Shui Wah [closed]

I saw some thread regarding specific dishes @ Shui Wah, or a thread about the best dim sum in the city(this was my first dim sum experience, so I wouldnt feel comfortable posting there), but none just dedicated to Shui Wah as a whole, if I am wrong, please add this post to an existing thread.

With that said I met Gary Wiviott in Chinatown this a.m. for my first dim sum meal, and to give him back the WSM smoker he had graciously loaned me since MIM back in May.

Shui Wah located in the Chinatown Mall, is a pleasant, plain storefront eatery, no flash, etc, just basic decor. The place was baiscally full when we grabbed the ast table just before 10:00 a.m., and there was soon a line out the door. I had read some reviews of Shui Wah, and came in expecting some great food, and some new items for me. I was not disappointed, and will be back for sure. After using the checklist to order the items we wanted, they came out in quick succesion. All piping hot, and all good.

What we ordered, from my favorite dish to least favorite:

Shrimp crepe: it was different than what I expected, the texture threw me off at first, and the subltle flavors, but as I sit her typing it is the dish I am craving.


Deep fried Taro loved this item, the crispy texture of the fried taro, and the flavors of the seafood stufing were a hit.


Shrimp Dumpling(Ha-Gao): tender dumpling wrapped around tasty, tender shrimp, brilliant.


Sticky Rice in Lotus leaf. great dih, flavorfull sticky rice with pork, wrapped in a leaf, and steamed. I really liked this one best at first, but other items moved ahead of it.



Seaweed roll: Deep fried seaweed wrapped around Krab, nice just because it was deep fried.


Pork Dumpling: the last dish delivered, I was full, but enjoyed the dumpling, and the filling alot.


Short ribs in satay sauce: decent dish, flavorfull beef.


Chicken feet in black been sauce: my first taste of chicken feet, and I sampled a few bites of just one. Perhaps this is an acquired taste.


great early lunch, great company talking food, and bbq. I will be back to Shui Wah for another run at the dim sum menu.

Shui Wah
2162 S Archer Ave
(In the Chinatown Mall)
Chicago, IL 60616
312-225-8811

I'm pretty sure that the seafood stuffing you enjoyed in the fried taro is pork (but may have been from a swimming pig).

Jazzfood wrote:I'm pretty sure that the seafood stuffing you enjoyed in the fried taro is pork (but may have been from a swimming pig).

I am just going by what the waitress told me. I think she said it had shrimp paste, but I could be mistaken(with 8 items that truely could be the case). Either way its all good.

jimswside wrote:great early lunch, great company talking food, and bbq. I will be back to Shui Mai for another run at the dim sum menu.

Jim,

Shui Wah was really on Sunday, 10am seems a perfect time to go. Full spectrum of offerings and just before the crush. Always fun talking BBQ, you truly are an ABT mad scientist.

Enjoy,
Gary

And Shui Wah was really on this Sunday, early afternoon. Tough to pick favorites but we enjoyed pork siu mai, Chinese Sausage rice bbq pork buns, chicken buns, sticky rice in lotus leaf, Chinese broccoli, short ribs and bbq pork crepe. If I had to pick my favorite, probably the Chinese sausage rice with the real standout being the chewy, flavorful pork rib in the rice. But everything was very hot and fresh. The only item I did not enjoy was the overly large and chive-dominant pot sticker. I'll skip this item on my next visit. Dessert at St. Anna's of sesame seed ball with red bean paste and miniature egg custard tart made for a great visit to Chinatown on this beautiful Sunday.

The Wife and I were on a shopping trip to gather odd eats for a Fear Factor game at next weekend’s block party, and we stopped in Shui Wah for dinner. I got the Hot Pot Rice: Olive, Dried Scallop and Minced Pork.



I found the olives intriguing, and they were, if a tad salty. The scallops were intense when tasted alone, though they seemed a little lost in this stew.

