i was thrilled when i received an email from chef chris hora, the executive chef at chant in hyde park. it was an invitation to a blogger brunch event last sunday :: blogger bloody mary bowie birthday bash brunch ~ i have to say to the name is quite the mouthful. nonetheless, i was uber excited but at the same time nervous because it was my first official blogger tasting event (besides the food tour by chicago food planet) .

to be quite honest, i have not heard of chant restaurant prior to the email i received. i had to do a bit of research about the restaurant before going to the event. from what i've gathered:
o1| chant focuses on asian fusion cuisine.
o2| chef hora has been recently appointed as the executive chef at chant just last september, arriving from LA.
o3| that chris hora starred in a food network show called chef hunter. i watch food network almost religiously! and to be invited to an event by someone who was on a food network show...i mean, how exciting is that?!

i was the first to arrive to the restaurant ~ a tad too early, in fact. 15 minutes earlier than my reservation at 11:30am. i could clearly see chef chris hora planning out with his team (for the event, i assume) as i entered the restaurant. nerves started to kick in... i was thinking to myself 'what is the right thing to do at these events?'


i was seated at a table when chef hora came by to my table to say hello.  he offered a glass of bloody mary and when i mentioned that i didn't drink, he was very nice to offer to make a virgin version of the drink. i mean the blogger brunch is called 'bloody mary bowie birthday bash' so i had to give it a try. i've never really had bloody mary's before but i thought it was a pretty tasty drink. tomato-y with a hint of savoriness and a slight heat and bite at the end.



the decor at the restaurant is quite interesting and different which left me a bit confused. the style was leaning towards a thai direction but i thought it was almost adopted in an edgy (think punk rock) way. there are some decor pieces that i really like which compliments their theme but i'm not sure if the overall impression reflected chant's identity. however, according to the yelpers opinions, most of them thought the decor was cool, hip and trendy.




i was offered the brunch menu and was at a loss as to what to order. i asked my very perky and friendly server what she would recommend and she narrowed it down to three for me : the sweet potato five spice pancakes, honey chipotle wings or eggs with chant potatoes. as tempting as the honey chipotle wings sounded, i wanted to try something that represented chant that is asian fusion. so i opted for the pancakes.



brunch | sweet potato five spice pancakes and vanilla cream ($7)



normally, i wouldn't pick a brunch/sweet item that has five spice since it is usually used in savory dishes and my mind would almost immediately think of chinese roast duck. but i was immensely interested on how the flavor combination would work in this dish. surprisingly, it turned out rather well. these pancakes were crispy on the outside encasing the soft but slightly dense interior. the five spice whispered its presence where i could still taste it but it didn't make me think of duck as i took bites.  and i loved that i could see small bits of sweet potato in the pancakes itself. there were a few things that i would have preferred though - the pancakes could use a more sweetness with maybe maple syrup or honey on the side and would love to taste more vanilla in the cream.

i had the pleasure of meeting with philip moy, a rather friendly guy in charge of chant's marketing strategy and we chatted a bit about the background of chant and of its neighborhood, hyde park over my pancake tasting. we also shared our views on chicago food scene and our love for anything delicious.

one | arrival of chef hora to chant has sparked a change in chant ~ a new improved menu taking experiences from chef hora's travels around the world.
two | chant has a sister restaurant in the same neighborhood :: noodles etc which has a more casual setting
three | chant's decor is supposed to mimic the ambiance of dining on the streets in thailand which kinda pieced what the decor was about.
four | he has actually tried a third of the all menu items and he mentioned his favorite is 'benedict, wahoo, bok choy, snow peas, poached eggs, sauce cherone' so probably give that a try when you get a chance. :)
five | chef hora is bringing farm-to-table approach which is awesome not just for the diners with the use of freshest ingredients but also for the local farmers.

chant restaurant under the lead of chef hora is heading in the right direction in representing the growing food scene in hyde park. while there are some aspects that has room for improvement, i'd like to return to try out what chef hora has to offer for lunch/dinner menu.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others. 

p.s. i was invited by the chef for a complimentary brunch to try out their new menu.

