Home-style Cantonese - Grand Palace

I grew up in an atypical Asian family. My mom is not a good cook. Never was, never will be. And because of that, I am always on the lookout for good homestyle Chinese food. I have been lucky to have a lot of good friends. Good friends who are Chinese. And these friends have mothers… mothers that can cook… unlike my own.

But this silver lining has a dark edge: these moms come maybe once a year. My need for home cooking needs to be found somewhere else. And I have found it…

Before I go any further, I must tell you that I have been conflicted for months. I love this restaurant. It is now my go-to place when I want Chinese food. But it is also very small. It seats about 30 people. It is not a pretty place: no fancy lighting and decor, shabby table and chairs, white plastic covering the tables. It is not fancy food. Simple, home cooking, and like I described it to a dining companion lately, it’s mom’s cooking if my mom could cook. I am very protective of this place. I want to keep it all to myself. There are not many non-Asians there, but I think that is going to change…

Located in the outskirts of Chinatown, Grand Palace looks like an Ameri-Chinese place on the outside. There is limited parking in the small parking lot, but street parking is plentiful. It’s a family business. The wife takes the order, the husband is in the kitchen cooking, the teenage son helps serve and collect the money. It’s a small kitchen, maybe 2-3 people, small front of house – 2-3 people.

There is a menu… two maybe. I have never used it. Would you order from a menu when you go home to see your mom? Didn’t think so… You walk in, tell the owners how many people and you sit down. There is Chinese TV on the flat screen, Chinese families having dinner. Close your eyes, you could be in Hong Kong. The food is fresh, not over-salted, no MSG, because your mom would not feed you that stuff, would she?

A middle aged lady come by, the wife. She asks you what you’d like. If you are smart, you would answer with a question: What should I have? Tell her your likes and dislikes. If you are adventurous, make sure she knows that she should feed you like a Chinese. She tends to suggest a menu on the small side. Because Chinese people tend to have smaller appetites. So feel free to tell her you have a big appetite.

At dinner last night, we had Peking Pork Chops, Salt Baked Chicken, Sauteed Pea Tips, Ginger and Scallion Lobster, Braised Beef Brisket with Radish, Oxtails, Soft Shell Crab in Salted Yolk Sauce, Steamed Scallops on the Shell with Garlic and Mung Bean Threads, Egg Tofu with Mushrooms and the absolute must have: Steamed Egg Custard.

(Photos shown below are from a few different dinners)

Scallops on the half shell by agashi, on Flickr


Salt Baked Chicken by agashi, on Flickr


Japanese Tofu with mushrooms by agashi, on Flickr


Scallion and Ginger Lobster by agashi, on Flickr


Giant clams with black bean sauce by agashi, on Flickr


Steamed Bass by agashi, on Flickr


Pork Belly with Shrimp Paste by agashi, on Flickr


Peking Pork by agashi, on Flickr


Steamed Egg Custard by agashi, on Flickr

Let’s talk about the Steamed Egg Custard. A very simple dish but very hard to make well. There are 2 versions: ground pork or dried scallops. I like both. Silky smooth egg custard, steamed perfectly. Just enough meat to flavor the dish, without making it too heavy. The perfect way to eat it: hot, spooned onto hot rice. It melts into each grain, coating it with silky smooth eggy-ness.

The soft shell crab last night was my first time ordering the dish. The crab was cut up into smaller pieces, deep fried and then tossed in a salted yolk “sauce”. While most other places have a oily preparation, this dish here was drier. Small bits of yolk were clinging onto the crab, and there was barely any grease. Which meant that the last piece on the dish still had the same crunch as the first piece. It was one of the better renditions of soft shell crab I’ve had. This is an excellent example of taking the lady’s recommendation and it was stellar.

Dinner for 6 including tax and tip: $33/person. Which is one of the more expensive ones I’ve had here. Usually it hovers around $25/person.

Other good dishes: Pork Belly with Salted Shrimp Sauce (funky, you have been warned), Giant Clam with Black Bean Sauce, Steamed Fish…

If you do come here for a meal, be patient. A small mom-and-pop operation means things move a little slower. The husband and wife team doesn't speak English well, but their teenage son does. But you will be rewarded with good Cantonese home cooking. The way your Chinese mom would make it.

Grand Palace
225 West 26th Street
Chicago, IL 60616-2203
Closes at 10pm
(312) 225-3888

Hi,

I have been to Grand Palace a few times with Crazy C as well as with my friends Helen and Felix.

Felix grew up in Hong Kong immediately appreciated the homey qualities of the food there. He was especially happy with the steamed custard, which was served in his home growing up at least once a week. When Helen asked how it was made, he didn't know.

