Tea Leaf Garden [WAS: Family House - Burmese]

Finally! A Burmese restaurant in Chicago!

The Family House opened about a week ago. They serve Burmese and Malaysian food (seems like the owners are a combination of Burmese/Rohingya and Malay, at least one of whom has a Burmese mother, as well).

I visited yesterday morning, for breakfast, and again today for lunch. Was VERY happy with everything that arrived at the table.

Breakfast: Mohinga (traditional Burmese breakfast soup) and Tea
The Mohinga was bar-none the freshest I have ever had. Made me realize that most mohinga in Burma and Thailand use canned mackerel- which adds an unneeded fishiness to the dish.



Lunch: Oh No Khao Swe (Coconut Chicken Curry over noodles- a cousin of Thai Khao Soi) and Khao Swe Dtoke (Noodle Salad with veg and dried shrimp)
The Oh No Khao Swe had a nice mild flavor- a bit more liquid than I have had before, but the flavors were deep and the table-side chili pepper flakes added more than enough heat. The Salad was a great combo of crunchiness and acid. I'm hoping the expand their salad offerings, but can't complain about the noodle salad that they did have.




The Burmese owner mentioned possibly adding more dishes- the Malaysian owner may be thinking the same, too. I'm hoping that add some more Shan dishes- Shan Khao Swe, Tofu Salad, and Tohu Nwe (molten tofu). Owner mentioned that they know how to make the latter- and it's a real treat.

He also mentioned adding Thai food and Sushi ("there aren't any sushi spots around here!") but I'm hoping that they don't feel obliged to do either.

Finally, staff is great, place is clean, there are about 8 tables.

I plan to visit again later this week, to eat through more of the Burmese menu. Will post more pictures, then. (I'll let someone with more experience with Malaysian food eat their way through that side of the menu!)

Prices:
- Mohinga and Tea: $5
- Big bowl of curry and big plate of salad: $8.75

The Family House
2305 W. Devon
Chicago IL, 60659

Hours: 8m-10pm, open all week
Menu: They were out of paper menus, but there is an electronic menu on the wall
Payment: Currently Cash-Only, though they expect to have the card reader up later this week.
BYOB: Muslim-owned restaurant, so I wouldn't plan to bring booze, though I didn't specifically ask.

Well this is certainly exciting news - thanks for posting!

Thanks for the tip, hadn't heard about this opening. Do you recall if they have Burmese tea leaf salad? That would make me so happy!

peteouc wrote:Finally! A Burmese restaurant in Chicago!

Very cool, thank you for posting!

Smassey wrote:Thanks for the tip, hadn't heard about this opening. Do you recall if they have Burmese tea leaf salad? That would make me so happy!

agreed & good question, that was a highlight for me as well the last time I enjoyed a Burmese meal

Smassey wrote: Do you recall if they have Burmese tea leaf salad? That would make me so happy!

They definitely do! I skipped it during my first lunch, as it's usually the same from place to place, cook to cook. But it is on the menu, and I'll be trying it on my next visit, too!

Looks like a great breakfast!

Big thanks to peteouc for posting about The Family House. I enjoy Burmese food and have it most every time I'm in the Bay area visiting family. There was a short lived Chicago Burmese restaurant in the space that became the first Lao Szechuan.

The Family House lives up to its name as around 9:30pm there were two sets of families a child and friends on hand. I interacted mainly with the two male owners and, if somewhat bemused by my questions and solo diner over ordering, they were interactive and friendly.

I inquired about 4 or 5 dishes, was given tasting portions of two, Nasi Lemak and Mohinga, both delicious and a must order next time. I ordered Mee Goreng and Tea Leaf Salad, though my pointing ability was off and I ended up with Noodle Salad instead of Tea Leaf. No worries on my part I simply added Tea Leaf Salad.

Of the dishes tried tea leaf and noodle salad were, according to the owner, Burmese, the rest Malaysian. Noodle salad was bound with tahini and reminded me of sesame noodles. Tea Leaf deep, murky, delicious and quite different than the more composed version found at Burma Superstar in SF.