note | i submitted this recipe in the 'discover korea's delicious secret'. i was thrilled when there was a competition that combined both my loves together :: food and super junior :) incidentally, i was also exploring korean food in the past few months so it was perfect! wish me luck. i'd love to win! :D

i love korean food.. a lot. i have my favorites and one of my favorite dishes to get a korean restaurants is the spicy marinated pork a.k.a daeji bulgogi / daeji bokkeum { 돼지불고기 / 돼지벆음}. it is one of korea's popular meat dishes where thinly sliced pork loin is marinated in a special blend of red pepper paste with a mix of vegetables. the base of the marinade is gochujang{고추장} which is a savory fermented korean paste made of red chillies, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt which imparts spicy, savory flavor to the dish. that is what i love about it ~ spicy and savory. ^^

this korean spicy patties recipe is an ode to the daeji bulgogi where patties of a mix of ground pork and beef takes on the flavors and marinade of daeji bulgogi. inspired by the tteok galbi recipe i found on aeri's kitchen blog, i came up with my own variation of the dish. i serve it with a side of hobak namul {호박나물} which is considered as a korean side dish (ban chan {반찬}). hobak namul translates to green and golden thread zucchini salad and is perfect to mellow the spiciness of these tasty fiery patties.

what i love about this dish is its versatility. it goes deliciously well with rice or between two slices of bread with a slather of mayonnaise to make it into a korean inspired sandwich/burger slider or even be made into an appetizer on its own. it's very simple and doesn't take long to make. 

it was quite the pain having to constantly take step-by-step instagrams since i was working with raw meat (washing hands constantly) but well worth it cos photo collage is the most interesting way to tell a story :)

instagram-ed :: korean spicy patties

i decided to use a 50/50 ratio of ground pork and beef mixture for a tastier combination of meat flavor while the ground beef (i used 80/20 ground beef) gives the much needed fat for the leaner ground pork to keep the patties moist. if you'd prefer one or the other, you can always opt to just use one type of ground meat. 

instagram-ed :: hobak namul (green and golden thread zucchini salad)

since this dish required me to julienne the vegetables, i used a mandolin (i got as a birthday present two years ago) for the first time. love this gadget but good gracious, one word of caution - be extremely careful cos i hurt myself on the knuckles in the process >.< i call them battle scars so it's all good. but damn you, carrot. 

verdict | it was really delicious. the heat and spiciness coupled with the sweetness of the marinade make these patties addictive. the roughly chopped shallots and green onions in the patties gave it that textural difference and color. i would call these patties packed with flavor and it goes very well with the zucchini salad ('pats self on back for pairing these two together' hehehe ^^) if you're concerned about it being too spicy, omit the red chillies in the recipe and use a milder gochujang (i used #4 since i loveeeeee spicy food).

to serve this dish, i place the warm patties on a bed of chilled hobak namul (i left it in the fridge for 30 minute or so) for the temperature contrast. the refreshing salad cools the sweet heat from the these korean spicy patties. i just love how colorful this dish is with the red chillies and green onions running through the patties, which rests atop a vibrant salad.

these are the recipes if you wanna try making these patties of deliciousness:

korean spicy patties

recipe inspired by daeji bulgogi

ingredients |

marinade

directions |

• mix both of the ground meats together in a large bowl.
• chop 2 of the medium shallots (or quarter of a medium onion), green onions and chillies. you can leave out the red chillies if you are concerned that it might be too spicy for your liking. 
• grate the rest of the shallots. combine all the shallots (both chopped and grated), green onions and chillies with the mixture of ground meat. mix them slightly and gently. set aside
• in a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. mix thoroughly before adding it to the meat-vegetable mixture. 
• adding the marinade to the meat mixture, knead all the ingredients gently but thoroughly (for about 2 minutes). however, you do not want to overwork the meat mixture (it may get tough if you do so) so you should stop once you have a homogenous mixture. 
• place a plastic wrap over the bowl and leave it in the refrigerator to marinade for about 20 minutes to an hour (at least half an hour)
• after marination, take the amount of a golf ball size and shape the meat mixture into a ball. then, slightly flatten it to create patties.
• space the patties out on a non-stick pan ( you do not need to oil the pan) on medium heat. do not overcrowd the pan so work in batches if you have to. it is important to not cook it at high temperatures because the patties will burn rather easily without the middle of the patties cooked through. 
• once the juices come out of the meat, flip it over. i refrain from pressing the patties with a spatula since that would force the juices out and make them less moist. reduce the temperature to medium low.
• flip them once or twice more and fry them until both sides are nicely browned. if there is a bit of char on the outside, that is to be expected since the sugar in the marinade caramelizes. 
• make sure the patties are cooked through in the middle (about 10-12 minutes) but check the doneness through the patties to make sure it isn't raw. patience is definitely key here, so be sure to be frying them at lower temperatures.

