks ago.

Our meal was quite good.

In fact, as a point of comparison, it was much better than my most recent dim sum experience at Phoenix, two months ago.

The options were numerous, the food was hot and fresh, and the service was great.*

I had no complaints.

But, for me, dim sum in this town has always been a crapshoot.

E.M.

* On my most recent visit to Phoenix, I experienced nearly the opposite: the options were limited, much of the food was tepid, and the service was pathetic.

I'm wondering if the day of the week makes a difference at Furama on Broadway. I've always had a good time there on Sunday mornings in the upstairs room; my last visit was on a Saturday in the smaller downstairs area - that one was adequate, but not as good in variety or apparent freshness as at my Sunday experiences upstairs. Anyone else have this experiencce?

Erik M. wrote:But, for me, dim sum in this town has always been a crapshoot.

This has been my experience, too, though, off and on I've had very good meals at Furama, where we tend to stick to the steamed options, which they offer in greater variety than some other spots.

For order-off-a-menu dim sum, I had a pleasant meal not long ago at Happy Chef, where we particularly liked the shrimp with pea pod green dumplings in yellow wrappers.

Furama/Phu Le Hoa
773/271-1161
4936 N. Broadway St., Chicago

Happy Chef Dim Sum House
312/808-3689
Chinatown Square Mall
2164A S. Archer Ave., Chicago

Jay K

As you may already know, Phoenix has long waits unless you get there early. At times they will run out of certain items but offer a good variety of choices. Phoenix is expensive and sometimes the items are only average (lacks some consistency). For out of towners, it's still worthy of consideration.

Jockey Wok N Roll has a good Dim Sum chef. His fried taro root is one of my favorite items. Most of the dim sum is available but several standard items like the long noodle - cheong fung is only available on weekends.
If you're from Hyde Park, Schaumburg is a little far, Chinatown is the better choice.

The 2 Furamas are similar and as some diners have noted, lack consistency. I've had mixed experiences at both locations. There is no wait problem, the variety is decent, and the prices are relatively low. If you want to try Furama by yourself, that is fine. But I'd recommend less riskier choices for your guests.

I have tried Shui Wah & Happy Chef in the New Chinatown Square. I believe Happy Chef's reputation is dim sum freshly made on the spot. Both restaurants were crowded at the time we visited. My party thought both were competent. Not a great "WOW!". Perhaps we should try them again in the near future.

I have not gone to 3 Happiness (small one) in a long time. It use to
have a good reputation so I'll let other posters chime in.

One place not mentioned inside Chinatown proper is Won Kow. Perhaps the oldest restaurant in Chinatown.The dim sum is mostly limited to the traditional standards but is well done. The space can get crowded and service can get slow as well but may be preferable to the 1/2 hour to 45 minute wait at Phoenix. If you go there, I recommend you stick to Dim Sum items as I will not vouch for non-dim sum items ordered. The BBQ pork buns (Char siu bao) are good sized and tasty. It is located on the second floor of the building so you would have to walk up the stairs.Cart service on weekends.

Won Kow
2237 S. Wentworth
(312) 842 7500


Good Luck and Happy Dining!

I also miss Hong Min. Their bbq pork and onion puffs were among the best dim sum dishes I ever had.These were round fried pasteries with furled edges and a rich lard based shell. I had these in Hong Kong (where they looked identical) but have never seen them anywhere else in Chicago. I almost always wind up going to Phoenix which I think has the best and most consistent selection around. Big Three Happiness does have better char siu tho (served on a nice bed of anise/five spice tasting yellow beans)...but can be too funky sometimes.

Are there any decent options for cart-service dim sum besides Phoenix? Furama doesn't sound worth trying.

I'm not even really hoping for anything better, just want to go someplace else, and cart-service is preferred this time for various reasons.

Jockey Wok "N" Rolls Restaurant
1017 N Roselle Rd
Hoffman Estates, IL 60195
(847) 885-0888

I dine here cart-style dim-sum more often than in Chinatown, despite living in Hyde Park.