Friendly, delicious, point-counterpoint flavor texture funky rich smooth crunchy 360 degree meal all for $11 and change, not including tip, with a couple of gratis tastes and a bottle of water. Prices are hyper reasonable and the room is comfortable if basic.

I really enjoyed my meal, had leftovers and the owners seemed pleased at my interest. There was only one other paying customer but it was late, there is construction on Devon and they have not been open long. I sincerely hope The Family House lives long and prospers.








The Family House, Count me a Fan!

Oh man that mee goreng looks pretty legit. Do they have many other Chinese Malaysian dishes, specifically char kway teow or asam laksa? It might be a while before I can get over there, but it looks like I'll have to.

peteouc wrote:Finally! A Burmese restaurant in Chicago!

The Family House opened about a week ago. They serve Burmese and Malaysian food (seems like the owners are a combination of Burmese/Rohingya and Malay, at least one of whom has a Burmese mother, as well).

I visited yesterday morning, for breakfast, and again today for lunch. Was VERY happy with everything that arrived at the table.

Thanks for the exciting news, the most important restaurant opening (to me) in recent memory. Chicago truly needed a Burmese restaurant and early indications are it's a good one. And, hey, we got a Malaysian restaurant as part of the deal. I could hardly be happier.



I visited the day after your report and can't wait to return. It's probably best to think of The Family House as more a snack shop or tea house than full-fledged restaurant. The menu is interesting, but limited. Here are some lousy shots of the menu board.

In the Shwe Myanmar thread Rene G wrote:Maybe one of these days Chicago will get a Burmese restaurant.

I've had my fingers crossed for a couple months, since the folks at Shwe Myanmar mentioned a Burmese restaurant was in the works. Honestly, I thought their target date was unrealistic, but hats off to them for opening a great little place almost on time. No small feat in Chicago.

September 2017

November 2017

peteouc wrote:Breakfast: Mohinga (traditional Burmese breakfast soup) and Tea
The Mohinga was bar-none the freshest I have ever had. Made me realize that most mohinga in Burma and Thailand use canned mackerel- which adds an unneeded fishiness to the dish.

Like yours, my visit began with tea (milky and sweet) and mohinga. I was very pleased with both the thick catfish-based (I think) broth and the stuff floating around in it, including crisp shards of pea fritters, short pieces of long bean, and a generous amount of banana stem. I found myself wondering if this might be the best way to spend $4 in Chicago.





As I was paying my surprisingly low bill, they kindly offered me samples of some things from the steam table and hot box.



The tempura fish ball, with that characteristic springy texture, was elevated by a terrific dipping sauce, reminiscent of Vietnamese nuoc cham.

Nasi lemak was absolutely great. A full plate is $4, which might make that the best way to spend $4 in Chicago (an extra $1.50 adds a chicken leg). I practically got lost in that little dollop of sauce and the coconut rice was good. Cucumber, peanuts, and tiny dried fish rounded out a very satisfying little plate.

It was so good I planned to return for more nasi lemak after shopping on Devon, but ran out of time. I'm still thinking about it.

Smassey wrote:Thanks for the tip, hadn't heard about this opening. Do you recall if they have Burmese tea leaf salad? That would make me so happy!

As you probably saw on the menu, laphet thoke is $3, another of their absurdly low prices. Also, don't forget about Shwe Myanmar, almost around the corner on Claremont.



Seven bucks gets you a bundle of ten packs of fermented tea leaves and fried legumes so you can make it yourself at home. It's an easy and forgiving procedure – just add shredded cabbage, maybe some tomato or other fresh veggies, plus oil, lime juice, and fish sauce. I bought some the other day and the packet of fried stuff seems pretty fresh, not always the case.

I grabbed a couple items for a carry-out dinner last night. My first visit, and barring unforeseeable circumstances, not my last. I got there at 9.30p, and despite their spartan business page (http://the-family-house-restaurant.business.site; no menu) stating they're open until 11pm daily, chairs were on tables other than a seated family of five, so 10pm appears correct for now.

I put the order in quickly of 1 Noodle Salad & 1 Mee Goreng w/ chicken (note that the Mee Goreng, Nasi Goreng, & Bihun Goreng are all $3.99, w/ choice of protein for (most at $2) extra, whereas the other whopping $6 items have a meat included). I failed to order an egg w/ mine, unlike Gary.

