Fat Rice
House Pickles – Lotus Root and Peanuts
Bread and Butter
Bacalhau – Salt Cod, Olive, Chili, Mint, Bread
Winter Melon Soup with Foie Gras, Jamon Iberico, Dried Scallop, Shitake, Enoki, Kumquat, Superior Broth
Fat Rice – Arroz Gordo with Jasmine Rice, Croutons, Sofrito, Chinese Sausage, Salted Duck, Portuguese Chicken Thigh, Char Siu Pork, Linguica, Fatty Prawn, Clam, Tea Egg, Pickles
Pineapple Upside Down Cake – Sweet Cream, Licorice Plum, Cinnamon Taro Chip
Serradura – Cream Cheese Mousse, Guava, Tea Biscuit Crumbles
Garnering considerable praise since opening its doors there was little doubt Abraham Conlon’s Fat Rice would play into my Chicago dining itinerary and planning advance while easily recruiting a friend the plan was to arrive just as the restaurant opened in order to avoid a long wait, our reward a corner seat on the edge of the bar with a full view of the kitchen where Abe and his staff worked with smiles and silence turning out plate after plate to a restaurant filled mere moments after it opened. Featuring stellar service and seasonal specials to accompany the more traditional Portuguese and Macanese menu staples it was admittedly with much deliberation that my friend and I weighed the options and with decisions eventually made it would not be long before the show began; a three savories and two sweets meal with enough food feed a small family and each plate a lesson in boldness and balance, tradition with creativity, but most of all the frequently misused/overused term “umami.” Sticking largely to the traditional Macanese items it was with creamy salted cod spread that the evening began and pairing the fish first with spice and brine but then scaling it back with mint this superb starter was only improved by the pillowy bread with light sweetness and a delicate crumb, a second roll proving equally amicable for sopping up the broth of the seasonal soup – a $34 masterpiece with nearly 6oz of foie gras scored and braised in an unctuous broth briny with pork and scallops yet intensely aromatic from the copious mushrooms. Moving on it was an obvious choice from the start that the signature Arroz Gordo would find its way to our table and although approximately 1/3 of the bowl went home with my friend it should go without saying that this is a dish well worth the price of admission, the complex flavors and textures running the gamut of the palate and the tea eggs, salted duck, and char siu pork particularly funky while the paprika from the linguica and chilies from the chicken tickled the back of the throat. Clearly not about to skip dessert after such a meal and unable to select just one despite being quite full it was on our server’s recommendation that we eventually opted for the restaurant’s two signatures and coming from entirely different places in terms of both taste and texture it should only be said that there is no ‘right’ answer as to which was better, the cake truly inspired in its construction and balance of sweet and savory tones but quite heavy while the more traditional serradura was a cloud with light sweetness up front and a mellow, tangy finish that lingered pleasantly at the end of such a heavy yet delightful meal.