My family and I actually saw Jeff Smith eat alone at Big Three Happiness decades ago. Then it was already starting its decline. At one time, it had the big reputation for dim sum with lines out the door. Smith was a college chaplain whose tv career was ruined by allegations of pedophilia.

For a few years prior to Big TH, Chiam had the big rep for dim sum but now sadly, it has been torn down for a parking garage. It just shows the turnover in chefs in the Chinatown area over the years.

I can't believe its been over a year since my first visit to Shui Wah.
Finally took Griffin and he agreed this was sum fine Dim Sum.

I did indeed have the "baby bone in satay sauce" this time.
It was beef short ribs in a gingery sauce. The meat was tender and flavorful (with a better meat to bone ratio than most pork rib/black bean sauce dim sum offerings we've had elsewhere). This sauce also complemented the Chiu Chou dumplings well. (In the fourth picture below, in the steamer basket).



The shrimp in rice noodles was devine -- soft, fresh noodles, perfectly meaty shrimp, tender, sweet, not overdone -- served bathed in a dumpling sauce.




Turnip cakes were pan fried to crunchy perfection and served with some chili oil and hoisin sauce? on the side.

The deep fried taro balls had both pork and shrimp inside. Soft creamy meat-filled taro center, lightly crunchy outside.

The steamed Chiu Chou dumplings were again quite good.
The pan-fried chive dumplings also had delightful greens and more pork inside.



Whole meal (6 plates) ran us $15.
Everything except the ribs were 3 pieces to an order (sorry, we ate some before taking pictures).
This was plenty of food for 2 and a steal.
We also walked right in at 2pm on a Friday.
No waiting and a wonderful meal.

(BTW The paper doll above the taro balls and turnip cake is a "Flat Stanley" my nephew sent me to take pictures of throughout Chicago. His first grade class read the book about a kid who gets flattened by a bulletin board and realizes he can travel through the mail. So Nick sent his "Flat Stanley" to us. Poor kid, so far I have sent him a bunch of photos of Stanley with food and beer).

The waiter thought we were a little kooky with our paper doll. Makes the camera on its own seem pretty benign.

Won Kow is consistent. Good dim sum off carts and kitchen dishes after 10:30 am. Their chicken feet and curry chicken puffs rule!

LTH,

Hit Shui Wah for dim sum with Jazzfood and Steve Z and the Chinatown mall was a mini LTH happening. First we had the good fortune to run into KWE730 and her very nice, and very tall, husband and sons then ReneG and El Panzone and when we got to Shui Wah Griffin and Griffin's Wife were well settled in with a large group of people and an impressive array of dim sum.

The happenstance of four, that I know of, separate groups of LTHers in Chinatown Sq for Tuesday lunch put me in mind of Aaron's thoughtful GNR post about LTHForum as neighborhood.

Shui Wah was on today, pan fried crepe with dried shrimp (think chow fun with dried shrimp and scallion incorporated into the dough, rolled tight and pan fried*) with a dusty flavored tahini sauce terrific, S & P squid crunchy and perfectly fried, if a little light on the S & P, Shu Mai porky richness enlivened by bright, clean points of water chestnut.

A very pleasant lunch enhanced by company and happenstance.

Enjoy,
Gary

*edited to add more detail to pan fried crepe

Shui Wah
2162 S Archer Ave
Chicago, IL 60616
312-225-8811

I went there this past Saturday with my GF and friends. First visit for me, and wasn't disappointed! The Fried Squid in Pepper Salt was definitely the highlight, although all the dim sum dishes we tried (our knowledgable friend ordered for us) were excellent. The place was packed around noon, but everyone seemed to be having a good time.

I used to go to Hong Min for dim sum, and am happy to have found a worthy replacement!

