everything looks delicious. but i noticed on the menu that the birth of sons is celebrated ('5 colors happiness to bring sons') , but not the birth of daughters. i would have hoped that the american born cheng sisters could have come up with something to celebrate girls as well as boys, instead of reinforcing the horribly ingrained chinese (male) attitude that females are worth much less than males....

Joan,

I'm pretty sure all of the recent babies born into the Cheng family have been girls. Maybe they are just hoping to balance the scales. In any event, the dinner was wonderful, which is what we're here to discuss.

I'm pretty sure the Tofu dish was actually "Wealth in Abundance"--Kelly mentioned specifically that it was served out of order (was supposed to be 3rd I think but actually game towards the end).

boudreaulicious wrote:I'm pretty sure the Tofu dish was actually "Wealth in Abundance"--Kelly mentioned specifically that it was served out of order (was supposed to be 3rd I think but actually game towards the end).

Thanks. I've changed it in my post.

What a glorious feast! I took two friends and we loved every dish ... hard to pick our favorites though the pork belly with maca root in lettuce wraps, the beef dish and the tofu and shrimp were big hits with us ... but each dish was a win!

It's so kind of the Cheng family to take such very good care of us and to share their family favorites in this way.

hi everyone!

we're sorry for the short notice but this project was given to us only just last week and we really really want to help these students. =D

we are holding a beer dinner next wednesday, april 24th, 2013 at sun wah to help the students on the Goudy Elementary School's Chess Team raise funds so they can pay for their admissions to participate in the national championships held here in chicago april 26th-28th. gathering time will be at 5:30pm, dinner will be at 6:30pm. this is the reason why we chose to help them fundraise: the 7th/8th grade team has been first place in the city two years in a row. their 5th/6th grade team is second place in the city. the k-2nd grade team is first place in the city. not only do we want to support these kids, we want to give them a chance to shine on the national stage! so please join us in supporting them by purchasing beer dinner tickets for next week's dinner! their teacher sponsor, mr. steven tow, will be here that night if you have questions regarding the tournament. we have also invited the students to come by and play a few matches. if you're up for a match, we're pretty sure the students would be happy to oblige. =)

to interest you even further, this is the menu/beer pairing we have planned for your generosity. all of our food will be paired with goose island beers.

whole baby pig paired with lolita
beijing duck dinner service paired with matilda
pan seared tofu w/ garlic and bean paste sauce paired w/ matilda
ribeye cubes w/ peppers and onions paired with pepe nero
pan fried baby squid paired with sofie
steamed tofu stuffed w/ minced shrimp paired with sofie
stir fried baby bok choy paired with nut brown ale
bittermelon & chicken w/ black bean sauce paired with pere jacques

rules are simple:
1. pre-pay tickets on a first come, first served basis only. tickets are $50/person, master or visa over the phone or cash in person prior to the event. 773.769.1254, melissa, laura, or kelly can take your information.
2. we have planned 60 seats. if we fill up, we will open up more seats based on the size of the waiting list.
3. since this is a fundraiser, there will be no cancellations allowed once you have paid and confirmed your seats.
4. you will be seated communal table, family style so be prepared to meet new people if your party is less than 10
5. we reserve the right to split up your party to fill empty seats at other tables so that all tables will be filled with 10 people (makes for easier portioning and service, sorry!) yes, we will do our best to keep everyone together but sometimes, there are some odd numbers and we will try our best to keep you in the same general area at least.
6. if you call in separately but are part of a party of 10 wanting to be seated at the same table, please have a "common name" for your table, i.e., goudy teachers, so that we can sit those parties together.
7. if you want to buy the whole table, you are more than welcome to. if you own the table, you can seat more than 10 at the table, but be advised, you will only be portioned for 10 people.

come and play chess or watch the students play starting at 5:30pm. dinner starts at 6:30pm. (we don't want to keep the students out too late....it is a school night. =P) please join us in supporting this exciting opportunity for the students!

quack quack!
the sun wah family

Just as a public service announcement (since I didn't see it anywhere else):

Sun Wah is closed for vacation until Tuesday, July 16.
It looks like they may also be doing some work on the interior.

I have a dinner group of 17 dining tonight, will report back, it has been far too long since I've been to Sun Wah.