green and golden thread zucchini salad {호박나물}

taken from 'the asian grandmothers cookbook'

ingredients |

directions |

• finely julienne the zucchini and carrots. 
• place the zucchini and carrots in a colander over the sink, sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and mix. then, let stand for 15 minutes.
• working in batches, wrap the julienned vegetables in a paper towel and gently wring out excess moisture. extract as much extra moisture as you can, but try not to crush the vegetables.
• fluff up the zucchini and carrots. add sugar, white pepper, lemon juice, ginger, sesame oil and sweet cooking wine. add salt to taste. 
• to finish it off, sprinkle some sesame seeds and toss.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others. 

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i met with two of my friends from florida for brunch since they were in chicago for the weekend for their friend's wedding. i haven't seen them for ages and i had to find a few good brunch places for them to choose from. i know chicago has an extensive list of brunch places - one of which i suggested was bongo room in south loop (the other one is in wicker park) which had more than a few rave reviews on yelp and urbanspoon. 

so i was going to take the bus to get there and i was waiting for a good half hour before the bus came by. i got on, paid my fare and took one of the seats near the exit door. but then, the most ridiculous thing happened - enough to make me tweet angrily about it:



so yeah, that was exactly what happened. i sat there, clueless and confused. i wasn't the only one confused cos there were a couple of people waiting at the bus stop peering in, searching for the bus driver. i even wondered if he was going to have breakfast at panera and how long i would have to wait. i got more antsy with each passing minute cos i was already late. thank goodness he came back a couple of minutes after with a coffee cup in hand. i have to add that he wasn't exactly the best driver either and hoped that i didn't have to get on his bus ever again.

so i thought this was that one rare occurrence but apparently i was wrong when i read this response tweet by @kristainchicago, author of the blog passportdelicious:


i laughed a lil bit when i read this. well, i guess at least he offered to buy her a hot dog from 7-11.

anywho, as i got to bongo room, it wasn't quite what i expected. from the outside, it looked like the place was an unfinished space. as i entered the restaurant, i had trouble maneuvering myself around the small waiting area was very packed because it was raining outside. the wait was expected to be around an hour. i really hope that the food was worth the wait and started to feel bad for recommending this place because of the long wait and i didn't even know if the food here was good.


the decor inside was a lot better than i imagined from what i saw outside. it was quite cozy actually. we were seated at the corner of the restaurant where there was a colorful checkered wall that i really like. in fact, one of my friends had a shirt that matched the wall and we chuckled about it for a bit and he took a photo with it which turned out really nice. it didn't take long before our server came by and took our order.



shrimp, avocado and feta benedict  | two toasted english muffins topped with poached eggs, shrimp, avocado, and crumbled feta with parsley, chive pesto hollandaise sauce, served with hash browns ($14.95)


xy said this dish was alright but was far from being impressed. both of his poached eggs were overcooked though where the yolk was completely cooked through. i am not sure what to think about brunch places that overcook eggs.