But back to the Fear Factor thing. Every year, this lady on the block has the kids run relays and perform other tricks that involve eating “gross stuff.” Last year, a kid ate an oyster and threw up. This year, the kids are clamoring for this event, which has become semi-legendary in the retelling, and for some reason, I was asked to handle a few of the games. So, I got some pickled mango, sugary sesame fish, salty plums and other stuff at Hong Kong Seafood City in Chinatown Mall. A really sweet little kid (child of the owners, I think) helped me look around the store and collect interesting items. I told her why I was shopping for small quantities of edibles. She laughed when I told her that I would probably eat the stuff the kids didn’t eat because, to me, most of it looked pretty good. Then, it occurred to me that what this “game” should be is a lesson in how stuff that looks weird to eat might, if you try it, turn out to be pretty good. So, instead of grossing the kids out, I’m going to present them with all this odd stuff to eat that I think it’s highly likely some of them might actually like. Thus, I do teach the little children and lead them along the path of good eating.

Fair warning: kids eat much more visually than adults do. It's taken a lot of work to get Sparky past "that looks gross" - I can't get any of his little buddies to do so. Even with the one-bite rule, they will turn down something that looks foreign but doesn't taste foreign (I often get Sparky to try something new by saying "it tastes kind of like...)

However - this can work to your advantage as well. I was told by another adventurous-eating parent that her son "wanted exotic meals" like Sparky's. Of course, when I pack him his favorite meal of Inarizushi and miso soup, I also pack trainer chopsticks (he still hasn't mastered regular ones) a chinese-style soup spoon, and tuck it into a click-clack style plastic bento. Make sure you tell the story of your little girl in Chinatown, and talk about what Chinese people eat, when, and how. (photos of the store?)

Kids often ask about what he's eating and sometimes even try it. Context is really important for kids - this is largely why the food industry is producing mass quantities of kid-kibble: it comes in a box they understand, is a shape they understand and a color they understand. Whether these three things pertain to food in any way is irrelevant to kids.

Mhays wrote:Fair warning: kids eat much more visually than adults do. It's taken a lot of work to get Sparky past "that looks gross" - I can't get any of his little buddies to do so. Even with the one-bite rule, they will turn down something that looks foreign but doesn't taste foreign (I often get Sparky to try something new by saying "it tastes kind of like...)

Oh, I fully agree, but this Fear Factor game makes it mandatory to eat stuff that looks foreign, so I have that going for me. See, the little Asian snacks look odd, unappetizing and alien, but then the kids eat them as part of the game, and their tight faces loosen up, eyes brighten, eyebrows go up, mouths turn down at the corners and they say, "hmm, not bad." At least in my imagination.

anyone had the shark fin dumpling from here? Sounds interesting, may be on my list for tomorrow.

LTH,

I've been a fan of Shui Wah for eight or nine years, but I had quite a disappointing lunch yesterday. BBQ pork buns, pork dumplings, shrimp fun rolls, shrimp dumplings, chicken feet, beef tripe and one more dish which i can't remember right now.

Nothing was as tasty as the Phoenix rendition. For some reason, everything was one-note in flavor with few to no nuances. Tiny overcooked shrimp in the fun roll and har gao vs. Phoenix version with larger and much tastier shrimp. Tripe and feet lacked complexity IMO. And I've really enjoyed S.W. over the years.

The check was about $20-25 cheaper than Phoenix would have been.

I think I'll try Happy Chef next time around.

Aw, c'mon, Evil, why don't you take your own advice and "put those pencils away and enjoy that plate of pasta or whatever..."

Shazam, that was extra evil.

A great meal @ Shui Wah for Dim Sum yesterday. 3 adults and 1 toddler started their day in Chicago with a filling meal @ Shui Wah. We had: chinese broccoli w/ oyster sauce, Deep fried taro, (2) orders shrimp crepes, bbq pork crepe, shark fin dumpling, shrimp dumpling, pork dumpling, steamed chicken bun, bbq pork bun, chicken feet w/black bean, and crab rangoons. A few left overs but not many. Really liked the shrimp crepe, the bbq crepe, the shrimp dumpling, and the deep fried taro again. The shark fin dumpling was interesting as well. I really hop this place get s aGNR imho they deserve it, great food, and good service @ a fair price.

deep fried taro:


chix feet:


shrimp crepe:


shrimp dumpling:


crab rangoon:


bbq pork crepe:


steamed chix bun:


bbq pork bun:


shark fin dumpling:


siu mai:


the spread:


great meal before a day at the zoo, not too heavy, but filling. thanks for looking

I know Shui Wah is a recent GNR winner, congratulations to them. They are clearly an LTH favorite. I returned to Shui Wah the other day for a dim sum lunch forsaking my usual trip to the Phoenix to try and see if I could capture a little bit of the magic that has been missed by me on several prior visits.