Besides the Beijing duck, any other suggestions on the hits at Sun Wah (I've read of a few upstream but wondering if anyone has any lately comments)

Sweet Willie wrote:Besides the Beijing duck, any other suggestions on the hits at Sun Wah (I've read of a few upstream but wondering if anyone has any lately comments)

I always like the chopped roast pork as an early appetizer. Nice combo nugget of tender meat, meltingly-soft fat, and crispy skin. Good introduction for dining companions who have not yet dined there.

Sweet Willie wrote:I have a dinner group of 17 dining tonight, will report back, it has been far too long since I've been to Sun Wah.

Besides the Beijing duck, any other suggestions on the hits at Sun Wah (I've read of a few upstream but wondering if anyone has any lately comments)

Any veggie combined with their house-made bacon is a winner (on the specials board). Also you can not go wrong with Mike's Fried Chicken.

The fish with scallions and ginger is another sure-fire hit too.

Sweet Willie wrote:Besides the Beijing duck, any other suggestions on the hits at Sun Wah (I've read of a few upstream but wondering if anyone has any lately comments)

Chicago Hokie wrote:I always like the chopped roast pork as an early appetizer. Nice combo nugget of tender meat, meltingly-soft fat, and crispy skin. Good introduction for dining companions who have not yet dined there.

one of our group posted a youtube vid of Sun Wah & mentioned the suckling pig, so good idea about the pork.

EvA wrote:Any veggie combined with their house-made bacon is a winner (on the specials board). Also you can not go wrong with Mike's Fried Chicken.

The fish with scallions and ginger is another sure-fire hit too.

Thanks for the ideas, will for sure let the board know what we had.

Also ask if they have any tofu specials - like the tofu skin wrappers. I am not a tofu fan but really enjoy their variations.

I had a killer lunch at Sun Wah today. I was with a group that included some out of towners here on a food crawl, so needless to say we ordered some of the greatest hits and the kitchen was really on! The duck was as great as ever. A last minute addition of a Mike's Fried Chicken was a good call, and something I would recommend if you can handle some additional poultry along with the duck. They had some fresh garlic chives that we got in a simple stir fry along with clams in black bean sauce over crispy egg noodles Evil Ronnie style. Crispy Hong Kong pork and a dish or two that I am forgetting rounded out the meal.

It had been a while since I ate at Sun Wah. I'm glad to say that they are still at the top of their game.

dinner for 18 tonight, duck was simply stunning, many joked we should get a weekly table res set up at Sun Wah, I actually think some were serious.

Of course Beijing Duck, a few of them. We also ordered the steamed fish w/scallions & soy (I really enjoyed this dish), Mongolian beef (good but wouldn't order again as I think there is much better to be had), chopped roast pork for a starter (crispy, fatty delicious), bok choy stirfried with the bacon (done perfectly), chicken w/veggies (some nice heat in this dish), & I know I'm missing prob 2 others.

So thanks for the suggestions !

Shrimp Wonton Soup w/Noodles and a side of Roast Pork

Sun Wah vs Hon Kee

Had a hankering for shrimp wonton soup with noodles and a side of roast pork Thursday lunch, Sun Wah is closed on Thursdays so Hon Kee by default. Though I've been going on and off for decades in 2007 I had a brief fling with Hon Kee, but have since been solidly Sun Wah for wonton soup and Chinese BBQ.

I'm going to go on a bit, short version, had the same lunch, shrimp wonton noodle soup with a small side of roast pork Thursday at Hon Kee and Friday at Sun Wah with Sun Wah the clear winner.

Sun Wah:
Juicy vibrant pork, crisp bubbled flavorful skin.
Clear flavorful broth, veg had structure, compact, but not dense wonton filling.
Chili oil had noticeable heat, layered flavor, by far the best not-home-made chili oil I've had. Yes, I prefer my own Chili Oil, but Sun Wah's is no slouch
Noodles, slight chew, a little softer than Hon Kee, good flavor, cooked properly.

Hon Kee:
Pork had a faint sour flavor, skin tooth shatteringly hard, edible only after a soak in wonton soup, meat was dry.
Soup veg overcooked, not a deal breaker, but wonton filling was dense as my ex nephew Rich and the broth murky.
Chile oil mild with muddled flavor.
Noodles, nice chew, good flavor, if slightly overcooked.


Next time the Thursday Argyle soup urge strikes will find me at Nha Hang for Bun Bo Hue.