While I waited the 10 minutes for my meal I tried asking about

peteouc wrote:Khao Swe Dtoke (Noodle Salad with veg and dried shrimp)
...The Salad was a great combo of crunchiness and acid. I'm hoping the[y] expand their salad offerings, but can't complain about the noodle salad that they did have.

The adolescent, who didn't take my order but bagged it and rang me up after taking care of the now-gone family, said that the noodle salad I had ordered was that, when I showed him Pete's photo w/ the name of the dish. I didn't cross-examine him with Gary's photo of what I had in-fact ordered, but would still like to know how to order the Khao Swe Dtoke.

In the end, he tossed a couple small red pepper packets in w/ my order which I utilized at home. The Noodle Salad was really good (cucumber-cilantro-pepper flavor/texture), Mee Goreng less memorable though. With value and authenticity like this, the over/under on hours until I'm back is around 50-60.

bweiny wrote:but would still like to know how to order the Khao Swe Dtoke

I've inquired about but not ordered Khao Swe Dtoke and was pointed to the refrigerated case, picture below. Khao Swe Dtoke does not seem to be on The Family House's menu.

G Wiv wrote:I've inquired about but not ordered Khao Swe Dtoke and was pointed to the refrigerated case.

Thanks. The refrigerated case was empty other than a few soda cans by 9.30p last night. Navigating The Family House's menu and non-menu items appears to be an enjoyable work in progress.
*The leftover chicken mee goreng was better than I recalled when eaten earlier today. $10 damn well spent.

Rene G wrote:Nasi lemak was absolutely great. A full plate is $4, which might make that the best way to spend $4 in Chicago (an extra $1.50 adds a chicken leg).

Nasi lemak w/ chicken leg very well might be the best way to spend $5.50 in Chicago though Mohinga and Mee Goreng for $3.99 are not far behind. Other highlights of lunch were terrific Chicken satay and Tea Leaf salad.







Delicious interesting food, friendly interactive service, hyper reasonable prices have me already planning a return visit to The Family House.

The Family House, Count me a Fan!

I should add due to construction on Devon parking is problematic, though I found close-in parking on a side street a couple in our lunch group had a bit of a hike.

I admired every rare and intense flavor and texture on an initial Family House visit and was charmed by the family as well. I can't add much other than the tiny lime sections are exceptional wherever they are sourcing them (I share seebee's scorn for non-juicy limes), and that I actually thought the revelation was the satay sauce, a barely-processed paste of roasted peanut bits and lemongrass stems, shining in a way this common condiment doesn't anywhere else. I could go through a mess of those skewers (or anything else) with that.

My mohinga was excellent with more herbal and vegetal aromas than funk. The tea leaf salad was full of character, quite different from a version I've had in Michigan. There was more garlic than any small plate I run into other than Spoon's raw shrimp salad, just a bit of tomato, and potent heat and salt. There is some alchemy to washing this down with their sweet milk tea, enhancing both the dried and fermented tea leaf flavors.

Agree with all the above, but just wanted to caution people to be understanding toward a fledgling business. To wit, many dishes on the menu are not yet available and some of the things that *are* available may turn out to actually be unavailable and you may learn of this half an hour after you’ve placed your order. Who cares, the food is great and the prices laughably low. Be flexible and you will have a good time.

By the way, they do now take cards.

I had my second meal from The Family House last night, and I'm definitely no less complimentary of their food than I was after the first.

I was able to place a carry-out order by phone with no language barrier issues. Boring, I know, but repeat of Noodle Salad and Mee Goreng w/ chicken, but I also added a Tea Leaf Salad.

The Mee Goreng was the same - a good thing. The Noodle Salad was slightly tweaked in the that cilantro was not as present and the cucumber was cut differently (horizontal slices, not double-cut vertically), but this time there was some hard-boiled egg and tomato (I posted a photo of this and the tea leaf to Yelp, but LTH rejects my .jpg uploads). A very fresh tasting appetizer, that can be spiced up to taste, and a little soy helps IMO.