I continue to be unimpressed with Shui Wah. From the chili oil and hoisin, which appear to me to be inferior to to the Phoenix's version, to my favorite shrimp crepes, which are gummy and flavorless when compared to the Phoenix's version, nothing stood out for me at all. Parsnip cakes were undercooked, rice in lotus leaf was flavorless, shrimp dumplings were also gummy and filled with air, stuffed eggplant was not so delicious and stuffed with hardly any shrimp and the chui chow were so gamey and awful that I gave up on them after one bite.

Anyway, I continue to fail to get this place. Sure it is cheaper then the Phoenix, but when serving an inferior product why would that matter. Anytime anyone wants to do a side by side comparison with me I am game. Maybe more discerning palates then mine can help show me why my game is off.

Does anybody know Shui Wah's weekend hours?

I know they have extended evening hours Fri/Sat, but I am going to be in there area Sunday, 6 or 7pm.

Anyone know when they close on Sunday?

Or, even better, have an image of their hours to post for future reference?

EDIT: It just occurred to me, when does Dim Sum stop on the weekend? I know they have been going back and forth with a full-service "dinner" restaurant...

Otherwise, I'll be sure to take one and post next week.


Thanks!

DClose wrote:Does anybody know Shui Wah's weekend hours?

I know they have extended evening hours Fri/Sat, but I am going to be in there area Sunday, 6 or 7pm.

Anyone know when they close on Sunday?

Or, even better, have an image of their hours to post for future reference?

EDIT: It just occurred to me, when does Dim Sum stop on the weekend? I know they have been going back and forth with a full-service "dinner" restaurant...

Otherwise, I'll be sure to take one and post next week.


Thanks!

Dim Sum stops at 3PM. At night the restaurant is operated by a completely different set of people from the owner on down. The food is not the same at night. Eat at your own risk...or better yet, somewhere else.

Maybe this will be best suited in another thread, but where should I look into eating in the evening?

I very rarely do anything other than dim sum and, at those rare times, have been disappointed.

Hi,

This may be an odd response to your query: if you are there after 10 PM, I believe they have a menu of small plates. These are not always offered to Americans, you have to ask. It allows you to as little or as much as you want as well as try a variety of foods.

I have received this menu at Happy Chef, though they didn't initially believe me when I asked. I had to ask several times before they coughed it up.

Regards,

Went to Shui Wah for dim sum this afternoon and it was one of the best meals I've had there. It was packed for the New Year celebration with lots of families, but we got he last table. Shrimp crepe, stuffed eggplant, turnip cakes, chinese broccoli w/black bean sauce and stuffed tofu. Every flavor was bright, the sauces perfect accompaniments for their respective dishes. Their black bean sauce is fermented goodness, I actually licked my chopsticks to get the last drop. Also, their chili oil which is always good, but never on par with Gary's must have been just made for the holiday, the seeds were still toasty, crispy bits of flavor goodness adding just enough zip to every bite. I'm still thinking about 3 hours later.

iblock9 wrote:I know Shui Wah is a recent GNR winner, congratulations to them. They are clearly an LTH favorite. I returned to Shui Wah the other day for a dim sum lunch forsaking my usual trip to the Phoenix to try and see if I could capture a little bit of the magic that has been missed by me on several prior visits.

I continue to be unimpressed with Shui Wah. From the chili oil and hoisin, which appear to me to be inferior to to the Phoenix's version, to my favorite shrimp crepes, which are gummy and flavorless when compared to the Phoenix's version, nothing stood out for me at all. Parsnip cakes were undercooked, rice in lotus leaf was flavorless, shrimp dumplings were also gummy and filled with air, stuffed eggplant was not so delicious and stuffed with hardly any shrimp and the chui chow were so gamey and awful that I gave up on them after one bite.