Sun Wah Shrimp Wonton Soup w/Noodles and a side of Roast Pork



Hon Kee Shrimp Wonton Soup w/Noodles and a side of Roast Pork

It's been a while, so I was organizing an outing for friends and family. But I just realized that one guest has a peanut allergy. Keeping in mind that every allergy and sensitivity is a little different, I've heard that Sun Wah can be very accommodating. But has anyone here had any direct experience trying to work around a peanut allergy at Sun Wah? It'd be a shame if a hunk of our party can't make it because (sensibly) someone has health concerns and they want to sit this one out.

I would call them to discuss your needs and give them a chance to tell you up front whether this is or is not something they can accommodate.

Vitesse,

My son has a very serious peanut allergy (not just a sensitivity).

We have eaten at Sun Wah several times. We have found them to be very understanding. The times we have gone there he has stayed with the Beijing Duck. I would take the advice to call ahead. I don't believe they use peanut oil, but I suggest you check.

We have had good experiences, but I'm sure that the possibility for cross exposure does exist. Your friend is likely very familiar with such risks. Of course, your friend should be carrying an Epe pen or Auvi Q and Benedryl if those precautions have been prescribed.

I hope this helps somewhat.

It had been at least a year since I paid a visit to Sun Wah - I had only eaten at the new digs once., popped in on Friday.

Did up some:

- roast pork, succulent and porky as usual, really nice crisp skin on this batch
- ribs over rice, liked these ribs, as well as the rice, hardboiled egg and chinese broccoli - a steal @ $5 and change
- Beef Chow Fun - solid
- shrimp fried rice & beef fried rice - needed to feed a crave.
- chinese broccoli

Wanted blue crabs - n/a, also spaced out and should have gotten some wontons.

Service was even more rushed & indifferent than past visits(along the lines of San Soo Gap San imho), but this place is about the food,so it is what it is.

Had planned to head over today for lunch, but it appears they are temporarily closed after a health department inspection:

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20131203 ... violations

Shasson wrote:Had planned to head over today for lunch, but it appears they are temporarily closed after a health department inspection:

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20131203 ... violations

Damn it, first sunshine cafe, now this.

I'm sure it's just temporary. They'll be slinging ducks again soon.

stevez wrote:I'm sure it's just temporary. They'll be slinging ducks again soon.

I hope so. I have to say their health dept write-up is way worse than Sunshine Cafe's (which I still frequent and adore). Roaches, rodents, waste water backup, improper temperatures - oh my goodness!

PopcornMegaphone wrote:

stevez wrote:I'm sure it's just temporary. They'll be slinging ducks again soon.

I hope so. I have to say their health dept write-up is way worse than Sunshine Cafe's (which I still frequent and adore). Roaches, rodents, waste water backup, improper temperatures - oh my goodness!

We were there on Saturday night-there wasn't an empty table and the people waiting were almost out the door. The health dept. write up is pretty bad...luckily all of us (there were 7 in our group) are all feeling okay.

Shasson wrote:Had planned to head over today for lunch, but it appears they are temporarily closed after a health department inspection:

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20131203 ... violations

It's this quote from the DNA article that bothers me the most:

Sun Wah has been inspected by the city 11 times since 2010 and failed five of those inspections, according to city data.

Five failed health inspections in three years? Wow - very disappointing.

BR wrote:

Shasson wrote:Had planned to head over today for lunch, but it appears they are temporarily closed after a health department inspection:

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20131203 ... violations

It's this quote from the DNA article that bothers me the most:

Sun Wah has been inspected by the city 11 times since 2010 and failed five of those inspections, according to city data.

Five failed health inspections in three years? Wow - very disappointing.

Cosign, they're a successful restaurant...this shouldn't be a chronic issue.

11 inspections in 3 years? They must not be paying off the alderman enough.

I've been going there for 20 years, never been ill or even had a bad meal. I'll be back as soon as they reopen.

Octarine wrote:I'll be back as soon as they reopen.

As will I.

This is an example of the health department doing a good job, looking out for public safety. I don't know why anyone would defend them after hearing about live roaches and rodents. I don't care how "mom and pop" and low budget a restaurant is, that's no excuse, it should be clean first before anything else. If cleaning is too expensive, you shouldn't be in business.

That said, after they are cleared and reopen I'll be back. But there really should only be X # of shutdowns before they are just shutdown for good.

Update from DNAinfo: http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20131203 ... ant-enough