I took the red line to Chinatown for lunch at Shui Wah yesterday. My dining companion doesn't eat pork or shrimp, but she doesn't mind if I do and Shui Wah actually makes chicken shu mai. She also ordered the vegetable crepe mentioned above. But she really goes there for the tripe, something I would have never ordered on my own. It is delicious.

The vegetable crepe is here.
Not a great photo, but certainly an excellent dish. I gather the vegetables and the ratio thereof tend to vary from day to day, but the combination is always good and the sauce wonderful.
I also offer a photo of the wu gok (fried taro dumpling). Not the best I've had, but perfectly adequate. .

Not pictured, and emphatically not recommended, however, are the seaweed rolls. I love these at Phoenix, but at Shui Wah they looked like they came out of a factory somewhere and tasted the same. Skip them.

I think overall I prefer Mountain View for dim sum these days. But if you need to be sure of a good range of non-pork, non-shrimp dishes--or are just in the mood for some excellent tripe-- Shui Wah is holding up just fine.

Oh, and my dining companion, who eats there often, tells me Shui Wah is really two restaurants. Sometime mid-afternoon, the dim sum crew packs up and leaves and an entirely different management and crew comes in for the dinner service.

Ann Fisher wrote:IOh, and my dining companion, who eats there often, tells me Shui Wah is really two restaurants. Sometime mid-afternoon, the dim sum crew packs up and leaves and an entirely different management and crew comes in for the dinner service.

Ann,

Shui Wah is a favorite for dim sum, though on your recommendation I may have to give Mountain View another go, my last few times at Mt. View have been less than exuberant.

As I understand it, as your friend says, a crew specializing in Chiu Chow cuisine.

Enjoy,
Gary

Happy Chef has gotten some praise in this post. They may have been having an off day yesterday, and our experience may have been out of the ordinary, but happy_stomach, happy's mom and sister, and I had a very unhappy experience there yesterday.

We shared a large table with a party of two. We should have known there was a problem early on because we put in our paper order at the same time the other party at our table did, and they started seeing their food about ten minutes later. We ordered a fair amount--three orders of shrimp dumplings, won ton soup, turnip cake, tripe, chicken feet, and a few more. A server returned to tell us that they didn't have spare ribs. We said that was okay. Then we waited and waited. The party of two at our table started getting food. Other tables near us that arrived after us starting getting food--large orders of food similar to the one we had put in.

The other party at our table had ordered pepper shrimp which looked so good we decided to order it. The late order of pepper shrimp arrived just after our first items began to dribble in--the won ton soup, the turnip cake. As items arrived, we told the servers there were still many items missing.

When five items still hadn't arrived after more time, we called a server over to complain. When I said, "this is crazy," the reply was "it's a crazy day." There was never an offer to comp anything, which is fine; but there was also no apology and no explanation, which isn't. That server said that the missing items were coming. We waited another ten minutes and again watched neighboring tables get item after item. At that point, we called a server over and told her to cancel the remaining items. Of course between the time we did that and the time the bill came, a server came out laden with our food. We turned it down.

At the end, a manager came over to explain how they had totaled the number of items on the bill. He wanted to make clear that the missing items had been taken off the bill and--it seemed--make clear that we owed what we owed. Again, no apology.

The food was fine--not outstanding--similar to dim sum I've had in Chicago and other cities with similar Chinatowns--i.e. very good dim sum but not outstanding. The overall experience, however, was one of the most miserable I've had at a restaurant in a long time.

Sorry to hear about your experiences at Happy Chef. I must agree that if you are not used to it, the service there can be an "experience"! It helps to speak the language...

Mike and I go every Sunday for dim sum. Well, every Sunday that we are in town. It is almost like a tradition now. Dim Sum at Happy Chef, Mango-Lychee Bubble Smoothie at Joy Yee, then go home to pack, and off to O'Hare we go!

The last time we went with 2 other friends, we got thoroughly stuffed for $40 total. I rarely see any non-Chinese in the restaurant for dim sum, though the last time I saw 2 tables ordering non-dim-sum-ish dishes.