Anyway, I continue to fail to get this place. Sure it is cheaper then the Phoenix, but when serving an inferior product why would that matter. Anytime anyone wants to do a side by side comparison with me I am game. Maybe more discerning palates then mine can help show me why my game is off.

I know I'm quoting an old post here but I completely agree. I just don't get it either. I've gone to Shui Wah several times based on the fabulous recommendations from members of the forum, but to me it always seems kind of lackluster compared to Phoenix. And it won't make me forget Hong Min either. Of all the places I miss I think I miss Hong Min more than any other.

I also agree with you on Shui Wah. I go every 3-4 months (I eat dim sum once per week like clockwork) really wanting to like it, but every dish I order is either just the equal of or inferior to the Phoenix version. Maybe it's just my selection of what I like to order (crepes, dumplings, sticky rice, ribs, squid), but I am always underwhelmed. Also, there are really no standout dishes that I can't order elsewhere, where when I go to Phoenix, they've got about 10 items that I never see anywhere else.

Shui Wah remains (to quote my buddy Pigmon) as the "tallest midget in the circus". Admittedly Chicago dim sum leaves something to be desired, it's not LA, San Fran, NY or Toronto but in my opinion Shui Wah is the best we've got. I'm not alone in feeling that they've also stepped up their game in the last yr with the quality of their products.

Whereas the contempt for the customer I've encountered @ Phoenix often starts @ the door of an unheated vestibule (in winter) where the hostess wears a coat and gloves to the dismissive attitude of the waiters and cart attendants which has run the gamut from absurd to embarrassing to rude.

This isn't cultural, this is house policy that starts @ the top. Mention this to a manager and a finger will not be lifted to end your plight. I have, and it hasn't- more than a few times. This has been a reoccurring theme to me and my tablemates. I like the view looking North, the cart service and they do have some items not to be found elsewhere in Chicago, but from a service standpoint, I'll spend my money where I'm comfortable and not feeling overlooked or pissed off by the end of my meal. Furama on Broadway has my contempt as well for similar reasons.

That leaves Shui Wah, and I'll take it, gladly.

Jazzfood wrote:......the contempt for the customer I've encountered @ Phoenix often starts @ the door of an unheated vestibule (in winter) where the hostess wears a coat and gloves to the dismissive attitude of the waiters and cart attendants which has run the gamut from absurd to embarrassing to rude.

This isn't cultural, this is house policy that starts @ the top. Mention this to a manager and a finger will not be lifted to end your plight. I have, and it hasn't- more than a few times. This has been a reoccurring theme to me and my tablemates. I like the view looking North, the cart service and they do have some items not to be found elsewhere in Chicago, but from a service standpoint, I'll spend my money where I'm comfortable and not feeling overlooked or pissed off by the end of my meal. Furama on Broadway has my contempt as well for similar reasons.

That leaves Shui Wah, and I'll take it, gladly.

This totally mystifies me. I've been to Phoenix dozens, scores, maybe even a hundred times and never experienced anything other than a warm reception and great service. They haven't used carts in a while, and I enjoy the newer style of ordering from a paper menu, it assures you can get anything and that it will be fresh and hot. We always have conversations with the captains and waiters, and they are unfailingly friendly and welcoming.

With that said we never, ever go on weekends, it's too crowded, and I work weekends often. And forget about holidays. So we avoid the biggest crowds, and have never had a problem.

I'm with you trpt, and I have been to Phoenix on weekends. Whenever I've gone, the service has been at least good, and I like the food at Phoenix better than Shui Wah.

I stopped going about 2 yrs ago. It was as described. About an hr wait in an unheated first floor lobby. Hostess in coat and gloves. Not a space heater to be had. Upstairs, after being out of the traffic loop for numerous carts, went to a manager to ask for a few of the items that were passing us by. If looks could kill. Nothing made it our way and we left pissed. Not the first, second or even third time that had happened. Enough to pull the plug on that bullshit.