The Tea Leaf was the star. I had never had it before, and the nutty texture along with earthy, gritty heat (plenty of Thai Chili in there, not a mild flavor) was memorable. The flavor reminded me of the pepper usage in Rainbow Cuisine's Bamboo Salad as far as the earthiness (if this sounds unappetizing, fault my description; it's not an objectively undesirable texture).

The entire dinner was $14.29, and ready on time in under 15 minutes. This place is firmly in the rotation. My condolences to the competition being squeezed out.

*Side Note: Depending on what direction your coming from (anything but the northeast), it is likely easiest to approach via Western to Granville to Oakley, so you can get a shot at several angle spots just south of Devon without having to navigate the traffic and construction.

The first outing to the Family House was a big success. Although we are pretty ignorant about Burmese food, four of us enjoyed everything we ate. We tried almost every dish on the menu that was available, which means mostly what is mentioned upthread. We wanted to share everything, and there was a bit of initial misunderstanding that we needed extra bowls and plates, but the servers were very sweet and worked hard to get things right. I was especially impressed with the depth of flavor in the mohinga and with the tastes and textures of the tea leaf salad. The satay sauce, as Santander says, is great, and it's worth ordering the satay to try it (not that the meats themselves--we tried both the chicken and beef--weren't very good). We also found the noodle salad, nasi lemak, oh no khao swe, and mee goreng excellent.

The family couldn't have been nicer, although they are still figuring out how to run a restaurant. Our friend called ahead to see if he could bring a bottle of cava. The first call went unanswered. After another try, he was asked if the alcohol "smelled." He assured them it did not, and they said we could bring it. We asked again when we arrived, not wanting to offend them, and they were very gracious about it. They supplied plastic cups, asking us twice if we wanted ice in them. I would not call this a real BYOB place, but if your alcohol isn't smelly and you don't mind drinking out of plastic, it will be okay. I suggest you follow our example and adjourn a few doors east to the excellent Cary's Lounge for a drink before or after dinner.

We're going to return to the Family House and soon. It's walking distance for us, the food is great, and the prices are amazingly low. It's a treat to have a new cuisine to try in a mom-and-pop spot run by sweet people.

Cary's Lounge
2251 W. Devon
773.743.5737
http://caryslounge.com/

I loved my lunch here today!

Its a cute spot. It was kind of empty at 1 today, there was one table of young mothers in hijabs with their cute little ones. On a flatscreen, there were English-language Muslim music videos addressing some very serious social issues. I couldn't help but think of the plight of the Rohingya as I enjoyed my lunch...

Mohinga was one heck of an opening act. A deeply luscious brew, super rich and alive with salt/funk/aromatic interplay. Fish is pretty well incorporated into the sludgy broth. Nice textural pops of fried legumes. There was a bit we couldn't identify, seemingly vegetal, kind of dark gray little slices that looked maybe like bits of bamboo shoot but off in color and texture. Banana piths?

Tea leaf salad was much like a version I enjoyed at A Kaung Zarr in Fort Wayne. Very heavily seasoned, very tart, though I might guess vinegar over more aromatic citrus. Perhaps just the fermented tea leaves themselves. Lots of fried lentil-y bits. Great to have a solid rendition in town!

The noodle salad (Khao Swe Dtoke?) was very good, also assertively dressed and slightly creamy (perhaps from besan?). The round Creamettian noodles seemed to be wheat based rather than rice, but had a fine texture.

Nasi lemak was a pretty huge portion (for $3.95). The rice itself was coconut-ty, but maybe not so pandan aromatic. I found there to be maybe too much rice. It could have used more sambal (which was caramelized sweet in a great way) or a fried egg. Didn't matter since I was ladling the excellent satay sauce all over the rice...

Santander wrote: and that I actually thought the revelation was the satay sauce, a barely-processed paste of roasted peanut bits and lemongrass stems, shining in a way this common condiment doesn't anywhere else. I could go through a mess of those skewers (or anything else) with that.
flavors.

100%. The chicken, itself, was also very good, we thought, succulent and charred up well. If anything, both sauce and meat could have used a bit more salt.

