Sun Wah with the Bride and new neighbors. My 9,784th visit, their first, all were impressed, full and happy. Multi-course duck dinner never gets old, nor does Kelly, Laura and family's hospitality. And, of course, my true love Crispy Pan Fried Chow Fun. #lowslowbbq #countmeafan #nobabycorn




Sun Wah, Count me a Fan!

Though there are a bunch of new(ish) restaurants I want to try ranging from Hermosa to Galit Restaurant the bride and I defaulted to Sun Wah Barbecue Restaurant after running a few errands last night. And, as typical, a meal at Sun Wah made me smile. Friendly greeting/handshake from Mr. Cheng, hug and offhand quip from the lovely Kelly, well-practiced side-eye from Lilly the server as I started to over-order, it feels like home. We were greeted by Baokin, commanding the dining room from his royal perch.

Crispy chow fun, my one true love, salt baked chicken, steamed tofu with shrimp and Chinese broccoli /oyster sauce. Lilly 's look seemed to work as that is a light order for two far as I'm concerned. Perfectly sated, easy on the wallet, delicious.






Sun Wah, Count Me A Fan!

Gary- I concur with your observations - specifically one about
ALL THE NEW places like
The new Israeli restaurant Gallit in Lincoln Park
to Pacific Standard Time
that I truly want to experience -
yet-
one can't argue with a place that is:
A) Welcoming....
B) Warming
C) Makes Ya Smile
D) Consistently "real" Ethnic Cuisine- well executed,
and most of all-
offering a variety of that Countries Food History.

I love the way Kelly and her siblings have
taken their family business - and continued the legacy.

(Now- .....if I'd wanted to insert negative comments about Food Safety and Sanitation
and the general lack of said "Rules" in many Chinese Restaurants (I know a generalization- but have you ever strolled in the rear of most of
The Chinese Restaurants in The Mall on Archer Avenue? GROSS!)
I would have inserted them here........ :P )

Count Me a FAN as well!

Chinese Roast Duck, but Make It Turkey
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/dini ... -ios-share

Sun Wah is mentioned in the article.

Made it to Sun Wah this morning.
Ordered the Crispy Chow Fun with some difficulty without any vegetables or whatever because that's what the photo posted looked like. Had to find photo and show to server to get what I wanted.
Anyway, very tasty but a lot of oil and took most of it home with a whole BBQ Duck and BBQ Pork Fried Rice for dinner.
Was told I could not order pancakes for the Duck!
We will make pancakes ourselves but can't understand why Sun Wah can not sell me pancakes?
Cold today, so $3 for tea!
Off street parking subjects one to Speed Humps, not Speed bumps because the Humps are HUGE!
How does one drive a low vehicle in this area?
My XC70 has 8&1/2" of ground clearance, so no problem. Perfect vehicle for these Humps and the Pot Holes that abound.
$2 for parking after I finally found a Pay station.
-Richard

budrichard wrote:Was told I could not order pancakes for the Duck!

Have I mentioned I love crispy chow fun?

No pancakes in-house, they only have/use steamed bao buns.

Must have been early, most of the servers know the off-menu plain crispy chow fun. If you have a problem next time ask for the server Lilly or one of the co-owners, Kelly or Laura.

Crispy chow fun, count me a Fan!

Saturday morning about 11 am.
Have never tried the buns with the Duck!
Anyway, my son can make the pancakes the traditional way, two at a time separated with Sesame Seed Oil very nicely.
Chow Fun reheated very nicely in a hot cast iron pan. Both family members liked it.
Simple dish but so satisfying.
Duck was superb as always! Try as I might, I just cannot duplicate Sun Wah Duck!
BBQ Pork Fried Rice, excellent.
Well worth the trip.
It’s about an hour 30min because I take Hwy 41 to avoid the construction on the Eden’s Spur.
I now have Park Chicago on my iPhone.
Feature I want is to activate Park Chicago and from GPS, it should know where and for how long you Park and auto charge you!
-Richard

Delicious, filling Sun Wah lunch while Ellen was in the wilds of Highland Park today. Congee with fish ball, house made youtiao/chinese donut and Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce. Nice chat with the always interesting Laura Cheng. Not too crowded when I arrived, rocking like a 70's dance party when I left.





