![]() ![]() Colorful or not, great XLB are my Twitter Lamian 6 W. I will go back to try the xiaolongbao again, though, in hope of better execution. What's so confounding about Imperial Lamian are the hints of a very good restaurant, but the service is comical, and the food and drink inconsistent. Dim sum was previewed for Mother's Day brunch, but with no start date or menu released yet. The sets are perhaps the best way to sample the menu. Weekday lunch is just a short version of the dinner menu, but with lunch sets, too, including a choice of soup or salad, dim sum, entree plus rice. On one visit my dad spied Peking duck, but our server said it was only photographed during tests and not available. Fine but uninspired.Īn iPad picture menu is available upon request. The mini egg tarts, sesame "golden balls" (jian dui or fried rice dough filled with sweet lotus paste) and salted egg bao were the equivalent of serving chocolate chip cookies, creme brulee and molten chocolate cake. The desserts are correct, but they're common dim sum sweets - puzzling because this is the course where all the color and creativity found in Lamian's modern ingredient melding could have made the most sense. ![]() Luckily, Rare Tea Cellar owner Rodrick Markus, based in Ravenswood, sources all the teas and personally custom-blended an earthy Pu-erh with four different vintages for a tea service worthy of your inner empress. An Amaro Mule cocktail ($12), poured with classic ginger beer and lime juice, swapping Luxardo Amaro Abano for vodka, could have been a refreshingly bitter translation of the Moscow mule, but was over-iced, weak and frustratingly flavorless. "Well it won't kill you," she said and shrugged.īeverages are also inconsistent. We mentioned to our server the unpleasant surprise. It came with the empty lobster head and tail, which we tasted only to discover a nasty paste used to stick the shells. ![]() The seafood fried rice ($18), full of carefully shelled lobster claws, meaty scallops and egg was executed well, with grains intact and a hint of smoky wok breath. The small plate already had induced sticker shock, which was made worse by poor technique. A copper-skinned quarter bird was served simply deboned, but the mild, gamy flesh was dry. The roasted duck ($30) uses dry-aged Rohan duckling, the trademarked D'Artagnan hybrid of heritage breeds. Score some privacy in one of the booths lining the east wall of the dining room, or be closer to the open kitchen at the tables on the west side. Greasy, dry and lacking any flavor or point, it took everything I love about the classic, saucy, spicy, comfort dish and stripped it away. The wok-fried lamian noodles were thick and good, especially the shrimp ($14) with fat crustaceans tossed with peppers, bean sprouts and a judicious amount of soy sauce.īut then there was the golden mapo tofu ($9), lightly batter-dipped and deep-fried tofu with pork, shrimp, chicken and sweet chili sauce. Instead get the beef brisket bowl ($15) with huge chunks of tender five spice-scented braised meat and bone marrow broth spiked with Chinese rose wine - which is neither pink nor a wine, but a strong rose petal- and rock-sugar-infused sorghum spirit. The soup noodle char siu and wonton ($16), served in a subtle pork broth with bok choy and shaved bonito garnish, is the most popular of the bunch, we were told, but on one night our bowl arrived without the wontons, and on another, they fell apart. On the other hand, the lamian were consistent and a good value. Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.The hand-pulled noodles are also used as the base for meaty soups. If your late-night palate is craving something a bit more refined (truffle oil mushroom buns, anyone?), enjoy freebies on Friday night and mentally bookmark this spot for future drunchie needs. The new late-night option will be open Thursday through Saturday from 10pm to midnight. Everything is priced at $3, and you can spot the window by its flashy neon sign. I have been meaning to eat at Imperial Lamian for some time, so when I saw they were participating in restaurant week, I quickly made. Char Siu (Pork Bun): This wasnt like a typical pork bun that is steamed. came out very colorful, but compared to the other dim sums it was ok. The Wok Up Window's menu reads like a roster of elevated on-the-move bites including pumpkin puffs with roast duck and butternut squash, fried wontons with shrimp and sweet chili sauce, BBQ pork fried rice and baked charsiu bun. Chicago, IL 640 friends 123 reviews 255 photos. Though the new to-go option will be in full swing on Saturday, May 27, guests are invited to stop by on Friday night between 10pm and midnight for a complimentary preview of the offerings. River North has no shortage of late-night munchies, but Imperial Lamian is hoping to bring something different to the pizza- and taco-saturated area. This weekend, the modern Chinese restaurant will debut its new Wok Up Window. ![]()
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