eatchicago wrote:

EvA wrote:Beijing is the modern spelling/pronunciation of Peking. Perhaps the question had more to do with the breed of duck being used at SW?

You can learn a lot about the duck and the whole process here:

http://skyfullofbacon.com/blog/?p=34

Thanks for the link . . . a really excellent video that's making me want to run to Sun Wah right now (too bad I've already started dinner).

I'm still curious to hear from Kelly if anything has changed in the way their duck is prepared now versus when the video was prepared. But as I said upthread, regardless of whether anything has changed, I had the duck a couple of months ago and it was excellent.

a really excellent video

Thanks!

Many more where that came from, see my sig.

Mike G wrote:

a really excellent video

Thanks!

Many more where that came from, see my sig.

You're welcome . . . and I knew of them but I'm playing a little catch-up. I also very much enjoyed the La Quercia visit.

LTH,

Nice Peking duck round-up by lover of ducks* Kevin Pang featuring Sun Wah.

Peking duck: Perfecting the technique

Try Peking duck at these 5 Chicago restaurants

Enjoy,
Gary

*I mean this in a strictly culinary sense.

I'm not watching that video. It's Thursday, and I'm no masochist.

waitaminute - the article states, "They (Sun Wah) didn't begin serving Peking duck until February 2007."

that doesn't seem right, does it? they've been doing Peking duck a lot longer than that, haven't they?

They've been serving barbecued duck since the beginning of time, but the Peking duck service in all its courses is newish, yes.

sarcon wrote:waitaminute - the article states, "They (Sun Wah) didn't begin serving Peking duck until February 2007."

that doesn't seem right, does it? they've been doing Peking duck a lot longer than that, haven't they?

They started serving Peking Duck as a Chinese New Year special in 2008 (I wasn't aware that it was on the menu before that). It was met with such enthusiasm, they kept it on the menu.

I went to have dinner at Sun Wah tonight in high hopes of great roasted duck and char sui pork after reading about the praises on LTH and in the Tribune for their Peking duck. I didn't order the Peking duck since there was only 2 of us dining. But, I was left disappointed. The char sui wasn't very flavorful and there was no char to it. At the same time it was very dry. Then the duck wasn't crispy at all. It might have been the sauce that was poured on top. But, usually the skin is still somewhat crispy and not soggy. But, one thing that really urked me was that the BBQ combo I ordered seemed like it was microwaved. The char sui was piping hot and the duck hot in weird ways like the bones were hot, the skin was hot, the meat was a little hot. I have had BBQ from several places and it is always room temperature since it was hanging in the window unless it just came out from the oven or pit. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Sun Wah usually isn't my place since I live close to Chinatown, but we were on our way to Sunshine Cafe and I forgot they were closed on Mondays. I was really looking forward to the mackrel.

I think there was a group of LTHers there like G Wiv enjoying the Peking duck dinner? I didn't want to approach the table to ask.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I was one of the people you might have seen at the table enjoying a great meal including Peking Duck. The restaurant was very busy tonight after last week's mention in te Tribune. I'm not sure what happened with your order, but I do not believe that Sun Wah even owns a microwave oven.

... and if they did those Melamine plates would overheat before meat or bones...

Mario wrote:The char sui wasn't very flavorful and there was no char to it. At the same time it was very dry.

So char siu is not like barbecue. Only certain pieces have some "char" to them, but the char is more like burnt bits. Also usually Chinese BBQ places have different cuts of pork char siu. Most Americans like leaner meat (which would explain chicken breasts used in Chinese stir fry etc). Unless you specify that you want the "fatty" cuts, you are most likely going to get the leaner meat. I personally prefer "half fat half lean"...

Mario wrote:Then the duck wasn't crispy at all. It might have been the sauce that was poured on top. But, usually the skin is still somewhat crispy and not soggy.

Peking duck has crispy skin, but regular roast duck is not usually crispy. The skin is not exactly soggy either, unless you get a fatty cut like the leg/thigh.

About the heat issue... the char siu and roast duck are hanging in the window with heat lamps. If you have had room temperature BBQ from other places, I would be worried!

Just my 2 cents...

In the interest of linguistic accuracy, please remember that "char siu" aka "cha siew" aka "cha siu" aka "chashao" are all attempts to convey Chinese (叉燒) in Roman characters. Transliteration is, at best, an inexact science.

Char has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the English word spelled the same way. Nothing. At all. Period.

The word char/cha means "fork" or "big fork" (siu being rendered variously as "roast" or even "burned"). This is because the traditional Chinese method for making char siu is to impale strips of pork on a long fork and then place it over a fire. "Charring" (English word) the meat has nothing to do with it.