I am sure it was just an off day, but if you ever like to go for dim sum at Happy Chef again, shoot me a PM. I will join you and "complain" about the service you received!

BTW... You generally get better service if you do not sit with another party (dup toi in Cantonese). Less likely to get your orders mixed up. Especially if you are not Chinese and your tablemates are, and you are ordering the "exotic" stuff...

I had a very similar experience as CCCB at Happy Chef and it made me want to cry. My fellow dimsum lover and I went to Happy Chef a few weeks ago and since we were just a party of two, we were seated with another couple at a large table.

Same thing, we placed our orders before they did, and we got NO FOOD. We flagged down every server that brought them their food, or came within arms reach of us, but always got replies of "still cooking." Not acceptable when tables around us were ordering and getting the same things we ordered! We waited for literally 45 minutes because I was so determined to give Happy Chef a chance, but in dimsum time, that is an eternity! Ultimately, I went up to the cashier with our ticket and told them we were leaving, to which they shrugged. We went to Shui Wah, where we were again seated with another party at a large table, but we were well served and left stuffed and satisfied.

I don't know what it is about the multiple parties at the big table at Happy Chef. The place was packed, so that's the only reason I agreed to share a table, but in the end, it didn't do us any good.

I'm going a bit contrarian here. I am not that impressed with Shui Wah. I've tried it twice recently and it does not come close to Phoenix. I don't understand why Phoenix gets such short shrift here on LTHForum. To me for years it has been head and shoulders above every other dim sum spot in Chinatown, but the most it seems anyone will say is a variation on "well,it's OK but expensive." Expensive? It's hard to run up a bill for two of over thirty bucks, unless you order drinks or something, and often the two of us (Mrs.Trpt and moi) get out of there for twenty five or less. AND the service has always been superb and the food first rate. I don't get it. Phoenix is number one in my Chicago dim sum world.

trpt2345 wrote: Phoenix is number one in my Chicago dim sum world.

I'm very glad that it is... because that gives me a greater chance at getting a table at Shui Wah.

In fact, I heartily endorse Mountain View, Happy Chef and Phoenix as must go dim sum establishments in Chinatown! Not only are they fabulous, but very inexpensive! :twisted:

Moutain View
2168 S Archer Ave
Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 842-2168

Happy Chef
2164 S Archer Ave
Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 808-3689

Phoenix
2131 S Archer Ave # 2
Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 328-0848

I would agree that Phoenix has very reliable and tasty dim sum. I haven't run into any old/cold problems here, but certainly have at Furama on Broadway. Shui Wah is a gem as well.
On a related note-does anyone have recommendations for the regular menu at Phoenix? I seem to remember some good press about it, but have never got past the dim sum.

trpt2345 wrote:I'm going a bit contrarian here. I am not that impressed with Shui Wah. I've tried it twice recently and it does not come close to Phoenix.

My experience is exactly the opposite. Shui Wah is my go to place for dim sum ever since both the food and service went downhill at Happy Chef. I also like Phoenix, but I don't consider it my top choice. It appears that Mountain View has recently undergone some changes and I am looking forward to trying their dim sum (and other dishes) in the near future.

Hong Min was always my favorite spot for dim sum in Chinatown, but oh well, no more. Now Shui Wah is my favorite, and that's not necessarily a comment on Phoenix. I have always liked Phoenix, and I think it's the best of the cart service bunch in Chicago. But I have had problems at Phoenix with temperature of some (not that many, but some) items carted around too long. And sometimes certain dishes aren't carted around for a long time. But I still like Phoenix, just not nearly as much as Shui Wah, which has been very good on every one of my visits. But I certainly wouldn't say that Phoenix is expensive for dim sum . . . not even close.

Jay K wrote:In fact, I heartily endorse Mountain View, Happy Chef and Phoenix as must go dim sum establishments in Chinatown! Not only are they fabulous, but very inexpensive! :twisted:

And Happy Chef is even more economical if you share a table!