Sun Wah, count me a Fan!

Sun Wah will be offering delivery during the dine-in ban. Here are the delivery boundaries:
Bryn Mawr Ave
Ashland Ave <->Lake Shore Drive
Wilson Ave

Source: https://www.facebook.com/12061820462144 ... 717930162/

Beginning friday, April 10, we will be open on the weekends (friday, saturday, and sunday) from 10am-9pm, with last call at 8:30pm.
To promote social distancing, all orders will be taken over the phone (773.769.1254 or via text to our in-house ipad (sunwahipad2@sunwahbbq.com). No guest will be allowed to wait inside the restaurant for their order. We will configure all loading and parking spaces in front of our restaurant to be curbside pick up. Call us when you are parked in one of the loading spaces, let us know which space you are in and your order number. Please DO NOT get out of your vehicle, we will bring your order out you. If you are walking or on a bicycle, please observe all social distancing rules while waiting for your order. We will have some special “guests” available to help remind you of social distancing etiquette.
All guests can option to pay over the phone with a credit card, visa or master only. Cash will be accepted, but please be ready to round up to the nearest dollar amount so that we do not have to run back and forth to make change.
Our updated to-go menu has been released on our website. Please visit www.sunwahbbq.com to stay up to date on our info!

Source: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... 8204621446

BBQ Chinese Pork (Char Siu) from Sun WAH BBQ-Chicago by R. Kramer, on Flickr

Yummm-Yummm.
Made a run to Tai Nam Food Market (fully Masked- of course) for some Pantry Staples- small cans of unsweetened Coconut Milk, Red Curry paste,Thai Basil, & Red Boat Nam Pla , etc., all the while feeling that the folks that'r shopping there
are not as respectful of Social Distancing protocol
as say- Trader Joe's- and took the opportunity to treat myself to some-well-cooked Pig.
Yummm-Yumm.

As noted above- you call their number on the Glass Facade- and a runner brings your Food Order out to you.
Also- the price for Char Siu- is now a Dollar more than before.
1 pound = $11.80.

773.769.1254

Kelly- being a Lawyer- took an unusual step in ensuring a degree of "safety" for her Staff and her
Customers in asking them to sign an Affidavit-of-Health-iness,
before Chow-Fun-ing
https://www.npr.org/local/309/2020/06/16/878154675/this-chicago-restaurant-will-require-patrons-to-sign-a-health-affidavit-to-dine

I read an article recently about all of these Covid 19 waivers, etc. and the article essentially said, ' go ahead and sign, these waivers will not hold up in court'.

lougord99 wrote:I read an article recently about all of these Covid 19 waivers, etc. and the article essentially said, ' go ahead and sign, these waivers will not hold up in court'.

It gives false comfort, but it happens all the time. You can hope it gives someone pause before taking action. That alone may be of some help.

Regards,
Cathy2

Stopped at Sun Wah last night after dropping off the bride to meet her sister and family. Busy, or at least as busy as a responsible social distancing restaurant can be, had the pleasure of a great meal and a conversation with Kelly.

Sun Wah has been working on a few new items and I test drove steamed bao, duck egg noodles and a crispy black vinegar laced soy bean salad. A recent addition to Sun Wah’s kitchen staff is a chef from Macau, specials menu posted below. I also tried a plain pan-fried duck egg noodle. Normally served with a topping, I wanted to taste unencumbered. Can't wait to see these items offered daily.

It’s a great comfort to know as much as things change in these odd times, some stay the same or grow. I also love the fact that Kelly, and the Cheng family in general, enjoy feeding people as much if not more than me.

Click on image to expand







Sun Wah BBQ, count me a Fan!

Just fyi: I was on Sun Wah BBQ's events page and noticed some "food drops" scheduled for this week in the suburbs: https://sunwahbbq.com/restaurant/events/

What do we think would travel well. A duck, I am sure. Would the chow fun make it or re-heat. Other travel-friendly favorites?