Mario wrote:I went to have dinner at Sun Wah tonight in high hopes of great roasted duck and char sui pork after reading about the praises on LTH and in the Tribune for their Peking duck. I didn't order the Peking duck since there was only 2 of us dining. But, I was left disappointed. The char sui wasn't very flavorful and there was no char to it. At the same time it was very dry. Then the duck wasn't crispy at all. It might have been the sauce that was poured on top. But, usually the skin is still somewhat crispy and not soggy. But, one thing that really urked me was that the BBQ combo I ordered seemed like it was microwaved. The char sui was piping hot and the duck hot in weird ways like the bones were hot, the skin was hot, the meat was a little hot. I have had BBQ from several places and it is always room temperature since it was hanging in the window unless it just came out from the oven or pit. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I live a couple blocks away and dine at Sun Wah fairly regularly, I'm not a char sui expert by any means but also find the version i have gotten with the bbq combo a bit on the bland/dry side on more than one occasion. Maybe i need to request fattier aka juicy and good pieces as mentioned by CrazyC.

As for the duck, i love the roast duck despite the less than crispy skin. If you don't want the whole multi course duck meal and still want a more crispy skin, i like the pei par duck.

As for my most recent personal experience i sauntered over Sunday morning for a hangover curing soup of duck strips and dried scallops-fantastic and supplemented it with some pei par duck and beef chow fun. All was great but I found the beef chow fun damn good.

AlekH wrote:As for my most recent personal experience i sauntered over Sunday morning for a hangover curing soup of duck strips and dried scallops-fantastic and supplemented it with some pei par duck and beef chow fun. All was great but I found the beef chow fun damn good.

I have not used the duck and dried scallop soup as a hangover cure, but it is one of my favorite things at Sun Wah. I strongly recommend it.

EvA wrote:[beef chow fun damn good.

No, I'm not dyslexic, I just like mixing things up:

damn good beef chow fun

beef chow damn good fun

fun beef damn good chow

BBQ pork at Sun Wah last night was ridiculously good. Plenty of crispy skin and succelent, fatty meat. I asked for skin and "the unhealthy but tasty parts," and the server/ kitchen delivered big time on what has to be the best $4.50 plate of food in Chicago.

BBQ pork over rice:


Nice plate of broccoli with oyster sauce too:



Sun Wah was doing a brisk business last night, with just one or two unoccupied tables from 6-7PM. They were doing their best to remind customers of the impending move up the street, and temporary closure coming in the middle of September.

Mario wrote:I think there was a group of LTHers there like G Wiv enjoying the Peking duck dinner? I didn't want to approach the table to ask.

Mario,

That was me, you should have said hello. Sun Wah was busy that evening, especially for a Monday (The Pang Effect) though our meal, which included one Peking duck for the six of us, was on the mark. Well, actually, I thought the ong choy a little off, it was mostly stems and a little chewy/tough, Kelly said it was older/more mature.

When I want just a small plate, such as Kenny Z's amazing appearing BBQ pork on rice plate, of crisp duck I order pei par duck (mandolin style), it is crisper than roast duck. If you are a fan of crisp skin roast pork, and who isn't, ask for Hong Kong Style roast pig, I typically specify belly.

Enjoy,
Gary

Kennyz wrote:BBQ pork at Sun Wah last night was ridiculously good. Plenty of crispy skin and succelent, fatty meat. I asked for skin and "the unhealthy but tasty parts," and the server/ kitchen delivered big time on what has to be the best $4.50 plate of food in Chicago.

BBQ pork over rice:

So the photo above looks like roasted pork (siu yoke), not bbq pork (char siu). Which makes me think whether the Mario was referring to roasted pork or char siu in his post above...

CrazyC,

You may be right - I honestly have no idea. I didn't look at a menu - just asked the server what he thought was freshest/ best last night in the "barbecued meats" category. He asked me if I liked pork. I said something like "hell yeah". He asked me if I liked the skin and the fatty parts. Same response. So the dish above is what I got.

Kenny

Unbelievably good lunch today...don't know why it's been so long since I was last here. Got the Hong Kong Style Pig/Roast Pork over rice, and asked for plenty of skin and meat from the belly section. The language barrier made it unclear if my waitress knew exactly what I was requesting but nonetheless what came out was magnificent.

Hong Kong Style Pig/Roast Pork over rice


Perfect blend of skin, fat, and succulent meat. I've had the duck, the bbq pork, and the chicken, but the roast pork is what I always end up getting when solo dining and this was a reminder why. Mindblowing...and as kennyz said, the best damn plate of food you can get in the city for only $4.50!