BLT benedict  | two toasted english muffins topped with poached eggs, grilled canadian bacon and classic hollandaise sauce, served with hash browns ($13.95)


i asked E what he thought about his choice and i could tell he wasn't too ecstatic about it either. he only finished half of his dish and the rest of the bacon. he says that he usually eats smaller portions and more frequently but i think he was just being really nice lol. and yes, both of his poached eggs were also overdone. xy joked that at least they were consistent - to which i add, consistent not in a good way? regret started to seep into my mind since i suggested this place.

red velvet hotcakes | chocolate-y cocao flavored hot cakes with warm vanilla creme and toasted crushed walnuts ($9.50)


this was a huge serving of red velvet pancakes. i have to say it was probably the best dish we had - texturally it was pleasant albeit slightly more dense than i am used to. it was a lil heavy and could have definitely used a lot more of the vanilla creme since there were so much hot cakes. however, i was left craving more chocolate flavor that they promised in their description. at least L enjoyed it and so did the rest of the table. the walnuts were a good textural contrast from the soft pancakes and creamy vanilla creme.

chorizo omelette | chorizo, queso fresco and avocado omelet served with hash browns



another huge plate of food and kinda overwhelmed a lil bit by the generous portion. the omelet was light but it was too salty from the chorizo. but it was mellowed out a bit by the creamy avocado and the queso fresco. my vote for it was not bad and overall had a good flavor profile but could have shown a little more restraint. i really liked the hash browns especially with the tomato ketchup.

while the service was quick to take our order, it took us a while to flag a person to get E a clean fork since he accidentally dropped his on the floor. it came to the point that he gave up and went up to the counter to ask for it. but they were quick to remove plates from under our noses and to give us our check. i guess they were in a hurry to get us out of there to bring in more diners.

our consensus was that bongo room was not worth the wait and i question the hype for this place. maybe, i am not so much for a breakfast/brunch places with super sized portions of food which i thought was average and inconsistent across the table. (i'm rather picky when it comes brunch places since i prefer lunch over brunch most of the time) oh, who can forget the overpoached eggs? perhaps, i ordered the wrong dishes but i don't think i would return a second time to wait another hour to test out that theory.

oh and to top it off, you know what.. i took the bus home cos it was drizzling and it was the same driver from this morning.. sigh. what a day. (i guffawed at the irony and absurdity of the situation actually..lol)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

i know i've promised a few entries during the holidays but between trying out korean inspired recipes,  eating out at new restaurants and christmas vacation, i've slacked quite a bit. but now i'm back with new material :: a couple of recipes and some restaurants i've tried last year that i was supposed to blog about.

but firstly, happy new year!

to be honest, i am a lil overwhelmed by 2012 since there is gonna be some major changes this year but let's not get into that for now. spent the christmas and new year's in louisiana with tons of good food, fantastic weather, fun company and adorable cat + dogs. { i miss them already :( btw i forgot to take a picture with sadie, meagan's cute beagle! >.< }

meet paws, the adorable but highly moody + independent cat and...

...happy, who is a spoiled shitzu but so cute she is able to get away with almost anything.

oh i almost forgot. we managed to find some almost elusive boiled crawfish since it was still too early for crawfish season but they were delicious! ryan and i consumed probably a combined amount of 10-12 lbs of boiled crawfish >.<

since it's the new year, i'm gonna reminiscent and try to narrow down top 11 items i've had in 2011. it was originally supposed to be top 10 but i think 11 is quite fitting since it's 2011 ^^

the top 11 list :: this isn't in any particular order since they are all so different plus it was so difficult to narrow it down. these are probably the dishes that i talk about again and again even months after we've eaten these plates of deliciousness.

one | longman&eagle's chanterelle agnolotti

it's so delicious that ryan and i still talk about it.....a lot. it was from the small plates menu, which we weren't so sure at the beginning because of the veal heart but we were so glad that we decided to be adventurous and tried it anyway. it was fantastic in terms of balance of earthiness from black truffle and chanterelle with sweetness of the huckleberries which makes even something like brussel sprouts taste amazing. 

two | longman&eagle's gruyere donuts

yes, L&E gets two mentions this year. what makes it so special imo is the fact that it's a cheese based dessert and it was just as awesome as it was different. the testament to how delicious it was was that ryan and i were both stuffed after our meal but i insisted on trying this - just could not resist. we were surprised by how light this was since these babies were fried and filled with cheese. the play of savory and sweet as well as crispy and creamy textures made the dish! :)

three | arami's double sake roll

arami has established itself as my most favorite japanese restaurant in the states, at least so far. its sophisticated simplicity with the freshest ingredients is displayed in this special maki roll. the lightness and delicacy in terms of flavors and the restraint of the lemon mayo drizzle amplified the flavors of fresh salmon itself allowing it to shine.