Looking forward to a return visit! Samosas and roti on the list. Family House, count me a fan!

Jefe wrote:
There was a bit we couldn't identify, seemingly vegetal, kind of dark gray little slices that looked maybe like bits of bamboo shoot but off in color and texture. Banana piths?

Yes, banana stem, as mentioned above by Rene G. Essential for mohinga and pretty damn hard to find in Chicago, let me tell you.

Some cosmetic changes: they rearranged some of the interior — no more steam table — and got rid of the styrofoam plates and plastic utensils. STILL NO VALET PARKING, THOUGH.

Great to see more and more people giving The Family House a try. I've been 5x's, most recently last night. Really great menu photos were posted to Yelp in the last 36 hours.

The Nasi Lemak was fabulous earlier last week, but I made a mistake trying the Nasi Ayam last night, (Hainese Chicken w/ Rice) just too bland for me. The Tea Leaf Salad remains a constant part of the order.

Khao Swe Dtoke is available, despite not being listed on the menu. Unfortunately when I tried ordering it AND a regular noodle salad, they thought it was a mistake, and cancelled the former.

As a final positive note, a very encouraging crowd of 50-60% capacity was there around 3.30pm yesterday (Sunday). The name of this place resonates in the experience as there are all sorts of adolescents helping out every time I'm there.

We got up to the Family House a few weeks ago. I will just echo the praise above. Other than the chicken add-on for the nasi lemak being underseasoned without a generous portion of sambal, everything else was great and the prices are amazing. I hope they add more Burmese preparations as the menu is very heavily tilted towards Malaysian food right now.

Agreed botd. I visited over the weekend and ordered the four distinctly Burmese items on the menu: mohinga, oh no kauk swe, noodle salad and tea salad. The pennywort salad may also be Burmese though it wasn't available so I didn't get to the try it. The rest of the menu, as far as I could tell, was Malaysian as were the two servers running the front of house.

I enjoyed all four dishes. Everything is made with care and attention in the kitchen. The vegetables are freshly cut (I could hear the knife going in the kitchen after our order) and the broths are rich and satisfying. Next time I visit I'll check out the Malaysian offerings.

thinking of a dinner here, how many people could this place comfortably seat/serve? (likely group size ~10)

Edited to add: photos above looks like a group of 8 could be comfortably seated, 10 would be pushing it

I was there for lunch a few days ago and echo everyone else’s raves. I will say that in addition to the size, they are definitely proceeding cautiously in adding items to the regular offerings. So while the menu has a couple dozen (or more) items, they appear to only be serving about 10-12 of them. If you are planning a dinner, I would definitely call ahead and see if they might be able to add some of the other dishes (they also have a few things that are only offered on the weekends). Or you could just order the staples and you’ll still have a wonderful meal.

Amazing place, more excited about this than I have been about a restaurant in a while. I will be back a few times a week just for that mango salad. Spice, funk, and umami to the max.

I'd just like to add a totally lame "me too!" post, because the tea leaf salad itself was reason to return, not to mention everything else I tried (with a group of 7). Will definitely go back for Nasi Lemak.

Had some very nice stuff here last night. We were told that the best time to come is during the day, when the chef is there and the full menu is available. However, in spite of the limited night-time menu (we were informed that about half the menu was available), we had a great meal. Highlights were the noodle salad, mee goreng w/shrimp, papaya salad, tea leaf salad and mohinga.

We too could hear quite a bit of chopping in the kitchen but also a lot of (microwave?) beeping. I think this affected a couple of the other dishes we had, which didn't quite reach the level of the ones I listed above. In any case, I will try to find time to have lunch a there sometime soon, since that seems to be the best time to go.

=R=

I stopped in for lunch while in the area the other day, and it seems that there are some changes to the menu. I do not know if there are any new items, but the layout looks somewhat different, and I believe the satay price (other prices as well?) may have increased modestly.

cilantro wrote:Yes, banana stem, as mentioned above by Rene G. Essential for mohinga and pretty damn hard to find in Chicago, let me tell you.

Yet in Fort Wayne, Indiana, it is easily found.

Regards,
Cathy2