At last night's Ken Hom program, CrazyC asked him about his favorite homey food. It was Chinese sausage warmed over rice with a fried egg on top and oyster sauce drizzled over it. This reminded him of his childhood growing up in Chicago. In fact, when in Chicago he buys quantities of Chinese sausages to take back to Paris. FYI - the sausage is placed over rice a few minutes before the rice is fully cooked.

When I was reading comments on his book, Easy Family Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood. There was one comment that struck me, a family who didn't know how to prepare food long made by their deceased Mother. They found some of these lost dishes in Ken's book.

Two people who grew up a generation apart in Hong Kong both have the same reaction to Grand Palace: it is homestyle cooking of their youth. There is no other gold stamp that this could possibly be true.

Ironically, I have another Chinese friend who won't go, because it is the same food offered at home.

The soft shell crab last night was my first time ordering the dish. The crab was cut up into smaller pieces, deep fried and then tossed in a salted yolk “sauce”. While most other places have a oily preparation, this dish here was drier. Small bits of yolk were clinging onto the crab, and there was barely any grease. Which meant that the last piece on the dish still had the same crunch as the first piece. It was one of the better renditions of soft shell crab I’ve had. This is an excellent example of taking the lady’s recommendation and it was stellar.

This was so good, CrazyC commented she could eat this while watching tv. Yep, it had the same attractive qualties of eating peanuts and popcorn, you can't eat just one.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:In fact, when in Chicago he buys quantities of Chinese sausages to take back to Paris. FYI - the sausage is placed over rice a few minutes before the rice is fully cooked.

Actually Ken gets his Chinese sausage from Canada... Apparently he has a source that is made by Hong Kong chefs. I get mine from San Francisco (10 lbs each trip), because you just can't get that kind of quality here in Chicago!

Hi,

I remember hearing the Canada part, I thought he bought them here. I guess he has them shipped here, then brings them to France.

Regards,

Thank you for sharing. One to check out sooner than later.

Is this place BYOB? I called today to ask since I was wondering if I should bring drink to share at the dinner on Wednesday, but we had some communication issues. I only got so far as to find out that they have tea but not coffee. (I kept saying "BYOB," which I think started to sound like "coffee.")

I have not seen them serve alcohol before. So I would think BYOB is ok... I will call them tomorrow!

Thanks for sharing this CrazyC! I know what it's like to not want to share a secret place, so i really appreciate you sharing. The food looks wonderful and i look forward to trying this place soon!

Reposting what I posted on the Grand Palace event posting:

I had thought I picked a slow day for this dinner (Wednesday), but they were completely packed when we left. And people were waiting for our table! It was around 9pm and they close at 10pm! Needless to say they obviously do not need any help from LTHForum to fill the place. This said, I wanted to make sure that everyone keeps a few things in mind:

1.) If you are impatient, this is not the place for you
2.) If you think EVERYBODY should speak English well (after all this IS America), this is not the place for you
3.) If you want servers to wait on you hand and foot, this is not the place for you
4.) If you want water/forks/napkins/whatever in your hands 30 seconds after you ask for them... this is not the place for you
5.) If you are not a trusting type (or think you are but really all you want is orange/sesame/General Tso's chicken), then this is not the place for you.

Everyone saw it first hand tonight. There is only 1 server working the entire restaurant, and 1 bus lady/food schlepper. And there is only 2 chefs in the kitchen. If your response is "Well then they should hire more people!" or "But I am giving them business!" or "With service like that, they will go out of business!", then this is not the place for you.

I am not trying to be mean/rude/b*tchy, but I just want to keep expectations in check...

LOVED it--and thought the homestyle service and delivery were perfect. And the food was terrific of course. Can't wait to return.

I returned to Grand Palace this weekend with some friends from Hong Kong. And finally got a photo of the soft shell crab!


Grand Palace - Soft Shell Crabs with Salted Yolks by agashi, on Flickr

Also had Tofu/Eggplant stuffed with fish paste dish, which is not available all the time. And got intel on a 3rd variation of steamed eggs that will (in addition to the crab) send my cholesterol through the roof!

Great post-tofu-tour lunch at Grand Palace today. Standout dishes were the oxtail with chunks of ginger and tofu skin, a simple but very flavorful pork belly dish, and, my favorite, green beans with olive leaves and ground pork. I also like the egg custard with pork although it was a bit firmer this time than the last time I had it and the razor clams in black bean sauce with cellophane noodles. If this place was closer to where I lived, I think I'd be here several times a week.