Yum Cha
Chili Oil, Spicy Mustard, Hoisin
Crab ‘Rangoon’
Har Gow
Foie Gras Egg Custard Tarts
Xiao Long Bao
BBQ Pork Buns
Creamy Chicken Bun
Egg Yolk Fried Sweet Potatoes
Fried Taro and Pork
Peking Duck with Truffled Gravy
Walnut Prawns
Yum-Cha Pressed Duck with Mushroom Gravy
Said by some to be the best dim sum found in The Windy City while others suggest the slick space just steps from Millennium Park to simply represent an location-based money grab it was with great curiosity that I sat down with family for Sunday lunch at Yum Cha, the eleven dishes we tasted a decidedly mixed bag where unexpected items shined while personal favorites universally fell flat. Admittedly well designed with menu-based orders replacing more traditional carts it was none-the-less to sub-par service that we were treated throughout our ninety minute stay and with forgotten plates plus often-empty water proving the rule rather than the exception the food came in fits and starts, an opening volley of creamy crab in a fried egg-roll wrapper bowl amongst the best plates of the afternoon while Har Gow, XLB, plus a duo of baked buns were mostly par for the course. Largely underwhelmed by the $13 trio of tiny egg custards topped with an undetectable sliver of foie gras but thoroughly impressed by tender fries coated in lightly sweetened egg-yolk it was onward to larger plates that we progressed and although pricy walnut prawns did indeed set a new benchmark the peking duck was a flavorless disaster, the confit filled version pressed into fried taro faring far better but still not something I’d order again as the coating itself was quite thick and thus too starchy, particularly when compared to the far more delicate fried pork and taro dim sum that had proceeded it.
RECOMMENDED: Crab ‘Rangoon,” Creamy Chicken Buns, Egg Yolk Fried Sweet Potatoes, Walnut Prawns
AVOID: Foie Gras Egg Custard Tarts and Peking Duck with Truffled Gravy – both under-portioned, under-flavored, and overpriced for ‘exotic’ ingredients that added nothing to the plate.
TIP: Yelp users can “check-in” for a free item of the chef’s choice, in our case the BBQ pork buns which were quite smoky and, thankfully, none too sweet.
http://www.yumchachicago.com/