I have re-heated chow fun in the past.
Need to catch the next Glenview food drop!!!
-Richard

I'm gonna go for a large BQ combo, and bq duck.
On the fence for some kind of veg to round out the meal (probably stir fried Chinese brocc, which hopefully won't be mush, but I am not holding my breath)

Can anyone comment on their Mapo Tofu?

Thanks to seebee for pointing this out, can't miss a chance for delivery duck in OP!

Two adults, two picky little kids. Definitely ordering a Beijing duck dinner, which is probably enough food, but what else? Mapo tofu would be great if someone vouches for it, but I've been burned by so many bad versions that otherwise I probably wouldn't. On the menu, I see "beef chow fun." Do I just order that "crispy" to have what G Wiv's having?

I am lucky to live in easy carryout distance from Sun Wah, so we know the menu pretty well. I would suggest sticking with their strengths in Hong Kong bbq (especially duck and Mike's fried chicken) and stir-fry. Their mapo is good, but not the strongest dish you could order. Yes, beef chow fun is great. If you want something a bit more spicy, their Singapore noodles (mai fun) are always a hit. When my kids were little, fried rice or lo mein (or chow fun or Singapore noodles) worked, or perhaps consider the soups from the noodle cart. If they eat fish, the fish stir fried with ginger and green onion is mild and kid-friendly (and also delicious for grown ups). For veggies, I think Chinese broccoli or bok choy would hold up over distances. You should also ask if they have any special veggies available. Any veggie dish with their homemade bacon is outstanding. I also like the eggplant stuffed with shrimp, which is kind of soft and mushy (in a good way) to begin with.

I'm not sure with this:
Roast Duck
Par Pei (BBQ) Duck

What's the difference? I think I just order BBQ combination, chow fun, and broccoli when I've gone. Haven't been there in a few years. Anyone know the diff? I'm sure I'll be happy either way.

I think I'm gonna get two large bbq things, hit Lola Tinings and cross fingers that they have some lumpia, then go home and make my own rice and stir fried brocc.

Hi,

Pei Pei duck is a spatchcock duck. I like it because it has more surface area for getting crisp. Before the term spatchcock came to my awareness, I would call it duck under arrest.

Regards,
Cathy2

All's well that ends well but it was a rough night at the Glenview pick-up on Tuesday. After sitting in the parking lot until 5:40 -- along with about 30+ other cars -- 40 minutes after the pick-up window started, the food had not yet arrived. That didn't stop the skies from opening up into a torrential downpour at about 5:30. Of course!

I had a zoom meeting scheduled for 6:30 and had no choice but to bail or risk missing the start of the meeting. After I got home, at 6:20 I received call from Laura asking if we were still coming. I explained that I had to leave because of my meeting. She then offered to bring our order to my house and drop it off at the front door, which she did. Profusely apologetic, she texted to let me know once she'd made the drop. I'd already eaten and my meeting had started but it was nice knowing that we'd have some leftovers to munch on over the next couple of days. Not exactly how I envisioned it but not a terrible outcome, either.

=R=

Unfortunately, the Oak Park dropoff is experiencing similar issues. Lotta folks, no duck as of this writing (5:22)

Yup.
5:30. Nothing. Tick tock.

They showed. WAAAAY closer to 6 than 5. The crowd rejoiced. Plenty of smiles and chatter, nobody seemed irate while waiting. The lot was a bit of a mess. I was one of the first few to get a food order, hopefully the wait wasn't too long.

I'm full of duck and pork right now.

As a resident of Uptown, getting to Oak Park quickly during rush hour is a laughable prospect.

Does anyone know what the preparation of the Shanghai bok choy is like? Is it similar to the baby bok choy they would usually have as a special?

Sun Wah is currently closed due to license suspension after failing health inspections on 11/10 and 11/18, per the city's website and this tweet: https://twitter.com/Dub__A/status/1329788673752182784

watson wrote:Sun Wah is currently closed due to license suspension after failing health inspections on 11/10 and 11/18, per the city's website and this tweet: https://twitter.com/Dub__A/status/1329788673752182784

11/10 - the very day of the late-delivered meal drop at Avoca in Glenview. Ouch.

=R=