Address:
890 Washington Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Phone Number:
305 538 8424
Date of Visit: December 28, 2005
“Live Japanese river crabs.” That’s all I had to hear to join my friend Ben and his girlfriend to want to eat sushi on Espanola Way. Sure enough, when we arrived, a fishbowl sat atop the sushi bar, full of scurrying Tawagani. We ordered five fried crabs, which Ben liked enough to suggest as a movie theatre replacement for popcorn. Unfortunately, with each additional dish, the meal became less rewarding. Not wanting to sacrifice any more valuable stomach space, Ben cancelled our impending order of teriyaki chicken, we settled our bill and set out for Dinner #2.
Not that we had another restaurant in mind. Luckily, I’m a massive food geek, so I had Victoria Pesce Elliott’s article in my back pocket: “Where To Go Next: Miami,” from the December 2005 issue of Food & Wine. Mr. Chu’s Hong Kong Cuisine has O.A. Chu, the former chef from Tropical Chinese, a restaurant I ate at years ago and liked. Plus, it was only five blocks away. I called. It was open. We were off.
For years, Toni Takarada ran Thai Toni in the same location before recruiting Mr. Chu as chef and co-owner. They converted the space to Mr. Chu’s Hong Kong Cuisine, drawing on Mr. Chu’s deep knowledge of Chinese cuisine, which he began building in his Taiwan youth.
Mr. Chu’s is a sumptuous restaurant, almost imperial in its elegance. Colossal red Chinese lanterns hang from the ceiling. Plush red booths line the walls. The waiters are dressed in silk uniforms.
We’d already eaten a full meal, but we still selected four dishes from the massive menu.
Crispy pork tenderloin ($7) marinated in homemade red rice wine sauce came garnished with honey glazed soybeans, AKA edamame. The chewy pork was delicious with the nouveau baked beans.
Pan-fried shrimp and leek dumplings (2 for $6) were served with dishes of lip-blistering chile oil and hot mustard. The tender dumplings featured thick, crisp skins.
Curry-flavored Singapore rice noodles ($16) with shrimp, ham, roast pork, egg, onion, and mushrooms probably didn’t warrant such a high price. Still, a solid stir-fried noodle dish that incorporates high quality ingredients has value.
Our main course was the steamed Chilean seabass fillet with black bean sauce ($29), which our waiter described as Mr. Chu’s “#1 dish.” The plate offered layers of juicy bass that separated at the push of a fork. The fish may have been steamed a couple minutes too long, but it was certainly still flavorful.
For dessert, we were each served a complimentary bowl of almond pudding layered over cold tofu, topped with two pineapple cubes and a square of papaya. The best thing I can say about the tofu was that it was refreshing. At least the almond pudding was tasty.
I could get used to this two dinner concept. It may require more time, effort and money, but considering I’m out to taste the best food possible, it’s probably worth it. Especially when it leads to dishes like crispy pork tenderloin with honey glazed soybeans.
Related Posts
No Comments Yet
You can be the first to comment!
Leave a comment