four | boka's ginger kulfi

my friend, andy warrants the greatness of this dessert.  i believe his exact words were 'the dessert will blow your faces off' so i think it would be an injustice to not include this on this list. not because of what he said but that he took the words out of my mouth when i tasted this at the michelin one star restaurant. the ginger kulfi is still the best dessert i've tried in a restaurant. i still stand true to my description ~ their interpretation of a deconstructed smores for grown ups - a harmonious symphony for the taste buds.

five |  avec's chorizo stuffed medjool dates

avec's most popular dish on their menu and with good reason. charles caleb colton once coined the phrase imitation is the best form of flattery and that was what i tried cooking a few months back. bacon always make everything better with its smokiness and saltiness, wrapped around a sweet medjool date that is stuffed with spicy and flavorful chorizo and all these rounded out by the sauce. one of the best things i've ever had so far.

six | shanghai terrace's  peking duck salad

peking duck was the main highlight of the meal that night but what stood out more i thought was the salad which they used the rest of the duck meat in dishes. i fell in love with the salad when i first tasted the flavor of truffle coating the bitterness of greens which is contrasted with its sweet vinaigrette mixed in with the succulent duck which is contained in a crispy wonton cup.

seven | next restaurant's caneton rouennais a la presse & gratin de pommes de terre a la dauphinoise

those french words simply translates to roasted & pressed duck with a side of scalloped potatoes with gruyere. i consider this as one dish since it came together. when next restaurant's first menu, paris 1906 debuted, the pressed duck took main stage and was anticipated as the dish to try which lived up to its tasty expectation. what took people by surprised was the scalloped potatoes gratin and its execution was perfection. the initial thought would be the duck would shadow the "side dish", instead these two dishes stood side by side on the same pedestal, commanding equal love and respect. there was one more dish from next that almost made it to the list certainly deserves a brief mention : brioche with foie gras with apricot jam.

eight | incanto's clams in country ham brodo


this comes across as a very simple dish but it ended up as a yummy rendition that combines clams and the pig - what i guess is chris cosentino's area of expertise. refreshing burst of tomatoes with the taste of the sea from the clams swimming in a savory and smoky broth. just yum! :)

nine | davanti enoteca's mascarpone polenta + pork shoulder with san marzano tomatoes and porcini mushroom

one of the times i had a huge dish envy. i went to davanti enoteca for their sea urchin and crab linguine - while it was delicious but it was outshone by this hearty dish that my friend ordered. creamy polenta paired with melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder braised in a earthy and well seasoned ragu is quite hard to beat. it was pretty amazing to the point that i was staring at my friend's dish while savoring my entree. hehe. 

ten | blackbird's wood-grilled sturgeon


as much as i was not too pleased with the service at blackbird (it felt awkward and uncomfortable, to say the least), this was one dish that stayed in my mind. succulent with complicated layers of flavor to boot. the fish was cooked beautifully with a hint of smokiness from the grill. again, a case of dish envy and although ryan was willing to exchange his dish with mine, i couldn't bring myself to do it even though i was really tempted to. one complain was that the dish was too small. 

eleven | juban's veal chop oscar


this is a very late addition to the list since i only had this just last week during my vacation in louisiana. ryan's sister, meagan made reservations for us at this fine dining restaurant for our christmas present. huge love for this dish - tender and succulent veal rib chop (veal is lean so getting it done right requires precision) resting atop earthy truffled potato mash, topped with sweet and fresh louisiana lump crab. the bearnaise and the glace de veau completes this well thought out and delicious dish. i was smiling with every bite because it was so very good. yummy! await an entry on juban's in the very near future.

there you have it :: eleven dishes that topped my tasted, eaten & loved list. i'd say it was a pretty delicious year last year and i look forward to what food 2012 will bring. ^^

more entries very soon - probably updating you what i've been up to in the month of december in terms of cooking :)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others