Crispy Beef w/Egg Noodles from Mantou
Item Purchased: Crispy Beef w/Egg Noodles
Location Purchased: Mantou / 1633 N. Milwaukee Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $9.95 + tax
Purchased on: 12/06/08
Review: My girlfriend and I were excited that there was a new late-night noodle joint in town that wasn’t located in Chinatown or Little Vietnam. Unfortunately, the strikes came early against Mantou. When I called to place a takeout order from the three-and-a-half week old restaurant, the dish I ordered for myself had already been eliminated from the menu. As the woman on the phone listed the many changes that had been made, she emphasized how good the crispy beef was. Somewhat disheartened that I wouldn’t be eating what I wanted, yet still very hungry, I took the woman’s advice. What do they say about grocery shopping on an empty stomach (and should that somehow be applied to ordering takeout)?
After walking through the cold streets of the rapidly (d)evolving Wicker Park, I arrived at Mantou to find the expected, but impressive mod-meets-modern-hipster restaurant space. Small, with about 20 tables, the dining room was full and the small bar (complete with oyster ice beds) was overflowing with people waiting for a table to open up. All of the servers were accomodating and friendly, and when I asked for a menu to take home, I was handed a legal sized piece of paper… with some kind of oyster juice and dipping sauce dribbled and dried on the bottom of it. Tackiness aside, it won’t go well with the other menus in my kitchen drawer at home.
The first thing that struck me about my order was the noodles. They came out of the takeout box in a sticky lump and were unevenly cooked throughout. How can you advertise yourself as a noodle shop and screw up the noodles? From there, it just went downhill. The thinly sliced beef was crispy in parts, and burnt in others. To give credit, where credit is due, the center of each slice of beef was tender and slightly juicy. To take away that credit, all you had to do was taste the “Smoked Chili Barbeque” sauce that the steak was smothered with. I use ironic quotes because what Mantou refers to as barbeque sauce tasted like pure tamarind paste. I love tamarind paste, but I wouldn’t use it as a replacement for A1!
Mantou may need to make a few changes to their infant menu one more time before I return. Of course, with Mado just a few yards away (and far superior noodle shops only a few miles away) , I really don’t see a reason to return at all.
Rating: 1 / 5
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