I have to agree with Jazzfood--that was consistently my experience at Phoenix, both on the weekends and during mid-week lunches. That and I found the dim sum cart offerings to be predominantly fried and ordering "off-cart" was challenging if not impossible. i enjoy Shui Wah for dim sum in Chinatown--it's consistent and because you order (as opposed to pick off the carts), you definitely get what you want.

I'll add one rec--I LOVE Furama up north on Broadway, just south of Argyle. I've found the choice of dim sum cart options to be wider than Phoenix, I always find new things to try, they have lots of vegetable options (even the garlic pea shoot tips!), they are happy to make to order and service is consistently good. I know it doesn't get much love here and B'way /Argyle isn't Chinatown but I strongly recommend giving it a try if you haven't. On Saturdays, seating is downstairs in the more intimate "cafe" space--on Sundays dim sum service is upstairs in the banquet space. I've never waited to be seated in either and cart service is plentiful and regular (another pet peeve about Phoenix).

Had a great lunch at Phoenix today. No wait, no carts, ordered off the dim sum menu, everything fresh and tasty. We walked by on Sunday at two p.m., too crowded, we went to Lao Sze Schuan instead. Hostess showed us pics of her son who's now a year old, we met him when he was a couple months old. We were greeted by a lot of the servers. There was a great view north towards downtown, the air was clear, sun bright. Another great experience. I am constitutionally unable to wait in lines, so when there's a line we just go elsewhere. Just had leftovers for dinner.

Here is how I understand things work at Phoenix, on weekdays and up until about 9:30am on Sat and Sun, they have a colorful descriptive picture order card and you mark what you want and out it comes. After 9:30am on Sat and Sun, there is no ordering from the card but only carts.
The carts are subject to some of the complaints lodged here but that is the nature of the process and if you understand the process and go with the process, it works fairly well.
We usually arrive right at 9:30am on the weekend to avoid lines, are seated promptly and usually can get most of what we want. Ordering from the card may be more attractive to some but I'm not sure that this is the cultural norm for for DIM SUM. Anyway, most of the items are very good and only once did i encounter a dish where the tripe was just too tough.
I am going to try Shui Wah on my next foray for Dim sum for comparison.
BTW, if I do get to China Town early in the morning and are hungry, China Cafe has very good Shu mai and service is fast, price reasonable.-Dick

My complaint w/Phoenix is service (or lack there of) and attitude. Not food.

After bicycle shopping with a couple of friends, we headed to Shui Wah for dim sum. Not everything was spot-on, notably some fried items weren't fresh out of the fryer (in a double order of fried taro, half were room temp and half were scalding hot). The only other notable error was disintegrating wrappers on the har gow.

Fried dough wrapped in rice crepe is my favorite starch-on-starch action in the city, and the shrimp and chive dumplings were a favorite around the table. Turnip root cake was new to my dining companions, but a big hit. Out of the ~14 items we ordered, only a few fell short.

All-in-all, everyone walked away stuffed, impressed with most of the dishes, and amazed at the price tag.

-Dan

Finally made it to Shui Wah yesterday morning about 9:30 AM.
Ordered Pork Shu Mai and the S&P Squid.
The S&P Squid were one of the best squid preps I have ever eaten. I wonder if the name comes from the salting technique used to remove water from the squid or shrimp and then fry with a corn starch coating? In any event neither salty nor peppery but delicious.
The Shu Mai were large and very firm. I am not a Shu Mai nor Dim Sum expert so can't really comment on the prep but if memory serves me, I would say i liked the Phoenix prep better but that is very subjective.
Interestingly enough, a Chinese fellow had about 3 children with him at the table next to me. When I was leaving, I asked him whether he liked Shui Wah or Phoenix better. He replied that he had never been to Phoenix but always ate at Shui Wah. I told him I had come from Wisconsin to shop and eat and he asked where from. I told him and he told me that he was from Kohler. An even farther distance than Kenosha County!
The room doesn't have the ambiance of Phoenix but the food is excellent and was $9 before tip.-Dick