BR wrote:Hong Min was always my favorite spot for dim sum in Chinatown, but oh well, no more. Now Shui Wah is my favorite, and that's not necessarily a comment on Phoenix. I have always liked Phoenix, and I think it's the best of the cart service bunch in Chicago. But I have had problems at Phoenix with temperature of some (not that many, but some) items carted around too long. And sometimes certain dishes aren't carted around for a long time. But I still like Phoenix, just not nearly as much as Shui Wah, which has been very good on every one of my visits. But I certainly wouldn't say that Phoenix is expensive for dim sum . . . not even close.

Hong Min was the best, but as you say, oh well. We never even went to Phoenix when Hong Min was open. Phoenix about six months ago went to a paper ordering system. This has eliminated temperature issues, since everything is made to order. (Hong Min had a paper ordering system too, if you recall.) According to the staff this was also to eliminate waste, since they used to throw away lots of stuff, now they just make what is ordered. This takes away some of the charm of carts but I can understand where they're coming from. I still say Phoenix kicks butt.

trpt2345 wrote:

BR wrote:Hong Min was always my favorite spot for dim sum in Chinatown, but oh well, no more. Now Shui Wah is my favorite, and that's not necessarily a comment on Phoenix. I have always liked Phoenix, and I think it's the best of the cart service bunch in Chicago. But I have had problems at Phoenix with temperature of some (not that many, but some) items carted around too long. And sometimes certain dishes aren't carted around for a long time. But I still like Phoenix, just not nearly as much as Shui Wah, which has been very good on every one of my visits. But I certainly wouldn't say that Phoenix is expensive for dim sum . . . not even close.

Hong Min was the best, but as you say, oh well. We never even went to Phoenix when Hong Min was open. Phoenix about six months ago went to a paper ordering system. This has eliminated temperature issues, since everything is made to order. (Hong Min had a paper ordering system too, if you recall.) According to the staff this was also to eliminate waste, since they used to throw away lots of stuff, now they just make what is ordered. This takes away some of the charm of carts but I can understand where they're coming from. I still say Phoenix kicks butt.

It has been about six months since I've been to Phoenix. Are you saying that they don't offer cart service at all anymore?

"It has been about six months since I've been to Phoenix. Are you saying that they don't offer cart service at all anymore?"[/quote]


Yes. No carts.

trpt2345 wrote:Yes. No carts.

The Phoenix hasn't used carts during the week for quite a while, though had been rolling them out for Sunday dim sum, maybe Saturday as well. Were you there on a Sunday between 9-2 with paper only ordering?

Shui Wah is my dim sum choice during the week, Phoenix on Saturday or Sunday, in particular with first timers or out of town guests. Weekends Shui Wah is unmanageably crowded, where Phoenix, though still packed, manages the crowd well with the added bonus of well spaced tables and sunlit cityscape view.

Happy Chef, aside from Crispy Milk, has been disappointing the last few years.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

trpt2345 wrote:Yes. No carts.

The Phoenix hasn't used carts during the week for quite a while, though had been rolling them out for Sunday dim sum, maybe Saturday as well. Were you there on a Sunday between 9-2 with paper only ordering?

Shui Wah is my dim sum choice during the week, Phoenix on Saturday or Sunday, in particular with first timers or out of town guests. Weekends Shui Wah is unmanageably crowded, where Phoenix, though still packed, manages the crowd well with the added bonus of well spaced tables and sunlit cityscape view.

Happy Chef, aside from Crispy Milk, has been disappointing the last few years.

Enjoy,
Gary

Shui Wah is definitely crowded on weekends, but I've still been willing to brave the crowds, although it is definitely a more enjoyable wait at Phoenix (due to the space).

As for crispy milk, I fell in love with that dish in Canton, China many years ago and did not even know it was offered at Happy Chef . . . I might just go there to give it a shot.