Also got a small cup of soup with some duck meat and vegetables. Apparently it comes with any of the meat over rice dishes...nothing spectacular but an unexpected treat as I couldn't recall getting it in the past with my orders.

Llama and I ended up here after no fewer than two options further up our list turned out to be closed for a late Saturday lunch. I am so glad they were, because I was clammoring for some PIG!

This was my first visit, and I was very satisfied. I adore pork and I was not let down by the Hong Kong Style BBQ Pig, which I picked at random from the bbq menu. Was it the legion of LTHers before me leaving traces of psychic energy that pointed me to this treat? The world may never know. Perfectly crispy skin, succulent fat (a little too much on some pieces, but mostly perfect), and flavorful meat against the bones. Everything on Llama's pick, the combination bbq platter, was delightful, covered in a lovely sweet sauce that accented the meat well, and the meat was all quite moist and tender. Llama is emphatically not a pork-eater, but I think the perfect Hong Kong Style pig and the tasty garlic fried ribs might have brought him around, just a little. He even appreciated the char siu.

I had to get in one last Sun Wah visit before the move and everything was excellent as always. The Hong Kong pig was beyond perfect with the very crispy skin and the moist, flavorful meat. Pork and bean sprouts with extra crispy noodles delicious as always (I can't visit Sun Wah and not order this dish). Also very much enjoyed the shrimp with walnuts. We might have been the only table without the Peking Duck service but I've had it a few times and I find that unless you're in a large group, it's just so much food and prevents you from sampling more of the menu.

But the one item that really surprised me last night was the egg rolls. I'm sure I've had them before at Sun Wah, and it seems like such a pedestrian item, but damn if they don't have the absolute best egg rolls around.

Best of all, some leftovers to tide me over a bit while I wait for the new location to open.

BR, I'm guessing your leftovers are no longer tiding you over. Anyone have a sense on The Return of Sun Wah? Kelly's Viva Sun Wah facebook page didn't have anything.

Shasson wrote:BR, I'm guessing your leftovers are no longer tiding you over. Anyone have a sense on The Return of Sun Wah? Kelly's Viva Sun Wah facebook page didn't have anything.

Funny you should ask today. Mama happy_stomach called me just this morning with major Sun Wah withdrawal, wanting to know when our next meal there will be, so I've been looking for an update on the opening as well. I called and got the machine but just sent an email to Kelly. Others may know, but, if not, I'll share what I find out.

I've been jonesing for Sun Wah too, driving by the new spot every so often but the sign in the window just says coming soon. Oh, cruel anticipation!

trpt2345 wrote:I've been jonesing for Sun Wah too, driving by the new spot every so often but the sign in the window just says coming soon. Oh, cruel anticipation!

I spoke with Kelly yesterday--she said they are at the mercy of The Man (i.e. they're waiting for some final inspections). It could be a day, a week or more.

FYI: We're running a piece on the new Sun Wah--some menu changes, additions, etc.--on Tasting Table on Monday (not that appetites need any more whetting!).

sunwahrestaurant wrote:since i want credit where it's due, let me insert a correction here. the chicken EVERYONE keeps referring to as citrus fried chicken is called mike's fried chicken on our menu. mike learned the secrets, tweaked it, and cooks it. so, credit due my dear brother. why it got the name citrus fried, thank you steve for mentioning lemons or limes the first time we served it to you and the other lthers. the name seems to have stuck with you guys...but there's no citrus anything in the chicken..i swear! heheh!! see you all soon!

quack quack!
kelly

Hi Kelly,

Besides the usual roasted ducks and turkeys provided during the Thanksgiving holiday, would it be possible that one can order roasted geese in advance?

How's the new location working out?

Thanks,

Nghe

kevin pang twitter'd that the new sun wah looks amazing... anyone have more info?

dudefella wrote:kevin pang twitter'd that the new sun wah looks amazing... anyone have more info?

I was lucky enough to get a walk-through about 5 weeks ago and while the space was nowhere near close to being finished, I got a pretty good sense of the scale of it . . .


The cavernous dining room will hold about 200



This is the kitchen, with 30+ feet of stainless steel conduit running from the vent hoods to the vent exit



There are 2 of these freezers and 2 coolers of equal size. Each is approximately 1,000 square feet



This is a private dining room, which will hold about 20 diners



You can see the beautiful wood ceiling in the dining room through the window above the door.

I really cannot wait for them to open back up. I imagine they're much further along now than they were when I snapped these shots.

=R=